Magister Artium - MA / This thesis analyses post-independence Namibian Heritage and identity discourse and its contestations through the contemporary public performance of olufuko. Olufuko is the ritual of female initiation that marks the transition of young girls into adulthood. The initiation has been an important aspect of the Aawambo women's identity that live in north-central Namibia and southern Angola as it is believed to legitimise womanhood. I show how Owambo residents embrace regional or ethnic diversity through the performance of olufuko as a way of expressing their belonging. Throughout the thesis, I also reflect on the fact that through national attendance at, participation in, and performing of olufuko by state representatives and individuals, from all the regions of Namibia and beyond, people have expressed their belonging to a nation state. During olufuko ceremonies, both regional and national state representatives advocated the ideas of nation-building through 'unity in diversity', which emphasises the diversity of ethnic backgrounds while harmoniously coexisting. Following Becker (2004), and Becker and Lentz (2013), my central argument is that in the contemporary dispensation, national citizenship in Namibia appears to be defined largely through the emphasis on regional or ethnic diversity. In my discussion, I show how the state appropriated and mediated the olufuko ceremony as a national event, though it was performed at the regional level. I show how national identity was visibly represented by national symbols such as the national flag and anthem and how it was audibly live broadcasted by state television and radio during the event. This signified the event as national. The thesis further investigates how national heritage is discussed in post-colonial Namibia by looking into the controversies between the state and ELCIN religious leaders which emanated from the performance of olufuko. The thesis is based on ethnographic research, which was conducted between December 2012, during olufuko ceremonies that took place in villages in Ombadja, and August 2013, when it culminated in participant observation during the public olufuko ceremony at Outapi, Ombalantu.

As mulheres têm sido retratadas como inertes, sem vida e despojadas de seus lugares de sujeitos-históricos, dizem-nos isso os estudos sobre as relações de gênero em Moçambique. No entanto, os mesmos estudos ao construírem narrativas transversais dominantes sobre os gêneros, tendem a essencializar as mulheres como o único sujeito, oprimido pela cultura/tradição calcada pelo patriarcado. Com efeito, a mulher de que falam tais narrativas é sempre vitimizada, oprimida mesmo pelos estudos que têm a intenção de tornar sua voz audível. Sendo assim, nesta tese, objetivo traçar uma outra alternativa analítica que, a partir de uma corporalidade especifica – ubiquidade dos corpos – retrata-as de forma regenerada, como tendo agência feminina. / Women have been portrayed as inert, lifeless and deprived of their places as subjects of history, we are told about studies of gender relations in Mozambique. However, the same studies, when constructing dominant cross-narratives about gender, tend to essentialize women as the only subject, oppressed by the culture/tradition traced by patriarchy. Indeed, the woman of whom such narratives speak about always is victimized, oppressed even by the studies that are intended to make her voice audible. Thus, in this thesis, the objective is to outline another analytic alternative that, based on a specific corporality – the ubiquity of bodies – portrays them in a regenerated way, as having a female agency.

As mulheres têm sido retratadas como inertes, sem vida e despojadas de seus lugares de sujeitos-históricos, dizem-nos isso os estudos sobre as relações de gênero em Moçambique. No entanto, os mesmos estudos ao construírem narrativas transversais dominantes sobre os gêneros, tendem a essencializar as mulheres como o único sujeito, oprimido pela cultura/tradição calcada pelo patriarcado. Com efeito, a mulher de que falam tais narrativas é sempre vitimizada, oprimida mesmo pelos estudos que têm a intenção de tornar sua voz audível. Sendo assim, nesta tese, objetivo traçar uma outra alternativa analítica que, a partir de uma corporalidade especifica – ubiquidade dos corpos – retrata-as de forma regenerada, como tendo agência feminina. / Women have been portrayed as inert, lifeless and deprived of their places as subjects of history, we are told about studies of gender relations in Mozambique. However, the same studies, when constructing dominant cross-narratives about gender, tend to essentialize women as the only subject, oppressed by the culture/tradition traced by patriarchy. Indeed, the woman of whom such narratives speak about always is victimized, oppressed even by the studies that are intended to make her voice audible. Thus, in this thesis, the objective is to outline another analytic alternative that, based on a specific corporality – the ubiquity of bodies – portrays them in a regenerated way, as having a female agency.

As mulheres têm sido retratadas como inertes, sem vida e despojadas de seus lugares de sujeitos-históricos, dizem-nos isso os estudos sobre as relações de gênero em Moçambique. No entanto, os mesmos estudos ao construírem narrativas transversais dominantes sobre os gêneros, tendem a essencializar as mulheres como o único sujeito, oprimido pela cultura/tradição calcada pelo patriarcado. Com efeito, a mulher de que falam tais narrativas é sempre vitimizada, oprimida mesmo pelos estudos que têm a intenção de tornar sua voz audível. Sendo assim, nesta tese, objetivo traçar uma outra alternativa analítica que, a partir de uma corporalidade especifica – ubiquidade dos corpos – retrata-as de forma regenerada, como tendo agência feminina. / Women have been portrayed as inert, lifeless and deprived of their places as subjects of history, we are told about studies of gender relations in Mozambique. However, the same studies, when constructing dominant cross-narratives about gender, tend to essentialize women as the only subject, oppressed by the culture/tradition traced by patriarchy. Indeed, the woman of whom such narratives speak about always is victimized, oppressed even by the studies that are intended to make her voice audible. Thus, in this thesis, the objective is to outline another analytic alternative that, based on a specific corporality – the ubiquity of bodies – portrays them in a regenerated way, as having a female agency.

<p>The study is about the rock engravings on the wonderstone hills just outside Ottosdal, North West province, about 70km northwest of Klerksdorp. Wonderstone is remarkable rock that is&nbsp / smooth, shiny and very easy to mark. The wonderstone occurs only on two adjacent farms, Gestoptefontein and Driekuil, and thus the rock art on the wonderstone outcrops is referred to as the Gestoptefontein- Driekuil complex (GDC). This rock art is now the only remaining trace of what must once have been a much larger complex of engravings. Sadly, much of the rock art has been destroyed in the course of mining activities, with very few records. The largest remaining outcrop is still threatened by potential mining activities. The study attempts to bring this disastrous and unacceptable situation to the attention of the public and the heritage authorities, who have so far failed to respond to applications to grant the sites protection. It therefore has two main aims: to&nbsp / locate and record as much of the rock art as possible and to understand the significance of the outcrops in the lives of the people who made them. Based on the rock art itself, as well as what little historical evidence is available, it is argued that the rock art was made by Khoe-San people during the performance of important ceremonies and other activities. The rock art has two main components: engravings of referential motifs and a gestural, or performative, element. The referential motifs depict a range of things: anthropomorphs and zoomorphs, decorative designs, items of clothing, as well as ornaments and decorations. The gestural markings were made by rubbing, cutting and hammering the soft wonderstone, probably in the course of a range of activities that people carried out on the outcrops. One of the main findings of the study is that the GDC was a place that was of particular significance to women. This is suggested by the large number of engravings of items that are closely associated with Khoe-San women &ndash / depictions of aprons, ornaments, and decorations. These play a prominent role in the initiation practices of many Khoe-San groups. Initiates emerging from ritual isolation after their first menstruation are given new clothes / they are also loaned ornaments and jewellery. This reincorporation into society as a &lsquo / new person&rsquo / has been described by some Khoe-San women as one of the high points of their lives. Oral traditions from the area indicate that the wonderstone outcrops were believed to have&nbsp / special properties / the study incorporates these traditions to argue that the wonderstone outcrops were associated with the presence of a great water snake that lay on the rocks and also lived in&nbsp / the pools of water in the nearby Driekuil Spruit. People therefore came to the outcrops to perform rites of reincorporation. One of these ceremonies may have been performing rites of association&nbsp / with the great snake / such practices may have included the use of rock dust as an ingredient for body paint.</p>

<p>The study is about the rock engravings on the wonderstone hills just outside Ottosdal, North West province, about 70km northwest of Klerksdorp. Wonderstone is remarkable rock that is&nbsp / smooth, shiny and very easy to mark. The wonderstone occurs only on two adjacent farms, Gestoptefontein and Driekuil, and thus the rock art on the wonderstone outcrops is referred to as the Gestoptefontein- Driekuil complex (GDC). This rock art is now the only remaining trace of what must once have been a much larger complex of engravings. Sadly, much of the rock art has been destroyed in the course of mining activities, with very few records. The largest remaining outcrop is still threatened by potential mining activities. The study attempts to bring this disastrous and unacceptable situation to the attention of the public and the heritage authorities, who have so far failed to respond to applications to grant the sites protection. It therefore has two main aims: to&nbsp / locate and record as much of the rock art as possible and to understand the significance of the outcrops in the lives of the people who made them. Based on the rock art itself, as well as what little historical evidence is available, it is argued that the rock art was made by Khoe-San people during the performance of important ceremonies and other activities. The rock art has two main components: engravings of referential motifs and a gestural, or performative, element. The referential motifs depict a range of things: anthropomorphs and zoomorphs, decorative designs, items of clothing, as well as ornaments and decorations. The gestural markings were made by rubbing, cutting and hammering the soft wonderstone, probably in the course of a range of activities that people carried out on the outcrops. One of the main findings of the study is that the GDC was a place that was of particular significance to women. This is suggested by the large number of engravings of items that are closely associated with Khoe-San women &ndash / depictions of aprons, ornaments, and decorations. These play a prominent role in the initiation practices of many Khoe-San groups. Initiates emerging from ritual isolation after their first menstruation are given new clothes / they are also loaned ornaments and jewellery. This reincorporation into society as a &lsquo / new person&rsquo / has been described by some Khoe-San women as one of the high points of their lives. Oral traditions from the area indicate that the wonderstone outcrops were believed to have&nbsp / special properties / the study incorporates these traditions to argue that the wonderstone outcrops were associated with the presence of a great water snake that lay on the rocks and also lived in&nbsp / the pools of water in the nearby Driekuil Spruit. People therefore came to the outcrops to perform rites of reincorporation. One of these ceremonies may have been performing rites of association&nbsp / with the great snake / such practices may have included the use of rock dust as an ingredient for body paint.</p>

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-10-03T11:41:38Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Óscar Morais Fernando Namuholopa - 2017.pdf: 2659597 bytes, checksum: c4b704da3d80eac474b0654f92fac768 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-10-03T11:41:57Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Óscar Morais Fernando Namuholopa - 2017.pdf: 2659597 bytes, checksum: c4b704da3d80eac474b0654f92fac768 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-03T11:41:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Óscar Morais Fernando Namuholopa - 2017.pdf: 2659597 bytes, checksum: c4b704da3d80eac474b0654f92fac768 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-20 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / This dissertation, entitled The role of initiation rites in the yaawo community: case of the city of Lichinga-Mozambique has the aim: to analyze the social role of initiation rites in the yaawo community; to characterize the practice of initiation rites in this community in present times Of cultural flow; to differentiate male and female initiation related to practice and thematic and to describe the role of initiation rites in the preservation of the socio-cultural values of the region. Its execution has become possible through research developed within the community, involving initiates as witness, teachers and managers of the schools where these initiates seek their learning. The research with schools and its agents aimed to analyze the relationship level between the practice of initiation rites and school institutions. The findings showed that initiation rites have the role of reinforcing internal social cohesion among members of the community, disseminating among their participants the spirit of solidarity and awakening the sense of belonging. They also have the role of socialization between initiates and the community at large. They create moral guidelines and outline the community's rules of social conduct. Initiation in the yaawo context means the attainment of social majority. By initiation the individual passes from childhood to adulthood, thus becoming part of the active part of the life of his community and enjoying full rights. They also mean the highest moment of the exaltation of culture and community identity. / Esta dissertação, intitulada O papel dos ritos de iniciação na comunidade yaawo: caso da cidade de Lichinga-Moçambique centra o seu objetivo em analisar o papel social dos ritos de iniciação na comunidade yaawo, caracterizar a prática dos ritos de iniciação nesta comunidade em tempos atuais de fluxo cultural, diferenciar a iniciação masculina e feminina quanto à prática e temática e descrever o papel dos ritos de iniciação na preservação dos valores socioculturais da região. A suaexecução tornou-se possível através da pesquisa desenvolvida dentro da comunidade, envolvendo iniciados, mestres e gestores das escolas onde estes iniciados buscam o seu aprendizado. A pesquisa junto destes últimos visava aferir o nível de relacionamento entre a prática dos ritos de iniciação e as instituições escolares. Da pesquisa, constatei que os ritos de iniciação têm o papel de reforçar a coesão social interna entre os membros da comunidade, disseminar entre os seus participantes o espírito de solidariedade e despertar o sentimento de pertença. Têm igualmente, o papel de socialização entre os iniciados e a comunidade em geral. Eles criam linhas mestras da moral e traçam as regras de conduta social da comunidade. A iniciação no contexto yaawo significa a conquista da maioridade social. Pela iniciação o indivíduo passa da infância para a vida adulta, passando assim a integrar a parte ativa da vida da sua comunidade e gozando de plenos direitos. Significam ainda, o momento mais alto da exaltação da cultura e identidade da comunidade.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The study is about the rock engravings on the wonderstone hills just outside Ottosdal, North West province, about 70km northwest of Klerksdorp. Wonderstone is remarkable rock that is smooth, shiny and very easy to mark. The wonderstone occurs only on two adjacent farms, Gestoptefontein and Driekuil, and thus the rock art on the wonderstone outcrops is referred to as the Gestoptefontein- Driekuil complex (GDC). This rock art is now the only remaining trace of what must once have been a much larger complex of engravings. Sadly, much of the rock art has been destroyed in the course of mining activities, with very few records. The largest remaining outcrop is still threatened by potential mining activities. The study attempts to bring this disastrous and unacceptable situation to the attention of the public and the heritage authorities, who have so far failed to respond to applications to grant the sites protection. It therefore has two main aims: to locate and record as much of the rock art as possible and to understand the significance of the outcrops in the lives of the people who made them. Based on the rock art itself, as well as what little historical evidence is available, it is argued that the rock art was made by Khoe-San people during the performance of important ceremonies and other activities. The rock art has two main components: engravings of referential motifs and a gestural, or performative, element. The referential motifs depict a range of things: anthropomorphs and zoomorphs, decorative designs, items of clothing, as well as ornaments and decorations. The gestural markings were made by rubbing, cutting and hammering the soft wonderstone, probably in the course of a range of activities that people carried out on the outcrops. One of the main findings of the study is that the GDC was a place that was of particular significance to women. This is suggested by the large number of engravings of items that are closely associated with Khoe-San women – depictions of aprons, ornaments, and decorations. These play a prominent role in the initiation practices of many Khoe-San groups. Initiates emerging from ritual isolation after their first menstruation are given new clothes; they are also loaned ornaments and jewellery. This reincorporation into society as a ‘new person’ has been described by some Khoe-San women as one of the high points of their lives. Oral traditions from the area indicate that the wonderstone outcrops were believed to have special properties; the study incorporates these traditions to argue that the wonderstone outcrops were associated with the presence of a great water snake that lay on the rocks and also lived in the pools of water in the nearby Driekuil Spruit. People therefore came to the outcrops to perform rites of reincorporation. One of these ceremonies may have been performing rites of association with the great snake; such practices may have included the use of rock dust as an ingredient for body paint. / South Africa

<p>RÉSUMÉ</p><p>Au Sénégal, on estime que 28% des femmes sont victimes de MSF et les Diolas sont une des ethnies au Sénégal qui pratique cette tradition. Dans ce mémoire, j’ai l’intention en premier de comprendre et d’interpréter les raisons qui justifient, selon les Diolas, cette pratique par la méthode d’abduction et selon la théorie du néo-institutionnalisme. Mon intention en second lieu est de comprendre les éléments de la prétendue diminution de cette pratique dans certaines zones chez les Diolas. Je veux aussi comprendre le rôle de l’ONG Tostan dans la réduction de ce phénomène. Pour réaliser mon projet d’étude, j’ai fait mon étude de terrain dans deux villages au sud du Sénégal.</p><p>Le résultat que j’ai obtenu est que les Diolas prennent les MSF comme étant la première phase, c'est-à-dire la première partie du cycle d’initiation d’une femme. Une fille ne peut pas entrer dans la deuxième partie de son cycle d’initiation qui est une partie essentielle pour réussir dans la société Diolas si elle ne passe pas la première partie grâce aux MSF. En plus, j’ai compris que les raisons principales pour justifier cette pratique sont que les Diolas pensent que c’est une recommandation islamique. Donc, la pratique des MSF est venue avec l’islamisation.</p><p>Après les programmes habituels de Tostan dans les villages, les deux villages de mon étude de cas ont fait leur déclaration publique contre les MSF. Selon les villageoises, dans le premier village, le rôle de Tostan est qu’elle les avait aidées à sensibiliser et à stabiliser le village dans l’abandon de la pratique. Mais il faut souligner que le procès d’abandon avait déjà commencé avant l’arrivée de Tostan. Je trouve qu’il y avait des éléments nécessaires pour cesser la pratique qui a existé dans le village avant l’arrivée de Tostan qui a facilité le choix de vraiment laisser la pratique.</p><p>Le deuxième village témoigne de l’importance de Tostan et affirme que sans Tostan, le village n’aurait pas abandonné la pratique des MSF. En même temps, il y a des indicateurs qui montrent que tous les habitants du village n’ont pas cessé la pratique.</p><p>Une remarque inattendue est que la norme féminine est sous transformation. Aujourd’hui, les femmes non excisées sont mieux considérées que les femmes excisées par toute la société dans les villages de cas de cette étude. Une autre observation intéressante est que les villageoises témoignent que les jeunes femmes étaient les plus difficiles à convaincre d’abandonner la MSF contrairement aux femmes plus âgées alors que se sont elles, qui peuvent fondamentalement réclamer d’avoir été préjudiciées a cause de nous au Nord, il est normalement difficile de moduler les différentes traditions à cause des anciennes générations au sein de la société.</p> / <p>An estimated 28% of Senegalese women are victims to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The Jola tribe in Senegal is one of the ethnics that practice this tradition. In this thesis, I have the intention to interpret and try to understand the reasons the Jolas have to justify this practice. This will be made by an abdication method with the help of the New Institutional Theory. My purpose is furthermore to understand why the practice of FGM has reduced in some Jola-zones. Furthermore, I would like to comprehend the role of the NGO Tostan in the reduction process. To fulfil my intentions, I have made a Minor Field Study of two case studies conducted in two villages in the south of Senegal.</p><p>The result of this thesis is that the Jolas use FGM as the first phase of the women’s initiation cycle. A girl is not allowed to enter the second phase of her initiation cycle, which is an essential step in order to succeed in the Jolas society, if she has not already passed the first phase. I have understood that the main reason to justify the practice is that the Jolas think that FGM is an Islamic decree. This signifies that the practice of FGM has come to the Jolas with the Islamization.</p><p>After conducting ordinary programs of Tostan in the villages, both case villages have made an official declaration against FGM. According to the villagers in the first village, the role of Tostan was to help them be aware and stabilise so that they could implement the declaration. It is important to stress that the process of abandoning the practice had already started before the intervention of Tostan in this village. This study shows that there already existed certain important elements in the village that had facilitated the work of Tostan.</p><p>The second village confirmed the importance of Tostan and affirmed that they would not have abandoned the practice without the intervention of Tostan. On the other hand, I found indications which show that all the habitants of the village have not yet abandoned the practice.</p><p>One unexpected observation that I achieved to track during my fieldwork is that the female norm is under transformation. Today, the non-circumcised women are considered more attractive than circumcised women. Another interesting observation is that the villagers claimed that it is actually more complicated to convince the younger female generations to abandon the practice of FGM, and not the elder females, which basically can be claimed to be the prejudice we carry with us from the North, when talking about different traditions which are difficult to change because of the old generations in a society.</p>

This is a study of the fifteenth-century, “Storie of Asneth,” a late-medieval English translation of a Jewish Hellenistic romance about the Patriarch, Joseph, and his Egyptian wife, Asneth (also spelled Aseneth, Asenath). Belonging to the collection of stories known as The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and derived from Jewish Midrash, the story was widely read among medieval religious in England in Latin before being translated into the vernacular for devotional purposes. Part of this study considers and identifies the aristocratic female patron (Elizabeth Berkeley) and author (John Walton) of the fifteenth-century Middle English text, based on literary, historical, and manuscript evidence from the sole surviving copy of the text in Huntington Library EL.26.A.13, a manuscript once owned by John Shirley. Also explored is the ritualistic pattern of events in the text (original to its Hellenistic origins) that coincides with ancient female initiation rites as we understand them from recent studies of Greek mythology. Centred in the narrative, culminating Asneth’s liminal seclusion, is her sacred marriage with a heavenly being. The argument suggests that in the Middle Ages this sacred consummation would have been interpreted as the union of God with the soul, similar to the love union in the Song of Songs. In the Christian tradition it is referred to as mystical marriage. Early Christian exegesis supports that Joseph was considered a prefigurement of Christ in the Middle Ages. In her role as divine consort and Joseph’s wife, Asneth would also have been identified as a type of Ecclesia in the Middle Ages—the symbolic bride of Christ. Patterns of female initiation in the story are also reflected in the hagiographical accounts of female saints, female mystics, and the ritual consecration of nuns to their orders, especially where they focus on marriage to Christ. The similarity of Asneth with Ecclesia, and therefore Asneth’s identity as a type of the church in the Middle Ages, is then explored in the context of the theology of the twelfth-century Cistercian prophet, Joachim of Fiore. The thirteenth-century Canterbury manuscript, Cambridge Corpus Christi College MS 288 (CCCC MS 288), which holds a Latin copy of Asneth also contains one of the earliest Joachite prophecies in England, known as Fata Monent. The study suggests Asneth may have held theological currency for early followers of Joachim of Fiore in England. / Graduate