"Bel-" means To Dig

The Anunnaki word stem "bel-" means "To dig". I don't know if this has anything to do with the English "bell". However, a few Kalanga words developed from said stem.

The diggers at Mapungubwe were called BaHUMBE. By the way, these are the people called "Dibetsa" by the Batugwa/Batlokwa. I believe that the final "BE" in BaHUMBE is part of "BEL-". My belief is borne out of the realisation that BaHUMBE are also referred to as "humbela", meaning "ant-eater". Indeed the totem of their nemesis, the Batugwa, is the ant-eater. This suggests that the full name of BaHUMBE is BaHUMBELA, meaning "those who dig".

The totem of BaHUMBE is ChiBELU, a pretty little bird called "Hoopoe" in English. I believe this is a misnomer. I think ChiBELU was originally a "khoodza-ntanda", which is a little grey bird which nests by DIGGING a hole in dried-up tree branches. Be that as it may, the bird's name again carries that word stem "bel-".

The BaHUMBE are also referred to as the Ndi-MBELE, meaning I'm a digger. Ndi-MBELE has now metamorphosed into NDEBELE in both South Africa and Zimbabwe. The "bel-" word stem is again the core of "Ndebele".

It is in the context of this "bel-" word stem that the construction of the Ethiopian rock-hewn churches at Lalibela can best be understood. As already indicated, "la" means "water/liquid/chemical". The word "li-" is a verb prefix. "Bela" is the verb, meaning "to dig". The word "Lalibela" therefore simply means "water (or liquid or chemical) digging". Thus the rock-hewn churches were hewn by the Anunnaki, using water. Hopefully science will explain exactly how it was done some day!