Ndebele Culture

  Ndebele Marriage Practices Marriage in Ndebele Culture in Zimbabwe As in other African societies, the Ndebele people consider marriage to be a necessity for the continued existence of their tribe and the continuation and preservation of their societal and …

Key roles explained  The Groom’s chief negotiator – (Idombo) The Groom’s Uncle – (Malume) The Bride’s Aunt – (Ubabakazi) Bride and Groom’s parents – (Ubabazala, Umamazala)  Other extended family members – (Izihlobo) The Groom’s Uncle – (Malume) The groom informing …

Ndebele Clans & Totems Familial relationships are identified in two ways in Ndebele culture. Firstly, the Ndebele society was patriarchal, so your father’s last name becomes your surname or last name, and it is referred to as isibongo and establishes …

 NDEBELE PREGNANCY PRACTICES The Ndebele (of Zimbabwe), just like all other tribes discussed, do attach a lot of respect and value to the concept of pregnancy. It is so because they also attach very high standards to the institution of …

Ndebele Manners & Protocols Like all the other Nguni/Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, the Ndebeles’ concept and interpretation of ‘manners and protocols’ revolve around the ideals of UBUNTU. Ubuntu can be described as “humanness” in a broad sense. It is …

Ndebele Meals and Hospitality Traditionally the Ndebele people have consistently demonstrated specialisation and division of labour within their social setup. So in the preparation of meals, the men were responsible for gathering firewood, cutting it to size and slaughtering the …

Music  The relationship between art, music, and culture cannot go unnoticed in any culture. This symbiotic relationship usually carries a mirror that reflects the culture and history/heritage of a given tribe. For example, we can learn of the tribe’s heroes, …

NDEBELE DEATHS AND FUNERALS Suppose a member of a family or community passes on. In that case, the Ndebele people treat the loss as a community responsibility, mainly because they have always lived in small communities (wards) or clans that …