The study explores ukuthwasa initiation process amongst amaXhosa women in the Eastern
Cape Province. The focus is on the training of women amagqirha in three areas in the
Eastern Cape. The study looks at how the women are trained as amagqirha and how they
construct their multifaceted identities during their tedious five-year training process. The
Komanisi iphehlo is used as a paradigmatic model school for the training of amagqirha. The
ritual of ukuthwasa is analysed as a transformational practice that operates changes in those
who undergo it. A brief review of the interface between ukuthwasa and Christianity is
included and reflections in specific historical and socio-cultural contexts are provided.
AmaXhosa have been shaping and reshaping their ethnicity, religious culture, their identities
and political systems during the course of political instability and economic and social-cultural
challenges, including challenges during the democratic government. Such challenges
affected amaXhosa as a nation and their religious life, as traces of such can be observed in
transformations that have affected ukuthwasa practice. The study reveals the structure of the
training process and incidents that led to the evolution of ukuthwasa, ritualism, symbolism,
myth or magic and possible inexplicable realities of the world of ukuthwasa, to reveal the
epistemologies and existential realities of ukuthwasa and female experiences.
The polymorphism of ukuthwasa demands the use of various theoretical approaches to
explain the process and practice of ukuthwasa. Consequently, that led to the use of a
triangulation approach as a method of choice to collect, analyse and interpret the data. The
grounded theory method was used. The life histories of four trainers and the spiritual journey
of the researcher are used as retrospective data to explain the process, existential
experiences and practice of ukuthwasa. In total, 115 participants, including amagqirha, faithhealers,
public community members, family members of those who thwasa, initiates and key
public figures have been interviewed through structured and unstructured interviews.
Verification and soundness of data collected are maintained by means of verifying data
through focus groups. Results reveal that the amaXhosa experience ukuthwasa as a cultural
initiation process that helps in nurturing, awakening and stimulating the personâs umbilini
(intuition), which is an inborn gift used in divining. Umbilini is the only skill used to assess,
diagnose and treat their clients and patients. Therefore amagqirha use inductive ways of
assessing their clients. Through ukuthwasa initiation, women are able to understand their
âselfâ better. Ukuthwasa also instils maturity and opens up insights into their other gifts such
as âleadershipâ skills. In that way, ukuthwasa enhances their identities. In addition, amaXhosa
understand ukuthwasa as a reality and an inborn gift that runs in families. The result is also
that ukuthwasa is a complex and abstract phenomenon that unfolds as a long process and is never completed fully in its entirety; only death relieves a person from its demands. It is
fraught with various crises and to reject it is to invite continuous crises and ultimately
madness and death; the best way is to accept it. To treat ukuthwasa as a possession and as
a psychological phenomenon or syndrome is to underestimate the primary factor of the
inborn dispositionâs importance as cultural text and cultural discourse. Variations in the
structure and procedures carried out in ukuthwasa are identified within the cultural group and
other Nguni cultures, as well as at national and international level. Furthermore, there is an
inevitable interface between ukuthwasa and Christianity. The amaXhosa believe in one,
universal world. The infusion of cultural doctrines with Christian values leads amagqirha to
construct their multiple identities as amagqirha, faith-healers, powerful healing women as
well as women leaders in the cultural and Christian healing profession.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-03302010-115242 |
| Date | 30 March 2010 |
| Creators | Mlisa, Lily-Rose Nomfundo |
| Contributors | Prof E Pretorius, Prof JP Nel |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-03302010-115242/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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