Ring

Siyalo finds Jezile's wedding ring, which she lost long before, in the soil after a hard rain. Siyalo believes finding it is a sign that their marriage is going to last. In the final paragraph of the novel, Jezile becomes aware that Siyalo is wearing this ring.

Pass

The government requires men carry passes in order to work in the city. When the government begins requiring them for women it sparks a protest that leads to imprisonment for many women.

Milk

S'naye is dying from a lack of nutritious food, so Siyalo begins stealing two pints of milk a day from the white farmer's cow.

Cows

The cows of the small villages are blamed for the loss of top soil from the fields because of overgrazing, causing the government to limit the number of cows one family can have to six. The families use these cows to...