Indigenous religion in Zimbabwe

Indigenous religion in Zimbabwe is explained in terms of the Zimbabwe ethnic groups, beliefs, norms and values, rites and rituals, ceremonies and celebrations. Indigenous religion is more carried out by living it than with its theory. Religion among the Africans is very important, it plays a vital role for the individuals, the family and the community as a whole. Bourdlillon asserts that indigenous religion is one, though there can be various manifestation just like Christianity which is one but has various denominations.^[1] Thomas Gale defined the word indigenous as to anything that is native to a particular geographical culture. Mbiti says in Zimbabwe Indigenous religion is in two classes, the Ndebele^[2]^[3] and Shona.^[1]^[4]^[5]^[6] However, Zimbabwe has a lot of minority tribes including the Tonga, Venda, Kalanga and Sothu.

Characteristics of Indigenous Religion

The existence of spirits

In indigenous religion, the activities and actions of Spirits govern all social and spiritual phenomena.

The Shona and Ndebele people believe that spirits are everywhere, spirits coexist with people.^[7]

Belief in God

Zimbabweans believe in God the Supreme Being who is referred to by many names depending on the tribe and occasion. Ndebele call him, uNkulunkulu, uThixo, uMdali or uMvelinqangi. The Shona call him Mwari, Ishe, or Musikavanhu.

Belief in life after death

It is believed that when one dies, they live on and can still hear and make decisions on life, thus taking an ancestral form living in the world of the spirits. There is communication between the dead and the living, whom the living believe to be their guardians in life.

Ancestral Spirits

During hard times, one can turn to their Ancestral spirits to help.

They are regarded as good and important.
They are protectors of people and land (territorial spirits).
They are intermediates between people and the Supreme being.
They do not cause harm.
They fight evil spirits away from their family.
They influence proper moral behavior.
They guide the living.

Sacred places

There are a lot of sacred places in Zimbabwe. It is a place where the spirits dwell. These are holy, godly or divine and highly respected places.^[8]^[9] They are significant because that is where the sacred practitioner communicates with the ancestors. These can be a hill, caves, rivers, trees and mountains. Examples include Njelele, Gulabahwe Cave, Silozwana caves, Diana's pool and Chinhoyi Caves.^[10]

Ceremonies

Rain making ceremony
Umbuyiso^[5]
Ukuthethela^[5]

It is orally transmitted

There is no scripture or sacred text. These are transmitted orally; by word of mouth from one generation to the other.

Moral Code

The indigenous religion has a strong moral code based on the sacredness of other being.^[11] Failure to adhere to the moral code has strong repercussions in the afterlife. Respect for elders and honoring parents is one of the adhered to moral code. Killing, witchcraft, stealing, injuring others are some of the forbidden things through the moral code.

The concept of Ubuntu means that a human being cannot exist as a human being in isolation.(Louw, 1998)

Historical spirit mediums

Mbuya Nehanda
Sekuru Kaguvi
Sekemutema
kawanzaruwa

References

^ ^a ^b Bourdillon, M. F. C. (1982). The Shona peoples: an ethnography of the contemporary Shona, with special reference to their religion (Rev. ed., 2nd rev. ed.). Gweru [Zimbabwe]: Mambo Press. ISBN 9780869221884. OCLC 9679472.
^ Mpofu, I. N. (2011). Sithini isiNdebele? (1st ed.). Harare, Zimbabwe: Radiant Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7974-4280-1. OCLC 755905987.
^ Sibanda, J. (2002). Isikithi (3rd ed.). Harare, Zimbabwe: College Press. ISBN 1-77900-137-1. OCLC 50810538.
^ Bozongwana, W. (1983). Ndebele religion and customs. Literature Bureau. Gweru: Mambo Press in association with the Literature Bureau. ISBN 0-86922-254-6. OCLC 11960351.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ndhlukula, N. P. (1980). Imvelo lolimi lwesiNdebele. Zimbabwe Literature Bureau. Gweru: Mambo Press. ISBN 0-86922-146-9. OCLC 896466170.
^ Mbiti, John S. (1991). Introduction to African religion (2nd rev. ed.). Oxford [England]: Heinemann Educational Books. ISBN 0-435-94002-3. OCLC 24376978.
^ Violette Kee Tui; Pathisa Nyathi, eds. (2018). Preservation of Ndebele art and architecture. Bulawayo. ISBN 978-0-7974-9314-8. OCLC 1119748168.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Musoni, Phillip (2016-08-05). "Contestation of 'the holy places in the Zimbabwean Religious Landscape': A study of the Johane Masowe Chishanu yeNyenyedzi Church's sacred places". HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. 72 (1): 8. doi:10.4102/hts.v72i1.3269. hdl:2263/57663. ISSN 2072-8050.
^ Morreira, Shannon; Iliff, Fiona (2021), Steinforth, Arne S.; Klocke-Daffa, Sabine (eds.), "Sacred Spaces, Legal Claims: Competing Claims for Legitimate Knowledge and Authority over the Use of Land in Nharira Hills, Zimbabwe", Challenging Authorities: Ethnographies of Legitimacy and Power in Eastern and Southern Africa, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 293–316, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-76924-6_11, ISBN 978-3-030-76924-6, retrieved 2024-05-09
^ Burrett, Robert S. (2016). The Matobo Hills: Zimbabwe's sacred landscape. Moira FitzPatrick, Julia Duprée (First ed.). Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. ISBN 978-0-7974-9808-2. OCLC 986991272.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Ndlovu, Tommy Matshakayile (1995). Imikhuba lamasiko AmaNdebele. Doris Ndlovu, Bekithemba S. Ncube. Gweru, Zimbabwe: Mambo Press. ISBN 0-86922-624-X. OCLC 34114180.

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