What is the Xhosa culture?
The Xhosa were originally cattle herders who are traditionally very hard-working and resilient people. Xhosa traditoins and customs are often kept alive. Many families have ancestral homesteads in areas like the Eastern Cape of South Africa, but work in more developed towns and cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg.
What is Xhosa traditional wear made of?
Xhosa traditional wear is made from a cotton woven into unique styles and patterns. The women wear white dresses that are decorated with black bias binding at the hem and neck, and a headdress made up of two or three different materials of various colours.
What are the rites of passage in Xhosa?
The Xhosa people have various rites of passage traditions. The first of these occurs after giving birth; a mother is expected to remain secluded in her house for at least ten days. In Xhosa tradition, the afterbirth and umbilical cord were buried or burned to protect the baby from sorcery.
Who was the original ancestor of the Xhosa?
The original ancestor is Tshawe, but it is direct family members that Xhosa people call upon for guidance, support and to turn the tide of favour. The Xhosa number approximately 7.1-million, the majority of whom live in Eastern Cape, and ancient traditions remain strong in this proud people.
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What are Xhosa religious beliefs?
The traditional religion of the Xhosa people centered around their belief in a single god, called uThixo or uQamata. But most everyday spiritual needs focus on paying homage to ancestors and spirits. Traditional healers, or "amaguira," can be consulted for everything from ill health to emotional complaints.
What are values of Xhosa culture?
An important traditional value of Xhosa culture is ubuntu, or humanness. At the core of ubuntu is the preservation and stability of the whole. An example of its application is that, in times of war, women and children were never killed.
What is the Xhosa traditional food?
The staple food of the Xhosa people is umngqusho made from cracked maize and beans. Maize meal 'pap' is also very popular. There are many different kinds of vegetable dishes that feature alongside the staples and various meat dishes are also often prepared. Food is traditionally prepared by women in the Xhosa culture.
How do Xhosa celebrate their heritage?
The Xhosa's are a proud people and their cultural heritage is close to their hearts. Traditionally, the women's clothing and ornaments show the stages of their lives. A certain headdress is worn by a newly married girl; a different style by one who has given birth to her first child, and so on.
What rituals do Xhosa practice?
The Xhosa people have a range of cultural customs that they adhere by; some traditional practices include the initiation of males when they are of age, which involves them going to initiation school ('the mountain'), receiving sacred teachings from their elders and emerging as men.
How do Xhosa worship?
God may be approached through ancestral intermediaries who are honoured through ritual sacrifices. Ancestors commonly make their wishes known to the living in dreams. Xhosa religious practice is distinguished by elaborate and lengthy rituals, initiations, and feasts.
What traditional clothes do Xhosa wear?
Xhosa people commonly wear a plain white (or occasionally red) wrapper. In this case, a white cotton blanket has been colored with ocher, yielding a rich reddish-brown fabric that was then cut and sewn into three sections to form this skirt.
What do Xhosa drink?
In most of South Africa, sorghum beer is the preferred drink of the spiritual realm but in the Eastern Cape, Xhosa-speaking communities brandy and sorghum beers have worked together in matters of ancestral communication and life-stage transition rituals for at least 200 years.
How do Xhosa show respect?
Xhosa have traditionally used greetings to show respect and good intentions to others. In interacting with others, it is crucial to show respect (ukuhlonipha). Youths are expected to keep quiet when elders are speaking, and to lower their eyes when being addressed.
Why do xhosas cut their fingers?
An ancient Xhosa custom of amputating the joint of the little finger, or of the ring finger on babies is seen by many as an act of cruelty and torture. The Ingqithi custom is practiced by certain Xhosa speaking tribes and is common in the Tembus.
What is the Xhosa dance called?
UmxhentsoUmxhentso is the traditional dancing of Xhosa people performed mostly by Amagqirha, the traditional healers/Sangoma. Ukuxhentsa-Dancing has always been a source of pride to the Xhosas as they use this type of dancing in their ceremonies.
How do you show respect in Xhosa culture?
Xhosa have traditionally used greetings to show respect and good intentions to others. In interacting with others, it is crucial to show respect (ukuhlonipha). Youths are expected to keep quiet when elders are speaking, and to lower their eyes when being addressed.
Why do xhosas cut their fingers?
An ancient Xhosa custom of amputating the joint of the little finger, or of the ring finger on babies is seen by many as an act of cruelty and torture. The Ingqithi custom is practiced by certain Xhosa speaking tribes and is common in the Tembus.
What is the significance of Imbeleko in Xhosa culture?
When a child is born a ritual called imbeleko is performed to introduce a child to their ancestors and vice versa. When a boy reaches 18, he will be circumcised, an act that is seen as a transition from boyhood to manhood.
How do Xhosa celebrate important and special days?
An umgidi is marked each year by families inviting friends and family to share traditional food and drink, while well-wishers give the young man gifts of clothes and other items for his new life. "He is then taken and seated on an ukhukho [mat] in a kraal where men visit him and talk about his journey ahead.
What is the art of Xhosa?
Stick fighting is an art that Xhosas learn from an early age when they are out in the v eld (pastures) herding cattle. This is where the training starts because they will use this skill to defend themselves and their families. Most of the sticks that Xhosa men carry were given to them at their circumcision ceremony.
What is Xhosa dance?
Xhosa dance is something of a wonder, especially the dance form called umtyityimbo, which requires dancers to make their upper bodies tremble and vibrate while dancing. X. Xhosa traditional wear is made from a cotton woven into unique styles and patterns.
What language does IsiXhosa speak?
Clans make up tribes and tribes make up nations. IsiXhosa is the language spoken and has clicks, for example the X, Q, KR and CG in the English language are letters that form the clicks. Storytelling plays a big part in the culture, and even the music is a form of storytelling. Xhosa dance is something of a wonder, ...
What is the Xhosa nation made of?
The Xhosa nation is made up of tribes and clans. Clans are groups of families with different surnames but sharing one clan name. For example, Radebe is the clan, but the nation is called AmaHlubi. The clan name is the name of the first ancestor or family that gave birth to the clan. Clans make up tribes and tribes make up nations.
What is Xhosa jewellery?
Jewellery is a must for Xhosa women. Traditional Xhosa jewellery such as earrings, necklaces and traditional collars are made from beads. Collars range in size - some go as far as the shoulders, while others flow over the shoulders halfway down the upper arm. The beads come in all colours of the rainbow and when made with primary colours such as red, blue, dark blue, white and, yellow, they look dazzling.
What does AmaXhosa believe?
AmaXhosa, like all Africans, believe in ancestors, through which they communicate with God. When a child is born a ritual called imbeleko is performed to introduce a child to their ancestors and vice versa. When a boy reaches 18, he will be circumcised, an act that is seen as a transition from boyhood to manhood.
What is the ritual of ochre?
Girls also have their ritual of transition from girlhood to womanhood , which is called intonjana.
What is the Xhosa tradition?
The Xhosa tradition of conveying historical events through folklore and songs, has kept the cultural fabric strong and thriving.
What are the rituals of Xhosa?
Every stage of life or life-altering event is marked with specific rituals where songs, dances, sacrificial feasts, isolation, attire and food restriction form part of the traditions. Dances and food are a Xhosa way of connecting with the dead and paying homage to their spirits. Sacrificial offerings of goats, food offerings to the spirits ...
Who are the Xhosas?
The Xhosa are a Bantu ethnic group of Southern Africa, second only to the Zulu people. Although the roots of the Xhosa people can be traced to various tribes with a distinct heritage, the etymology of the name “Xhosa” is derived from a legendary Kin called uXhosa. These are the people of the land who have inhabited southern Africa for centuries. You will come across the Xhosa community across South Africa, with pockets of concentration in the south-eastern parts of the country, including Port Elizabeth, East London, and the Wild Coast area; as well in Cape Town in the Western Cape Province.
What is the traditional meat of Xhosa?
Traditional meat dishes include the Inyama yenkomo beef dish, the Inyama yegusha mutton dish, and Inyama yebhokwe of goat meat. Xhosa cuisine cannot be touched upon without the mention of the Mieliepap, a maize meal that forms part of the staple diet.
What do Xhosas eat?
Most Xhosas like their soup, and you can find a good range including the isopho corn soup, umpoqhoko maize porridge and soured milk porridge, the Umvubo. Leafy concoctions include the Imithwane made from pumpkin leaf, the ilaxa, and the rhabe wild spinach dish. Wild plants too are a part of Xhosa food, like the heathy imvomvo is an aloe dish, and the Ikhowa made from mushrooms. Other vegetables commonly used are beetroot, potatoes, beans and cabbage.
What religion do the Xhosa practice?
While the Xhosa people practice Christianity , they continue with their age-old rituals like the of ‘coming of age’ celebrations, as well as traditional associated with weddings and funerals.
What language do Xhosa speak?
The Xhosa people speak their own Bantu language, isiXhosa, which bears traces of similarity with the dialect of the Zulus and Swazis. The language is rich in verbosity and expressions, with proverbs and verses in popular use. This is reflected in their naming system.
What are the traditional practices of the Xhosa people?
The Xhosa people have a range of cultural customs that they adhere by; some traditional practices include the initiation of males when they are of age, which involves them going to initiation school (‘the mountain’), receiving sacred teachings from their elders and emerging as men.
What are the Xhosa people?
The Xhosa were originally cattle herders who are traditionally very hard-working and resilient people.
Where are the homesteads in Xhosa?
Elderly women at their traditional homestead (isithembiso), in a rural area near East London. Historically, homesteads 'imizi' of the Xhosa Culture tended to be scattered over the rural landscape and were situated on ridges to facilitate drainage and military defence.
Where do Xhosa live?
Xhosa traditoins and customs are often kept alive. Many families have ancestral homesteads in areas like the Eastern Cape of South Africa, but work in more developed towns and cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg. The Xhosa people have a range of cultural customs that they adhere by; some traditional practices include the initiation ...
Do Xhosa people have funerals?
Deaths and funeral proceedings are also done in a very traditional manner. More modernised Xhosa people tend to be less strict on certain customs, while the elders are usually adamant on keeping traditions and customs ongoing in the family.
What are Xhosa traditionalists?
Education and medical work were to become major contributions of the missions, and today Xhosa cultural traditionalists are likely to belong to independent denominations that combine Christianity with traditional beliefs and practices. In addition to land lost to white annexation, legislation reduced Xhosa political autonomy. Over time, Xhosa people became increasingly impoverished, and had no option but to become migrant labourers. In the late 1990s, Xhosa labourers made up a large percentage of the workers in South Africa's gold mines.
What is Xhosa religion?
Xhosa religious practice is distinguished by elaborate and lengthy rituals, initiations, and feasts. Modern rituals typically pertain to matters of illness and psychological well-being. The Xhosa people have various rites of passage traditions.
What happened to the Xhosa people?
In addition to land lost to white annexation, legislation reduced Xhosa political autonomy. Over time, Xhosa people became increasingly impoverished, and had no option but to become migrant labourers. In the late 1990s, Xhosa labourers made up a large percentage of the workers in South Africa's gold mines.
What language did the Xhosa speak?
As the Xhosa slowly moved westwards in groups, they destroyed or incorporated the Khoikhoi chiefdoms and San groups, and their language became influenced by Khoi and San words, which contain distinctive 'clicks'. Europeans who came to stay in South Africa first settled in and around Cape Town.
Why did the Cape Nguni take care of their cattle?
The Cape Nguni of long ago were cattle farmers. They took great care of their cattle because they were a symbol of wealth, status, and respect. Cattle were used to determine the price of a bride, or lobola, and they were the most acceptable offerings to the ancestral spirits. They also kept dogs, goats and later, horses, sheep, pigs and poultry. Their chief crops were millet, maize, kidney beans, pumpkins, and watermelons. By the eighteenth century they were also growing tobacco and hemp.
What happened during the dawn of apartheid?
The dawn of apartheid in the 1940s marked more changes for all Black South Africans. In 1953 the South African Government introduced homelands or Bantustans, and two regions 'Transkei and Ciskei' were set aside for Xhosa people. These regions were proclaimed independent countries by the apartheid government.
How many people speak Xhosa?
Xhosa is one of the 11 official languages recognized by the South African Constitution, and in 2006 it was determined that just over 7 million South Africans speak Xhosa as a home language. It is a tonal language, governed by the noun - which dominates the sentence. Missionaries introduced the Xhosa to Western choral singing.
What are Xhosa’s rituals and traditions?
The Supreme Being goes by the name uThixo or uQamata. One of the roles of ancestral intermediaries is to approach gods through rituals and sacrifices. After giving birth, a new mother remains secluded in her house for ten days or more. This is the first rite in their traditions. During that time, they used to protect the baby from sorcery by burning or burying the umbilical cord. At the end of the period of seclusion, they sacrifice a goat.
What is Xhosa traditional wear?
The Xhosa traditional dress wear informed was a way of showing the status of a person in society. Xhosa traditional attire involved wearing red blankets. The red colour was from a dye of red ochre on the Xhosa dresses. Women in age groups dress differently, and it is easy to identify them. Generally, Xhosa culture clothing was decorated with beads a lot, showing their love for art. Xhosa traditional dresses are still worn in the modern world but not always.
Where did the Xhosa come from?
They are a Bantu-speaking group whose ancestors came from East Central Africa as early as the eleventh century. They are the second largest cultural group in South Africa, after the Zulu-speaking nation.
Who is the King of the Xhosa?
King Mpendulo Zwelonke Sigcawu (1968) is the current King of the amaXhosa nation. He took over the monarchy in January 2006.
What is the Xhosa language?
They refer to their language as isiXhosa and Xhosa in English. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 16% of the South African population. Xhosa and Zulu language, especially Zulu, is spoken in urban areas.
How do Xhosa homesteads look like?
The huts were made of a circular frame of poles and saplings, which were bent and bound in the shape of a beehive and thatched from top to bottom with grass.
How is a Xhosa traditional marriage?
Xhosa marriage - umtshato, takes place in line with X hosa traditional practices.
Who were the Xhosas?
One of Xhosa's descendants named Phalo gave birth to two sons, Gcaleka kaPhalo, the heir, and Rarabe ka Phalo, a son from the Right Hand house. Rarabe was a great warrior and a man of great ability who was much loved by his father. Gcaleka was a meek and listless man who did not possess all the qualities befitting of a future king. Matters were also complicated by Gcaleka's initiation as a diviner, which was a forbidden practice for members of the royal family.
Where are the Xhosa people from?
Xhosa people ( / ˈkɔːsə, ˈkoʊsə /; Xhosa pronunciation: [kǁʰɔ́ːsa] ( listen)) are a Nguni ethnic group in Southern Africa whose homeland is primarily within the modern-day Eastern Cape. There is a small but significant Xhosa-speaking ( Mfengu) community in Zimbabwe, and their language, isiXhosa, is recognised as a national language.
What are the tribes of Xhosa?
The Xhosa Nation is made up of two sub tribes. The main tribes are the amaGcaleka and amaRharhabe; AmaRharhabe are made up of AmaNgqika, amaMbalu, amaNtinde, amaGqunukhwebe, imiDange, imiDushane, and amaNdlambe.
How many deaths from Xhosa circumcision?
In modern times the practice has caused controversy, with over 825 circumcision- and initiation-related deaths since 1994, and the spread of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, via the practice of circumcising initiates with the same blade. In March 2007, a controversial mini-series dealing with Xhosa circumcision and initiation rites debuted on South African Broadcasting Corporation. Titled Umthunzi Wentaba, the series was taken off the air after complaints by traditional leaders that the rites are secret and not to be revealed to non-initiates and women. In January 2014 the website ulwaluko.co.za was released by a Dutch medical doctor. It features a gallery of photographs of injured penises, which sparked outrage amongst traditional leaders in the Eastern Cape. The South African Film and Publication Board ruled that the website was "scientific with great educative value", addressing a "societal problem needing urgent intervention".
What was the cause of the Xhosa movement?
Historians now view this movement as a millennialist response, both directly to a lung disease spreading among Xhosa cattle at the time, and less directly to the stress to Xhosa society caused by the continuing loss of their territory and autonomy.
What tribes were pushed west into Xhosa?
In the years following, many tribes found in the north eastern parts of South Africa were pushed west into Xhosa country by the expansion of the Zulus in Natal, as the northern Nguni put pressure on the southern Nguni as part of the historical process known as the mfecane, or "scattering". The Xhosa-speaking people received these scattered tribes and assimilated them into their cultural way of life and followed Xhosa traditions. The Xhosa called these various tribes AmaMfengu, meaning wanderers, and were made up of tribes such as the amaBhaca, amaBhele, amaHlubi, amaZizi and Rhadebe. These newcomers came to speak Xhosa and are sometimes considered to be Xhosa.
How many Xhosa people are there in South Africa?
Presently approximately 8 million Xhosa people are distributed across the country, and the Xhosa language is South Africa's second-most-populous home language, after the Zulu language, to which Xhosa is closely related.
What is Xhosa music?
Xhosa music is characteristically expressive and communicative which includes rhythmical expression of words and sounds. It also includes physical movement employed when clapping, dancing or playing a musical instrument. Different Xhosa chiefdoms share similar musical concepts.
What are the instruments used in Xhosa?
Musical instruments. The uhadi and umrhube is commonly used in Xhosa traditional music, other musical instruments include: Drums: ikawu: This drum is like a shield made from ox-skin that is beaten with a knobkerrie and is slammed into the ground with high forces.
What is Xhosa overtone singing?
Xhosa sound. Xhosa overtone singing is based on Xhosa bow instruments such as the 'umrhube' and 'uhadi' which are the two fundamental sounds in Xhosa music. Xhosa traditional musicians imitate the sounds of their musical bows using their voices through the maneuvering of their tongues and shaping of the mouth cavity.
How to learn traditional music?
Learning traditional music begins with incentive and desire to fully share in the life of the village as almost every occasion of life including play songs for children, the girls' and boys' untshotso song as they grow, the intlombe dance parties, songs and dances of initiation practices, ancestor songs and beer songs. In order to share in the rites and ceremonies, it is necessary to learn the songs. The learning of music happens through observation, attention, developing music memory, practicing and learning rhythms from others.
What are the traditional foods of Xhosa?
Traditional foods and dishes of the Xhosa include: isophi, which is a soup made with corn, beans and peas; umngqusho, a dish of corn and sugar beans; umfino, a dish made with wild spinach, cabbage and meal; umyubo, a grain dish made with sour milk; and umleqwa, a chicken dish. A traditional drinks is umqombothi, a beer made from corn and sorghum.
What do Xhosa eat?
Common vegetables eaten by the Xhosa include pumpkin, mushrooms, aloe and wild spinach. Pumpkin is used in a dish called imithwane, in which pumpkin leaves are mixed with butter, and in ilaxa, in which pumpkin pulp is cooked with pumpkin leaves. Other vegetables in the Xhosa diet include beetroot, potatoes and cabbages.
What is the drink of Xhosa?
A traditional drinks is umqombothi, a beer made from corn and sorghum. Umngqusho is similar in texture to risotto and is often served with meat stew. Umngqusho is made with mieliepap, a type of corn meal that is a basic element of the Xhosa diet. Common vegetables eaten by the Xhosa include pumpkin, mushrooms, aloe and wild spinach.
What is the Xhosa ceremony?
The male initiation ceremony of the Xhosa people of South Africa, Ulwaluko, is an age-old tradition. It’s a mystical, secretive ritual that occurs far away from the eyes of the public, and virtually the only information non-participants and non-family members ever have about it is the disturbing death toll from what the newspapers call botched ...
What do the Abakwetha do at dusk?
The energy in the group feels edgy and somewhat dangerous. The men carry an assortment of sticks, and small scuffles break out as they near the edge of the village. Suddenly the three abakwetha drop their blankets and run for their lives as the men tear after them shouting and wielding their sticks. It must have their teenage hearts beating out of their chests.#N#Having escaped one terror they find the surgeon waiting for them in the bush with spear in hand. They sit down with legs apart and a rapid single cut from the assegai removes the foreskin. The boys make no sound; they don’t even flinch, stoic bravery being an important part of this and the hurdles to come. Their wounds are dressed with a medicinal plant called izichwe and then tied with a leather thong around their waists. There is only a small group in attendance, and in the fading light I can just see one of the boys’ shoulders rise as the thong is pulled taut, but he makes no sound.#N#The white cloth tied to the stick that they carried is thrown high into the air, a signal that it is done. A collective cry from the village follows – it is the last time the women will see or hear anything of the abakwetha for a month.
How many seasons are there in Ulwaluko?
There are two seasons for the Ulwaluko – winter and summer. Despite village elders murmuring ‘we had it harder’, the month in the bush is by no means easy, particularly in winter. Every boy knows the inherent dangers – the number of deaths mount up on the front pages like a recurring nightmare.
Is Ulwaluko a ritual?
Ulwaluko is fundamental to Xhosa life, but it’s not a rigid, inflexible ritual. It changes with the times. For example, the abakwetha no longer actually go to the mountains, but somewhere close by yet cut off from the village. And the seclusion period is much shorter.
Language
Origin
- Stories and legends provide accounts of Xhosa ancestral heroes. According to one oral tradition, the first person on Earth was a great leader called Xhosa. Another tradition stresses the essential unity of the Xhosa-speaking people by proclaiming that all the Xhosa subgroups are descendants of one ancestor, Tshawe. Historians have suggested that Xhosa and Tshawe were probably the …
Culture
- The Xhosa people have various rites of passage traditions. The first of these occurs after giving birth; a mother is expected to remain secluded in her house for at least ten days. In Xhosa tradition, the afterbirth and umbilical cord were buried or burned to protect the baby from sorcery. At the end of the period of seclusion, a goat was sacrifice...
Reproduction
- Male and female initiation in the form of circumcision is practiced among most Xhosa groups. The Male abakweta (initiates-in-training) live in special huts isolated from villages or towns for several weeks. Like soldiers inducted into the army, they have their heads shaved. They wear a loincloth and a blanket for warmth, and white clay is smeared on their bodies from head to toe. …
Economy
- The Cape Nguni of long ago were cattle farmers. They took great care of their cattle because they were a symbol of wealth, status, and respect. Cattle were used to determine the price of a bride, or lobola, and they were the most acceptable offerings to the ancestral spirits. They also kept dogs, goats and later, horses, sheep, pigs and poultry. Their chief crops were millet, maize, kidney bea…
Aftermath
- Nine Frontier Wars followed between the Xhosa and European settlers, and these wars dominated 19th century South African History. The first frontier war broke out in 1780 and marked the beginning of the Xhosa struggle to preserve their traditional customs and way of life. It was a struggle that was to increase in intensity when the British arrived on the scene.
Early history
- During the Frontier Wars, hostile chiefs forced the earliest missionaries to abandon their attempts to 'evangelise' them. This situation changed after 1820, when John Brownlee founded a mission on the Tyhume River near Alice, and William Shaw established a chain of Methodist stations throughout the Transkei.
Legacy
- Other denominations followed suit. Education and medical work were to become major contributions of the missions, and today Xhosa cultural traditionalists are likely to belong to independent denominations that combine Christianity with traditional beliefs and practices. In addition to land lost to white annexation, legislation reduced Xhosa political autonomy. Over tim…