People in Rhodesia

     The Shona, defined as a distinct southern east African ethnicity, is a modern invention of post-colonial nationalism based on their common language, ChiShona.  ChiShona is not a singular or uniform language, but is instead an amalgamation of mutually intelligible dialects, which include the following, six dominant groups: Kalanga, Karanga, Zezuru, Ndau, Korekore, and the Manyika.

     Until 1820 the Shona were undisputed masters of the middle veld and high veld of 'Rhodesia', and were also 'descendants of the creator of the Zimbabwe-Khami culture, though they lacked political unity.  The Shona constitute a unique cultural cluster of common social traditions, norms, practices, values and beliefs. The Shona are primarily subsistence farmers whose kinship structure is characterized by localized patrilineages and exogamous clans.  Shona religion and cosmology is rooted in the belief in a creator/God (Mwari) and the practice of propitiation of ancestral, tribal and other spirits to ensure good health, rain, and success in business.

     Shona material culture encompasses all physical objects produced in traditional ways, which embody the broad categories of folk architecture, folk arts and crafts (basic farming tools and implements), and foodways. Shona folk architecture is a symbolic spatial representation of Shona culture and society.  Musical instruments in the past and present constitute an importnat part of Shona material culture (mbiras, mahlwayi (leg rattles), goma (drums), marimba (xylophone) etc.).

     The Shona have three basic dichotomies of illness etiology; 1) natural vs. supernatural; 2) normal vs. abnormal; 3) foreign vs. African.  Natural/normal/African illnesses (such as colds, coughs, slight fevers, stomachaches or headaches) are generally regarded as normal, but in contrast, abnormal illness is primarily determined by its lack of responses to treatment or to its unusual lengthy duration.  Abnormal/supernatural/foreign illnesses are believed to be caused by the following supernatural forces: vadzimu (familiar ancestor spirits); ngozi (angered spirits); mhondoro (clan or tribal spirits); muroyi (witches); or mashave (alien spirits).

Shona Information
 

                          "Warrior Chief"
                     By Brian Chikumbirike
 

          "Painting is  in my heart. As long as I am able to
           paint, then I will carry on this tradition."

     The Ndebele originated as a tribal following in 1823 when Mzilikazi, a general under the ZULU King Shaka, fled with a number of warriors into the Transvaal; they were driven north into their present homeland by the BOERS and the Zulu. The Ndebele settled on the Matabeleland high veld around Bulawayo in 1838. After the British suppressed an 1896 revolt, the Ndebele abandoned warfare, becoming herders and farmers.  The Ndebele state was not a 'military state' terrorizing Shona societies at will, while its supposedly rigid caste system has also been much exaggerated.  The Ndebele were incomplete control of the whole of present-day Rhodesia.

     The Ndebele are Bantu-speaking people, 1.5 % of the South African population use it as their home language.  They number about 2 million.  The Ndebele tribe of Southern Africa is divided into four sub-tribes, of which two of these, the Manala and the Ndzundza live mainly in the Pretoria and Mpumalanga area of South Africa. Although the Ndebele originally formed part of the Nguni, today the Ndebele is a unique tribe with a unique language, si-Ndebele, which is not even understood by most other black tribes. 

     The characteristic of their lives is, of course, their art, be this house-painting, beadwork or any other visual arts from which they derive so much joy.  Over generations the women of the Ndebele of Southern Africa have created remarkably rich and colourful art. Through their ceremonial bead work and large murals, as well as other media Ndebele women create designs that are both ancient  and modern in their simplicity and design.  Sadly though, their unique lifestyle and art is gradually starting to disappear.   The art of a nation is dying, as rising costs make the necessary materials prohibitive, and the ever-increasing tempo of life precludes the time to pursue it.

Looksmart, African Empires and Kingdoms, Ndebele
 

     The European occupation of Rhodesia in 1890s was remarkable.  The country was 'pacified' by settlers rather than administrators, and a very large number of Europeans descended on the country during the initial decade of colonisation.  The European settlers defeated Ndebele in 1893 and crushed the Shona and Nedebele Risings of 1896-7, and gained a 'right' to the country.

     The sudden arrival of so many Europeans, searching for gold and largely unchecked in their activities, inevitably placed great stresses on Shona and Ndebele societies.  It often took Africans a long time to realize what was happening.  The event which ultimately precipitated the European drive from the south was the discovery in 1886 of the Witwatersrand gold deposits in the Transvaal.  This event theatened to dismantle the carefully woven fabric of British supremacy in South Africa. 

     Though today the majority of Rhodesia's white population was not born in the country, the conviction that 'we' have conquered it is used to justify the continuation of white political dominance. 

                The white farmer and his daughters