MAAS ( Xitsonga) / Ehansi ka Senthara ya M.E. R. Mathivha ya Tindzimi ta Afrika, Vutshila na Ndhavuko / This study is an investigation of Shangani rituals in the Shangaan communities with
specific reference to N’wanedzi and Chiredzi District in Zimbabwe. The study analyses
the relevance of Shangaan rituals and how they can be performed and preserved. Rituals
are cultural or religious ceremonies performed according to the prescribed social rules
and customs. Rituals of various kinds are a feature of almost all known human societies
but each community has specific rituals that can be prescribed by the tradition of that
community. These rituals are critical to individual and community development. The study
also examined the extent to which the Shangaan rituals have disappeared and how the
socio-economic lives of the Shangaan communities have been affected. The study also
highlighted what best can be done to promote rituals, the attitudes of the Shangaan
people towards rituals and importance of reviving them.
The study is qualitative in nature henceforth the researcher will employ qualitative
approach to collect data. The research technique to be used will be interviews and
observations. Although the essence of the study will be generalised to the whole of
Shangaan speakers, the field will be delimited to N’wanedzi District in Zimbabwe. Data
will be analysed using thematic qualitative method. Through this method of analysing
data, a number of themes will be identified conveying the findings and making an
interpretation of the meaning of the data.
Chapter I focuses on the background, research problem, rationale of the study, aims and
objectives of the study, research questions, significance of the study, theory of the study,
definition of terms which were mostly used in the research, and methods of analyising
data.
Chapter 2 deals with literature review whereby the researcher will explore work done by
other scholars related to rituals .Research to be reviewed includes dissertations, thesis
books and articles that have addressed issues like the importance of rituals in society.
Chapter 3 deals with research methodology and data analysis. Research methodology is
the plan for selecting subjects and data collection procedures to answer a research
question. The study shall employ two data collection techniques namely interviews and
observations.
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Chapter 4 is an analysis of Shangaan rituals, death rituals that is the announcement of
death, the burial of chiefs, family head and kids, the unveiling of the tombstone, appeasing
of family and national spirits and the reasons for their disappearance among the
Shangaan.
Chapter 5 is an analysis of Shangaan rituals like the rainmaking ceremony, Christian’s
participation in praying for rain, the first fruit festival, male circumcision and girls initiation
rites. The chapter also focuses on the attitudes of the Shangaans towards rituals and the
importance of reviving them.
Chapter 6 provides an overview of entire the study, research findings, conclusions and
recommendations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:univen/oai:univendspace.univen.ac.za:11602/709 |
| Date | 18 May 2016 |
| Creators | Chauke, Juliana |
| Contributors | Babane, M. T., Hlungwani, M. C. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | other |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | 1 online resource (xii, 156 leaves) |
| Rights | University of Venda |
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