How are the four stages of life (birth, initiation, marriage and death) practiced in tribe Zaramo and Ndengereko?
According to Swantz (1974). The Zaramo, are the Bantu tribe who live in the coastal plains and low hills surrounding Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Many Zaramo also speak Swahili, the language of trade and communication for much of East Africa. Before the eighteenth century, the Zaramo lived further inland and have only moved into areas around Dar es Salaam in the last 200 years. They could have become a powerful tribe in the region, but because of internal fighting, they have prevented themselves from gaining any real influence. Zaramo are likely to live along the countryside and earn a living as farmers. They raise cash crops that include mangoes, orange and coconuts as well as cashews and rice.
According to Iliffe (1979), The Ndengereko is the first major coastal group below Dar es Salaam. They are staying in north of the Rufiji River and lived only along the coastal plain area. Nowadays they live in Rufiji, Kibiti and Mkuranga districts. Their traditional food is rice, mangoes, oranges, coconuts and fish, traditional ceremony including songs and ngoma called spoti and kinyamtindili.
After coming of Arabs, both Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes, they change their traditional believes to Islamic believes. Also nowadays the traditional ceremony and traditional events associated with Islamic law (sharia).
According to Forssen (1979). The life of Zaramo tribe has got four stages such as Birth, Initiation, marriage and death, the same applies to Ndengereko tribe, and human being should pass these stages in life. The Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes in the stages of life almost the same as follow:-
Birth, is the situation where by a mammal bearing out an offspring, in human the new born is known as baby. The situation takes more than 8 months after fertilization between a male and female as the result of sexual. Both in Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes a pregnant woman is supposed to go back to her home place so that she can get assistance in preparation for safe bearing of a child. Also safe birth of a child is a great event for the family and clan concerned. Also they consider it is a special blessing if a girl is born because she will bring a bride wealth to the family and secure.
The important phases of a child life are the first cutting hair after seven days of birth. The mother is expected to breath-feed her child at least two years and she is supported to abstain from sexual intercourse for six months after the birth of a child. Not only are that, in the process of giving the name to their first born, girls given the name of their grandmother and the same case to boys given the name of their grandfather.
Food taboos. In Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes, there is no illegal food when a women is pregnant like other tribes such the tribes there is kind of food which is illegal when a women is pregnant.
Initiation. This is the second stage after birth of children, the stage involve learning of the children about their environment surrounding, traditional, culturally and customs at large. In Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes for a boy, the circumcision can be practiced soon after born and above years, the circumcision will be conducted by traditional teacher known as “Ngariba”. During initiating, there is a traditional songs that containing contents related to the husbands’ responsibilities such as building of house, farming activities and search of herbals/medicine. After a boy to be fit from circumcision condition, there is a tradition ceremony to congratulate him which all family members and relatives they come with gifts such as money and clothes. When a boy is circumcised is free to participate in all husbands’ responsibilities or meeting issue, because he got all man’s responsibilities and he knows how to control family and wife.
On other hands, for girls there are some traditional teachers called “Kungwi”. A girl after matured enough she is supposed to get adult education through KUNGWI. In this issue there is traditional ceremony called “unyago” which contain traditional dance known as “kinyamtindili and spoti” in Ndengereko tribe and “Mdundiko” in Zaramo tribe. But recent years a girl to be involved in “unyago” is after completing her education career. In both tribes, there is no bad practice such as female genital mutilations (FGM).
Marriage. Is a festival communal event and legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in personal relationship between a man and women. In Zaramo and Ndengereko marriage are usually polygamous, that is one man having several wives and divorce is frequently among them. Traditionally, all wives and children belonged to one man. However both tribes allow cross-cousin marriage. The marriage also associated with bride price specifically money which are provided by husband. Ndengereko and Zaramo tribes consider the relationship between husband’s family and wife’s family and behaviors of the girl. Here, there is a traditional ceremony and events that including in marriage activities.
Death is seen as a transformation from this world to the spirit world or is the end of a life of a person. In Ndengereko and Zaramo tribes, we believe that death is caused by superstition and old people are believed to be the major source of that event. When this situation happens, relatives and neighbors come together for burial and pleasing the family to forget and telling them is the plan of God then, they participate fully in the activities during that time, women with full clothed their head with Kanga as a sign of soul. Also death resulting to orphans, widow for women, family stagnation, conflict and other bad news within a family.
If a husband die a wife should not go out within forty days, and after that days there is a traditional ceremony that including eating and drinking traditional food.
Conclusion. Both tribes has experienced with very polite people and loving to each other within and out of other tribes. Economically plant life has more central significance than animal life, given that their food is obtained primarily from agricultural activities. culturally both Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes have experienced early and forced marriage.
REFERENCES
Forssen, A. (1979). Root of Traditional Personality Development among the Zaramo in coastal Tanzania. Finland: Central Union for Child Welfare in England.
Iliffe, John (1979). A Modern History of Tanganyika. Cambridge. London: Cambridge University Press.
Koponen, J. (1988). People and Production in Late Pre-Colonial Tanzania: History and Structures. New York: Helsinki.
Swantz, L. W. (1974). The Role of the Medicine Main among the Zaramo of Dar es Salaam. Uddevalla: the Scandinavian instate of Africa studies in cooperation with. Dar es Salaam: Dar es salaam University press.
According to Iliffe (1979), The Ndengereko is the first major coastal group below Dar es Salaam. They are staying in north of the Rufiji River and lived only along the coastal plain area. Nowadays they live in Rufiji, Kibiti and Mkuranga districts. Their traditional food is rice, mangoes, oranges, coconuts and fish, traditional ceremony including songs and ngoma called spoti and kinyamtindili.
After coming of Arabs, both Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes, they change their traditional believes to Islamic believes. Also nowadays the traditional ceremony and traditional events associated with Islamic law (sharia).
According to Forssen (1979). The life of Zaramo tribe has got four stages such as Birth, Initiation, marriage and death, the same applies to Ndengereko tribe, and human being should pass these stages in life. The Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes in the stages of life almost the same as follow:-
Birth, is the situation where by a mammal bearing out an offspring, in human the new born is known as baby. The situation takes more than 8 months after fertilization between a male and female as the result of sexual. Both in Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes a pregnant woman is supposed to go back to her home place so that she can get assistance in preparation for safe bearing of a child. Also safe birth of a child is a great event for the family and clan concerned. Also they consider it is a special blessing if a girl is born because she will bring a bride wealth to the family and secure.
The important phases of a child life are the first cutting hair after seven days of birth. The mother is expected to breath-feed her child at least two years and she is supported to abstain from sexual intercourse for six months after the birth of a child. Not only are that, in the process of giving the name to their first born, girls given the name of their grandmother and the same case to boys given the name of their grandfather.
Food taboos. In Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes, there is no illegal food when a women is pregnant like other tribes such the tribes there is kind of food which is illegal when a women is pregnant.
Initiation. This is the second stage after birth of children, the stage involve learning of the children about their environment surrounding, traditional, culturally and customs at large. In Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes for a boy, the circumcision can be practiced soon after born and above years, the circumcision will be conducted by traditional teacher known as “Ngariba”. During initiating, there is a traditional songs that containing contents related to the husbands’ responsibilities such as building of house, farming activities and search of herbals/medicine. After a boy to be fit from circumcision condition, there is a tradition ceremony to congratulate him which all family members and relatives they come with gifts such as money and clothes. When a boy is circumcised is free to participate in all husbands’ responsibilities or meeting issue, because he got all man’s responsibilities and he knows how to control family and wife.
On other hands, for girls there are some traditional teachers called “Kungwi”. A girl after matured enough she is supposed to get adult education through KUNGWI. In this issue there is traditional ceremony called “unyago” which contain traditional dance known as “kinyamtindili and spoti” in Ndengereko tribe and “Mdundiko” in Zaramo tribe. But recent years a girl to be involved in “unyago” is after completing her education career. In both tribes, there is no bad practice such as female genital mutilations (FGM).
Marriage. Is a festival communal event and legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in personal relationship between a man and women. In Zaramo and Ndengereko marriage are usually polygamous, that is one man having several wives and divorce is frequently among them. Traditionally, all wives and children belonged to one man. However both tribes allow cross-cousin marriage. The marriage also associated with bride price specifically money which are provided by husband. Ndengereko and Zaramo tribes consider the relationship between husband’s family and wife’s family and behaviors of the girl. Here, there is a traditional ceremony and events that including in marriage activities.
Death is seen as a transformation from this world to the spirit world or is the end of a life of a person. In Ndengereko and Zaramo tribes, we believe that death is caused by superstition and old people are believed to be the major source of that event. When this situation happens, relatives and neighbors come together for burial and pleasing the family to forget and telling them is the plan of God then, they participate fully in the activities during that time, women with full clothed their head with Kanga as a sign of soul. Also death resulting to orphans, widow for women, family stagnation, conflict and other bad news within a family.
If a husband die a wife should not go out within forty days, and after that days there is a traditional ceremony that including eating and drinking traditional food.
Conclusion. Both tribes has experienced with very polite people and loving to each other within and out of other tribes. Economically plant life has more central significance than animal life, given that their food is obtained primarily from agricultural activities. culturally both Zaramo and Ndengereko tribes have experienced early and forced marriage.
REFERENCES
Forssen, A. (1979). Root of Traditional Personality Development among the Zaramo in coastal Tanzania. Finland: Central Union for Child Welfare in England.
Iliffe, John (1979). A Modern History of Tanganyika. Cambridge. London: Cambridge University Press.
Koponen, J. (1988). People and Production in Late Pre-Colonial Tanzania: History and Structures. New York: Helsinki.
Swantz, L. W. (1974). The Role of the Medicine Main among the Zaramo of Dar es Salaam. Uddevalla: the Scandinavian instate of Africa studies in cooperation with. Dar es Salaam: Dar es salaam University press.
How are the four stages of life (birth, initiation, marriage and death) practiced in tribe Zaramo and Ndengereko?
![How are the four stages of life (birth, initiation, marriage and death) practiced in tribe Zaramo and Ndengereko?]()
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