M. Tech. (Fine Art, Department of Visual Arts and Design, Faculty of Human Sciences), Vaal University of Technology| / My Masters of Fine Arts degree consists of two components: the dissertation and practical works in the form of sculptures displayed as an exhibition. This body of work explores myth, belief and ritual practices relating to birth, life and death of twins in Xhosa culture. The purpose of the dissertation is to enrich and reflect on both the understanding of Xhosa ritual practices and that of my own work. The study will hopefully add significantly to the body of knowledge about Xhosa Indigenous Knowledge Systems as relating to twins. UNESCO emphasizes that Indigenous Knowledge Systems are part of immaterial cultural heritage such as languages, music and dance, festivities, rituals and traditional craftsmanship, and this cultural heritage is important for the identity of a society (Kaya & Masoga 2008:2). The choice of employing autoethnography in this qualitative study is derived from lived experience. Born as a twin in a rural Xhosa community, I experienced some unusual practices during my upbringing and thus a qualitative research method is used, involving auto-ethnography. This methodological approach aims at exploration of personal experience as a focus of investigation. The study also looks briefly at Yoruba twins as a means of finding similarities and commonalties with those of Xhosa culture. / National Arts Council

This research explored the perceived impact of socio-cultural messages and practices around puberty, on constructions of masculinity and sexuality among Xhosa male university students aged between 18 and 24 years. This research explored how Xhosa men construct their masculinities and sexuality through identifying the key experiences and messages about manhood that they receive in puberty and by analyzing how their pubertal experiences and socio-cultural messages before and after circumcision influence the way they construct their masculinities. An understanding of how masculinities are constructed may be used to inform interventions around HIV prevention and help to understand what factors predisposes these males to high HIV related risk behaviours. This study used a qualitative research design. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, and analyzed with reference to Parker’s approach to discourse analysis (Parker, 1992). The results show that socio-cultural inform how manhood is negotiated. The possibility of using traditional practices in fighting against HIV/AIDS is explored. “Xhosa see the initiation- rite as a symbolic death, through pain and isolation from the community or society. This death brings forth new life and rebirth as a new being: a man who has outgrown everything related to his childhood. The new person is incorporated into society as a new responsible member contributing to its values and existence. After this process a person is expected to think and behave in a changed and constructive manner showing a transition from when he was a boy and all acts of antisocial acts were tolerated from him.”(Mayatula & Mavundla, 1997:p18). / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

Thesis (MEdPsych)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / On t.p.: Master of Education in Educational Psychology. Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

This study seeks to explore mathematical concepts embedded in traditional Xhosa dance and how these concepts can be incorporated into a learning programme for the teaching and learning of mathematics. The study seeks to gain insight into whether learners could benefit from the implementation of such a learning programme. Learners from a Grade 7 class in a rural school performed traditional Xhosa dances and their performances were captured through video recording. The video recordings were then observed and analysed to determine the mathematical concepts embedded in the dances. These concepts were then linked to those found in the Grade 7 mathematics curriculum. A learning programme integrating mathematical concepts from the dance activities with mathematical concepts from the Grade 7 curriculum was then designed. The learning programme contained mathematical problem solving activities that required learners to re-enact the dance performances in order to find the required solutions. The learning programme was then implemented with the learners over a period of three weeks. During the implementation, learners’ behaviour towards the learning experience was observed, their engagement with the problem solving activities as well as their strategies for solving the problems, were carefully observed. Also, their interactions with each other were noted. After the implementation of the learning programme, focus group interviews were held with learners to determine their opinions, attitudes and feelings about their experience of learning mathematics through traditional Xhosa dance. Key findings indicated that traditional Xhosa dance can be used as a medium for learning many concepts in the mathematics curriculum; the use of the dance gave learners an opportunity to learn mathematics from a familiar context and to participate actively and collaboratively in their learning. Also, it emerged that the use of dance to teach mathematics had potential to help improve learners’ attitudes towards mathematics. Conclusions were reached that the dance had potential for use as a means for the meaningful learning of mathematics. However, limitations and challenges with the study were identified, such as its limited replicability in other mathematics classrooms.

Part 1.Thesis: Chapter 1: The people of the Lumko district (the villages of Ngqoko and Sikhwankqeni) are AbaThembu, mostly of the Gcina clan cluster. Their history has caused them to be linked with (now vanished) San peoples in special ways, which have undoubtedly influenced their music. Chapter 2: The music of these people is centred around their religious and social life. This affects the way they classify their songs; and song classifications (and the way songs are used) affect their performance, in particular, the dance styles associated with the song classes. Chapter 3: A variety of musical instruments is used in the Lumko district, the most important being the musical bows. Once again, the use of these bows gives an insight into the musical influences that have affected the people historically. The ways the bows work are described, as well as ways to play them. Chapter 4: Overtone singing, not previously documented anywhere in traditional African music, is practised in certain ways by these AmaGcina. These, and other vocal techniques, are described. Chapter 5: From the terminology and the methods of conceptualisation about music in the Lumko district, it is possible to gain an insight into a truly Xhosa technical understanding of Xhosa music. Once again a historical insight is gained, because so many of the important terms are KhoiSan words. Chapter 6: A Western technological (i. e. musicological) understanding of the music is also necessary in a study of this nature. This chapter applies musicological concepts to an examination of the relationship between speech and song, of the usages in melody and scale, harmony theory, rhythm, polyphony, song form, instrumental roles and methods of performance. Chapter 7: This is the conclusion of the thesis. It sums up what has been studied: musical techniques, principles, the importance of Ntsikana 's song as a basis for musical comparisons, and the import of the historical aspects of the study - a possible glimpse of the music of the San. PART 2. MUSIC TRANSCRIPTIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS. The transcriptions of 62 songs provide the material for this study. The songs were chosen to represent all the major song classes used in the Lumko district, and to represent all the important music techniques as well. The songs are in fifteen categories. Each song is accompanied by its technical details, and sufficient commentary to make the song transcription intelligible and meaningful. Certain key songs are chosen as type-songs or other special examples, and are used as the bases for discussion on song style characteristics, principles of performance, bow adaptation, and so on. A general Introduction to Part 2 describes and accounts for the method of transcription, and also attempts to make it possible for the score reader not only to analyse, but also to perform the songs. In a further attempt to bring the transcriptions to life, a video recording of certain key songs and techniques, and audio tapes with examples taken from all the songs, accompany this study

Magister Artium - MA / Both Am-Xhosa and the European farmers, being pastoralists "the search for land and grass was (their) first principle", notes Walker (1928). When they met, they differed fundamentally on the "vital matter oflandholding" . So different were their perspectives, that Lekhehla (1955) suggested, as far as the treaties were concerned: "The Native Chiefs either did not understand the implications of the border treaties, or if they did, never intended to respect such treaties" (p.2 1). Hopper (1980) says the tension between the Europeans and the Africans on the land issue emanated from the fact that "Xhosa expansion" and "colonial expansion" processes were entirely different. While Am-Xhosa expanded in order to "preserve their political integrity" colonists were driven by an economic dynamic they expanded because land was necessary to accommodate growth (1980:261).

Communities which have been characterised by migrancy for a long period of time, such as the Xhosa and the Italians considered in this paper, develop sets 6f terms which describe migrants. The Xhosa have varied criteria for their categories, e.g. amajoyini - those on contract to mainly the mining and construction industries; abafuduga - those who deliberately sell up and go elsewhere; amagoduka - those who intend to return home; imfiki - impoverished migrants from white owned farms. Italians tend to view the crossing of international boundaries as the essence of migration and classify their migrants by the state in which they work e.g. Inglesi, Americani, rather than by the more complex terminology of the Xhosa. Some terms are simply descriptions, others are categories with wider connotations, into which people place others and themselves. As far as possible we shall use the peoples' own categories, which define their relationships to "home", the region to which they migrate and to migrancy as a way of life, as these have important implications for what happens at home. / Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER)

Cellular telephones have revolutionised the art of communication across all societies, and South Africa is no exception. Access to this form of communication has made personal contact easier, in both rural and urban contexts. Globally this form of communication has been readily embraced. However, cultural rules that pertain to face-to-face communication are often flouted by cellular phone users. This flouting holds true no doubt across many cultures, languages and contexts. Bloomer (2005:97-100) assesses this flouting of cultural maxims in relation to Grice's cooperative principle. This article attempts to assess how general rules of politeness in isiXhosa have been and are being transformed by what could be termed the "economics of speaking".

This thesis investigates the role that African indigenous value systems, Ubuntu in particular, could play in building a reconciled South Africa. In doing so a discourse analysis on Ubuntu is conducted and its potential in facilitating social cohesion in the quest for nation building. Specific focus is drawn on higher education an important task if we are to consider the accusation that higher education like its society, is still undergoing transformation and is under pressure to provide quality education for all people whilst also considering the large numbers of cultures that exist. For much needs to be done in redressing the imbalances caused by the apartheid education system which was organized according to racial lines. In doing so, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University is utilised as a case study with narrative presentations of how students perceive this traditional African value and its applicability to reconciliation in a post conflict society. For seemingly, there is something inherently important about this value in that it has been invoked and referred to in many important instances in South African history.

Incidences of cooperation in agricultural activity are widespread phenomena in low-income third world communities. Two forms of cooperative labour groupings are identified in Shixini, Transkei . These are the work party and the ploughing company. It is argued that different organisational principles operate in the different cooperative forms. Work parties are based on principles of neighbourhood whi Ie ploughing companies are organised around kinship relationships. Factors which determine the principle of organisation are social values; the wider South African economic system; ecology; reciprocity; the constitution and structure of the household; economic differentiation; and labour demand and supply. The dissertation is divided into five chapters. The first is an overview of the Shixini social, economic and political systems. This chapter discusses the influence of the wider South African politico-economic system on agricultural production; the Shixini!Transkei political context; kinship and its relation to social organisation; and the likely effects of an agricultural 'betterment' scheme on the area. The second chapter is an overview of agricultural production in Shixini. It is found that the most significant determinants of agricultural production is the structure and constitution of the household and the way in which stock is distributed in the community. The third and fourth chapters describe and analyse Xhosa work parties and ploughing companies . Argument is lead as to the reasons for the specific organisational principles operating in each case. The penultimate chapter is an analysis of sacred and secular ritual. It is argued that both ritual forms reveal cooperative principles of organisation. Secular ritual dramatises the organisation of work parties while sacred ritual dramatises kinship relationships and so, the organisation of ploughing companies. / KMBT_363