Customs and beliefs of some African peoples – Part 3

In this the third and final part of this series we will discuss the relationship of the African man and his children, his home and labors, his manners and his environment.

Children

The African man and woman want children more than anything. In the  older, traditional, village environment when a couple is expecting their first child the wife usually returns home to be instructed by and cared for by her mother. The first child is often born at her father’s home.  After the birth the child’s father will be sent for and it may be a day or two before he can see his child over whom he assumes full parental control. He has both the rights of custody and guardianship over all the children of his marriage.

It does not really matter by whom the woman bears the children as long as she was lobola’d in which case the children always belong to the man who paid the lobola.  So, if a child is conceived in an act of adultery, it still belongs to her husband. The husband may, after accepting payment for “damages” by the lover, accept a customary payment and then relinquish his right to the lover.  After the child is old enough to leave its mother the natural father makes a further payment (for the rearing of his child) and then acquires full rights of custody and guardianship.

A man exercises his rights over his sons until they marry and set up their own homes. His daughters remain under his control until they are married and come under the care of their husbands. A child born as a result of his daughters’ seduction “belongs” to him and he has total discretion as to whether he will hold onto or relinquish custody to its natural father.

Though customary laws in Zimbabwe have always been strict with regard to parental rights, the courts of the country have laid down laws protecting the welfare of children. The welfare of the child is of primary importance when awarding custody. In the case of babies or toddlers who need a mother’s care, custody will often remain with her until they reach the age of about seven years.

The home and his labors

In the rural village, custom demands that there should be a clearly defined division of labor between the men and their women. The man only performs work considered worthy of his superior position in relation to his wife. The traditional woman would not expect her husband to do otherwise.

Throughout the 20^th century, as an economic necessity, many African men earned their living in domestic or other service jobs (such as housekeeping, hotel and restaurant waiters and gardeners) performing daily tasks which they would not dream of doing in their own home environment.

In her home, the African woman is responsible for all the chores connected with rearing her children and keeping her husband contented.  She has her own hut, like each of her husband’s other wives. When she dies, no other woman will ever live in it and it will be left to disintegrate. She shares in the building of the hut.  The husband carries the heavy poles from the surrounding “veld” and sets them up in a circle.  She plasters the walls and floors and carries the long thatching grass for her husband to tie to the frame of the conical roof.

The housewife is constantly busy in the village setting.  She stamps the grain and grinds the meal between two flat stones. She brews the beer, collects the firewood and water, and feeds and tends to the children.  She is responsible for keeping the family larder and sees to it that there is no waste of the food supply.  She also helps the husband cultivate the land. The man is primarily an agriculturalist, for he tills the land, with a plough if one is available. He takes on most of the heavy tasks, making the wooden handles for his tools, fashions the wooden pestle and mortar for his wife’s use, prepares animal skins and even weaves baskets. He is also the hunter, fashioning nets from fibrous tree bark, making snares or pits, and setting traps.

While the man has nothing to do with the village domestic tasks, the woman takes no part in the affairs of the state or tribe.  It is the man who attends the meetings and voices his opinion. The older he is and the greyer his beard, the more his opinion is likely to be respected.

Much of rural tribal life relies on the “nhimbi,” a social gathering attended by men and women from nearby villagers.  Men will squat on their haunches in a circle and pass around a foaming beer pot. Women gather nearby in the shade with their babies and laugh and gossip among themselves. Others will be working happily among the crops.  The onerous day to day tasks are therefore shared among many.  The nhimbi is an important social event.  The guest workers are paid for their hard work by hospitality and tomorrow the nhimbi may be held at their homes and they will benefit from the work on many hands and provide the beer and hospitality. When the crops have been harvested threshing parties will be held and this becomes an enjoyable event. Men and women will gather on the threshing floor and beat the grain from the husks with singing and frequent intervals for a thirst-quenching quaff of beer.

The man and his manners

African people are extremely respectful to others and are polite to a fault. But wherever we go in the world we will encounter local customs that we may think show bad manners when, in fact, manners differ from culture to culture. This is very evident in African society and the multiracial societies that are found in Africa.

When a European man is addressed by a superior or when someone he respects enters the room, he will rise and remain standing as a way to show his respect. An African man, on the other hand, considers it most respectful to squat down as soon as he is addressed by a senior. When entering a room he is being polite by sitting down without waiting for an invitation to do so.

The African, like Arabs and others who have existed in countries where there is barely enough water for survival, let alone for washing, regards his right hand as his “clean” hand.  He uses the right hand for conveying food to his mouth and his left hand for various unclean tasks and would not dare take food from a communal cooking pot with his left hand. Politeness demands that he use his clean hand when handing anything to someone else.  When he receives a gift, he will hold out both hands. No matter how small the item may be he is indicating to you that it so big, so heavy and so generous that it takes two hands to hold it.  To receive a gift with one hand as we do, belittles the gift and does not express gratitude.

If two people are talking the European would not walk between them, but the African will often do so as a way to show he intends no harm. It is very common to see a heavily laden African woman, with a bundle on her head, and perhaps a child or two in tow, walking behind a man who carries nothing but a stick or an axe. In the traditional culture, the man would be unable to protect his wife if he were encumbered with the luggage.

Those of us accustomed to the hectic, busy, western way of life tend to be very abrupt in our greetings and conversations. The traditional attitude of many Africans is far more patient and it is important to give lengthy, polite, greetings and light conversation before getting down to business. It is polite to tell a person what it is thought he wants to hear rather the blunt truth.  So, when asking directions of a rural African man, you may ask, “Is it far to the nearest river?” The answer may well be “No, it is not far.”  A few miles further when your thirst is becoming unbearable you will wonder why the man did not tell you the honest truth.  It is because he was showing his best manners in telling you what he thought you would like to hear.

The list of differences in manners between cultures can be very long. It is very important to understand these differences and to adapt to them. Patience and understanding have never been so important. During my 13 years living in Zimbabwe I gained an immense respect and admiration for the African people with whom I came into contact. These characteristics are still evident.  Even in the strife torn country that is Zimbabwe today, the men and women you meet in their society are almost always hospitable, friendly and welcoming. This is not just because their livelihood may depend on it; it is also because this is the most natural way for them to conduct themselves.

Customs and beliefs of some African peoples – Part 1

Living in the USA or in any highly industrialized country, we are insulated from daily, or even occasional, contact with people of significantly different cultures. Americans, whether from the Deep South or upstate New York, and whether black, white, or Hispanic, share similar customs.  We often assume simply because we do certain things in our everyday lives, other human beings do them too – even if they are people of a completely different race and culture.

Growing up in South Africa from the age of 12, I was aware of many differences between the customs and cultures of white (or European) and black (African) people.  It was only when I moved to Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in 1967 that I became much more aware of the differences. I left behind a country where the leaders tried very hard to keep the races separate.  “Apartheid” was in full gear in South Africa in those times. Everything was segregated.  There were many occupations that blacks were not permitted to perform.  For example, you never saw black truck or bus drivers. There were no black tellers in banks or in post offices. Separate “homelands” were designated for blacks and so opportunities for that race in the major cities were limited to menial or labor-intensive jobs.

The situation and status of blacks in Rhodesia was completely different.  During my first visit to that country in 1966 I was surprised to see blacks in just about every occupation. Front desk hotel staff, bank tellers, salesmen, and mid to upper management positions in government agencies were often filled by indigenous Africans. I joined a major packaging manufacturer in 1971 and worked with very talented staff in sales, production and accounting positions. Working with these guys over the years I got to know a little bit about their traditional cultures, how they had moved to a more “westernized” culture, and some of the problems this had created for them. As much as a man may have educated himself and moved away from the village to become integrated into the new economic and technological environment of “western” society, there was still a powerful commitment to the family and culture he left behind.

In a country like Zimbabwe, the significant cultural differences between races could easily lead to misunderstandings over the simplest everyday issues. As both races were dependent on each other, it was important to learn as much about one another as possible.  Much of the following narrative is taken from a book that I acquired in 1970 and which was very helpful to me in understanding the customs of the two predominant African tribes living in Zimbabwe. The book is titled “The Man - and His Ways.” It was distributed by the Rhodesian Ministry of Information, Immigration and Tourism. It was not intended to be a text book on the beliefs and customs of the African people, but it was recommended as a general introduction to describe the differences between rural African beliefs and those of white Rhodesians in the 1970s.    

There are two main African tribes in the country, the AmaNdebele and the Mashona. The Mashona probably arrived in the area about 1,000 years ago. Before the Mashona the country was widely, but sparsely, populated by the small statured Bushman who had not advanced beyond the Stone Age. The Bushman would, over time, be displaced westwards to the remote vastness of the Kalahari. In the 1830s the AmaNdebele, an offshoot of the warrior Zulu nation of southeastern South Africa (now KwaZulu-Natal) arrived in the south west of the country and began to ravage and plunder the numerous Mashona tribal groups which lived in disunity in the remainder of the country. All of these people had migrated from North Africa over a long period of time, for well over 1,000 years. Their long journey was dictated by the seasons, by tribal conflict, and by need. Land was abundant and there was no urge to preserve its abundant resources.

A tribe would settle in an area, build huts from readily available materials (poles and thatch) and cultivate small patches of crop such as millet. This, together with meat from the hunt, wild honey, fruits, roots and fish, formed the basis of their diet. This was entirely a “subsistence” economy. Storage was difficult so in years of good rains, there was abundance and nothing was kept against the likelihood of drought the next year. The future, in these circumstances, could look after itself.

Each member of the tribe was wholly dependent upon the fellow members of their tribe and family.  They were all surrounded by danger and had no means of protection, apart from that of the community. There was no room for individuality and the wealth of a tribe was measured in people and in cattle, with the strongest preying upon the weakest. Of course, over time, laws and customs became vital to regulating the affairs of the tribes and these would be applied by the tribal chiefs. These customs and laws were handed down by word of mouth, as the tribes had no form of writing.  Most of these customs were recognized in the courts of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) after the late 1800s when the country was settled by westerners.

Even though there are two main African tribes in Zimbabwe, the numbers of different tribal groups within these two tribes are many, so it is easy to assume that the custom in one village will be similar in villages nearby.  There is considerable variation among customs although overall the fundamental beliefs will be the same throughout the country. For example the way that weddings are arranged will differ widely from village to village, whereas the practice of “lobolo” or bride price is concerned, this will fundamentally be the same everywhere.

Of course African law, and thinking, has been subjected to European influence for over 100 years. For example, many “modern” African people today will choose to be married in the church and will have one partner according to Christian beliefs.  Cash has replaced the hoe as a token and many other new ideas have been accepted.

Unlike Europeans, the more traditional African does not regard himself as an individual distinct from the rest of his tribal group.  He feels himself to be part of a unit, be it tribe or family and to that unit he owes certain obligations in exchange for which he derives many benefits.  His family, or tribal group, is extended to include the spirits of the departed and they have a great influence on his actions and his thinking. The solid foundation of any tribal group is the ordinary family.  The head of the family has certain responsibilities, the most importance being to maintain family unity. He can’t achieve this without consultation, so all matters affecting his small group are thoroughly discussed with the family, and his decision is a family affair based on a consensus of opinion.  In important matters, he consults the spirits of past members, and seeks their guidance.

During generations of struggle and survival the traditional African has acquired a passive fatalism.  Misfortune is often regarded as due to witchcraft or is an expression of displeasure by the spirits.  There was nothing a person could do to avoid it so he gave little or no thought to tomorrow.  He conserved his energies and blamed everything bad on something else. Even today, we might hear the excuse “I was failed by the examination” rather than “I failed!”

The African loves laughter.  His needs are few and simple and when they are satisfied he is inclined to sit back, for time, he believes, is given to everyone for nothing.  It has no value so why hurry to do today what can be postponed until tomorrow? Land and water have also been put here for his use, so they, like time, can be wasted.  Let tomorrow look after itself!

So how do the distinctly different beliefs of the African and the European merge in a third world country in which the future of each is so dependent on the other? Just as the rural, and traditional, African man must learn the customs of the European, so must the European learn the background of the African and treat him with respect, patience and courtesy.  Those whose missionary work exposed them directly to the most basic tribal beliefs were daily confronted by a need for patience. A mother who was diagnosed with a condition requiring a prescription for antibiotics, for example, would be instructed to take one daily for two weeks. Why not, she would reason, take them all at once? Surely that would be the most effective way to be cured.

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In Part 2 of this narrative I will write about the traditional African man, his spirits, his wives and children and his relationship to the land.