Browsing by Subject "ritual"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Dancing with two sticks: Investigating the origin of a southern African rite
    (South African Archaeological Society, 2006) Jolly, Pieter
    Photographs of San descendants from Prieska, Northern Cape, form part of the Bleek Collection, Oppenheimer Library, University of Cape Town. They show some of the Prieska San performing a dance and were taken by Dorothea Bleek in late 1910, or possibly early 1911. A particular posture adopted by dancers in some of these photographs, stooped and supported by two sticks, is represented in San rock paintings. It has also been observed in the rites of some San-speakers, as well as those of some southern Bantu-speakers in South Africa. his article investigates the symbolism of the dancing sticks and whether the rites in which these sticks are employed originated with the San or whether they originated with southern Bantu-speakers. It is suggested that the sticks were used to support trancing San shamans, as has been proposed previously, but that in at least some cases they also symbolized the front legs of an animal into which a shaman was transforming. The rite probably had its origins amongst the San, but, in some cases, the meaning attached to it may have changed as San and southern Bantu-speakers exerted a mutual influence on each others' cultures.
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    Traditional male circumcision: What is its socio-cultural significance among young Xhosa men?
    (2009) Gwata, Feri
    This paper explores the socio-cultural perceptions of Xhosa-speaking men on traditional male circumcision. Given that the ritual is painful and can result in 'botched circumcisions' (which get reported every year in the media), it is useful to explore the reasons young, urban men give for participating in it. Using the narratives of five young men from the Western Cape, four of whom have undergone circumcision, the study reveals that the ritual carries social and cultural significance and is understood primarily as an agent of socialization. The study affirms the findings of earlier studies that pressure from one's family is a major influencing factor in a Xhosa man's decision to undergo traditional circumcision. Respondents stress the importance of the ritual in 'becoming a man', but point more to the endurance of pain than to changing one's subsequent behavior as a marker of that transition.
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    Writing Your World Week 2 Video 1 - Recap on Identity
    (2019-06-01) Nomdo, Gideon; Hunma, Aditi
    This video focuses on recapping the issues surrounding identity. The video touches on how the Soweto youth engages in a ritual as a way of asserting their identity. The video then moves onto the themes of mobility. It explores how identity changes when people move between contexts. The video also touches on how new insights from DNA results affect their identity and mobility. This is video 1/10 in week 2 of the Writing your World course.