A Shona legend| The vaHera’s chief and a cave
A legend is a traditional story that is believed to be true. Some legends on the origins of the Shona people detail how large societies separated, resulting in smaller groups…
Polygamy in traditional Shona society, as told in ‘Tambaoga Mwanangu’
A polygamous family I've just started reading 'Tambaoga Mwanangu.' This is a story about how an eighteen year old boy, Tambaoga, went about trying to solve the mystery of the…
4 stories on ‘mutupo’ and modern society
1. A breakdown in the transmission of cultural knowledge My grandmother is over a hundred years old. Now too old to live alone, she lives with my mother. I pay…
The Tembo-Shumba Samaita clan
1. Their totem changed from tembo to shumba Tembo-Shumba (‘Zebra-Lion’) is the totem of the present day Mutasa people. The Mutasa people were not always known as such. The dynasty's totem was changed…
Goats and the masungiro ritual
Livestock as a form of wealth Sheila buys a goat In 2002 Sheila completed her O’ levels and moved from her rural home to the nearest town to seek employment.…
Kudhonza (female genital practice)| When women go to great lengths for great …
A young girl's story While attending boarding school back in 1989 at a respectable church run institution located outside Harare, Ndaizivei (not real name) was forced to stretch her labia…
Ukama| 5 rules to understand Shona family vocabulary
The Shona trace a person’s descent through the paternal line In Shona society, a person’s descent is traced through the paternal line. This means both males and females belong to…
4 lessons for my daughter, from prior generations of Zimbabwean women
The generational relay Many of the things my mother taught me, she learned from her mother. I, in turn, teach my daughter even without intending to. To each generation, knowledge…
Mutupo| 6 interesting things you should know about Shona totems, praise names and poetry
This post was last updated on 16 February 2023. Mutupo, chidao and detembo redzinza Mutupo (plural is mitupo) is the word for totem. Chidao/ Chidawo (plural is zvidao/ zvidawo) refers…