initiation ceremony in zambia

While there have been a number of descriptions and interpretations of boys' initiation rituals, Audrey Richards' classic study of initiation rites among the Bemba remains one of the few studies to deal in detail with the initiation of girls into adult life. During the period of seclusion (which could last from a week to a month), the girls are prepared for marriage by being taught about hygiene, sex, and domestic chores. Do you want to become white? Celebrating Zambia’s Cultural Heritage (2007) by Tamara Guhrs, “the diviner (‘nganga’) throws up to 60 objects in a basket which are read to determine the source of the problem.” Divination is mostly done when someone believes they have been targeted by a sorcerer (‘orwanga’). The senior chief of the Luvale people is Chief Ndungu. By Audrey Richards. because city kids are even worse!!!!! You take away these sound initations you limit the market of the Nsenga women. The calmness, respect for the elderly, conduct at funerals, restrent from sleeping with old people are some of the take-aways from these ceremonies. It is offered to the ‘mwenga’s‘ (bride’s) relatives as a sign of respect and appreciation. The initiate (who is referred to as ‘mwali’) is also assigned a younger girl called a ‘kajilu’ or ‘kasambibiijikilo’ who helps with chores. What kind of people are we going to be without traditions and a culture to value and celebrate? This ‘lighting the fire’ ritual characterises all female transitions and is also performed for girls who have reached puberty and for new mothers. Staying in Chawama, a compound outside Zambia’s capital Lusaka, I spent many an evening chatting to the local women as they sat outside and cooked on their charcoal braziers. If it happens that the child cries continuously and habitually, this is an indication that the name is inadequate to satisfy some demand of its existence…the name must be changed and another selected. These are called ‘mahamba‘ and must be appeased through offerings to ensure good fortune. He is the biggest and most majestic of all the makishi, with his huge round impressive headdress.” Although all makishi are men (their identity is never revealed and it said that they dress in graveyards to shield themselves from the public), there are some female representations of women. The female version is ‘Omba’. Like many other tribes that occupy Zambia such as the Bemba, the Luvale are a Bantu matrilineal tribe that were part of the Mwata Yamwo-led Lunda kingdom in present day Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Ms Phiri has expressed happiness with the decision made by the Chewa traditional leaders, to put to an end some of the traditional norms and cultures that hinder the development of children in their chiefdoms. Indulging in sex has nothing to do with initiation ceremonies.When a boy or girl has come of age and their bodies start ‘itching’ they can indulge in any sexual activity without much control from parents or guardians. A groom may welcome a mwenga with a small celebration (‘vitilekela‘). She is taken to a fig tree, a symbol of fertility, where she remains until a grass hut or ‘litungu’ is built for her. The values of an eastern girl are based on the same. DOI link for Chisungu. Changa na Mayi, I love your comment. It all comes down poverty levels – tribes in Eastern province are on the extreme end of it. Proper educational facilities are rare, especially in the rural areas of Zambia and hence a large section of the children is unable to attend school. In Zambia, each tribe has a given tradition that people perform during a funeral or when a woman gets ready for marriage and during marriage ceremonies. Be Black and proud! A girls initiation ceremony among the Bemba of northern Rhodesia, 1956. initiation ceremony. Minister of Gender, Elizabeth Phiri, has praised the traditional leadership in Eastern Province for doing away with initiation ceremonies for boys and girls under the age of 18 years, as a way of combating teen pregnancies and early marriages in their chiefdoms. Initiation ceremonies for girls and boys coming of age are what makes a Nsenga a Nsenga, a Chewa a Chewa, and when you take it away, you are taking away a local value that makes that society rejuvenate and exist. Although the rituals are deeply rooted in tradition, they do change over time, sometimes in response to circumstances. A girl whose breasts have started to develop lives away from the group for six weeks to three months. Richards observed the entire chisungu or female initiation rite, an almost continuous series of complex ceremonies lasting for a month. #ethno #zambia dal 15 al 30 agosto 2018 #millebattute #reportage #likumbilyamize #ritual #ceremony #africa #initiation, A post shared by Mille Battute (@millebattute) on Jun 21, 2018 at 9:01am PDT. In various parts of Africa, such rites may usher individuals into adulthood, secret societies, or positions of leadership. The ceremony generally lasts a week and includes activities such as dancing by the makishi (masked male dancers) and by girls who have undergone the wali initiation ceremony, speeches by the chief and government officials, and drumming. They called the area is the ‘ mwenga ’ s what happens when have... Are foolish drugs and alcohol and without authority I married my nsenga wife was because of these practices properly! Ati Gender – kwisa teenage pregnancies to initiation ceremonies are contributing to early?! 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