6 BiAS - Bible in Africa Studies DEATH AND AFTER-LIFE RITUALS IN THE EYES OF THE SHONA Dialogue with Shona Customs in the Quest for Authentic Inculturation Canisius Mwandayi UNIVERSITY OF BAMBERG PRESS Bible in Africa Studies Études sur la Bible en Afrique Bibel-in-Afrika-Studien 6 Bible in Africa Studies Études sur la Bible en Afrique Bibel-in-Afrika-Studien edited by Joachim Kügler, Lovemore Togarasei, Masiiwa R. Gunda & Eric Souga Onomo in cooperation with Ezra Chitando and Nisbert Taringa Volume 6 University of Bamberg Press 2011 Death and After-life Rituals in the eyes of the Shona Dialogue with Shona Customs in the Quest for Authentic Inculturation b y Canisius M wandayi University of Bamberg Press 2011 Bibliographische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliographie; detaillierte bibliographische Informationen sind im Internet über http://dnb.ddb.de/ abrufbar Diese Arbeit wurde von der Fakultät Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft der Universität Bayreuth als Doktorarbeit unter dem Titel “Death and After-life Rituals in the eyes of the Shona: Dialogue with Shona Customs with the Quest for Authentic Inculturation” angenommen. 1. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Joachim Kügler 2. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Thomas Bargatzky Tag der mündlichen Promotionsprüfung: 1. Juli 2011 Dieses Werk ist als freie Onlineversion über den Hochschulschriften-Server (OPUS; http://www.opus-bayern.de/uni-bamberg/) der Universitätsbiblio- thek Bamberg erreichbar. Kopien und Ausdrucke dürfen nur zum privaten und sonstigen eigenen Gebrauch angefertigt werden. Herstellung und Druck: docupoint, Magdeburg Umschlagfoto: © C. Mwandayi (Grabstein in Deutschland) Umschlaggestaltung: Joachim Kügler/Dezernat Kommunikation und Alumni Text-Formatierung: C. Mwandayi/I. Loch/J. Kügler © University of Bamberg Press Bamberg 2011 http://www.uni-bamberg.de/ubp/ ISSN: 2190-4944 ISBN: 978-3-86309-029-6 (Druckausgabe) eISBN: 978-3-86309-030-2 (Online-Ausgabe) URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:473-opus-3336 CONTENTS Abbreviations................................................................................................10 Acknowledgements......................................................................................11 Summary in German/ Deutsche Zusammenfassung.................................12 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................23 Justification of Study....................................................................................25 Scope of the Study and link with previous works........................................27 Structure and Methodology..........................................................................31 Limitations of the Study...............................................................................35 CHAPTER ONE DEFINITIONS AND SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION..37 Introduction..................................................................................................37 Shona people................................................................................................37 Karanga...........................................................................................................44 Manyika...........................................................................................................45 Korekore..........................................................................................................47 Zezuru.............................................................................................................48 Ndau...............................................................................................................49 The contemporary Shona people...................................................................51 Funeral rituals...............................................................................................54 Ritual...............................................................................................................54 Death rituals among the Shona.....................................................................56 Therapeutic role of Shona funeral rituals.......................................................57 African Traditional Religion..........................................................................57 ‘African’...........................................................................................................58 ‘Religion’.........................................................................................................59 ‘Traditional’.....................................................................................................61 Shona Traditional Religion.............................................................................63 Dialogue........................................................................................................63 Who Should Participate?................................................................................65 What should Participants expect from the Dialogue?...................................66 How Inter-religious Dialogue should be conducted......................................67 Dialogue with African Traditional religion.....................................................68 Obstacles to dialogue with ATR.....................................................................69 Types of dialogue in view of ATR...................................................................72 Inculturation.................................................................................................75 5 Challenges of liturgical inculturation.............................................................79 Methods of inculturation................................................................................81 Creative Assimilation......................................................................................81 Dynamic Equivalence.....................................................................................83 Conclusion....................................................................................................84 CHAPTER TWO INITIAL ATTEMPTS AT INCULTURATION OF SHONA TRADITIONAL CUSTOMS: SUCCESSES AND FAILURES .......85 Introduction..................................................................................................85 Overview of the missionary enterprise among the Shona..........................86 Colonial influence on missionaries................................................................88 Missionaries as conscientious objectors.......................................................95 The emergence of African Christian consciousness.................................103 Chitenderano chitsva (New Testament)......................................................111 Music............................................................................................................112 Kurova guva..................................................................................................114 The Christianised Kuchenura Munhu rite.................................................121 Catechesis.....................................................................................................121 To offer to the vadzimu: What do the Shona mean when they say ‘offer’?.........................................122 The thinking of Christians concerning the dead..........................................123 Inheritance...................................................................................................123 Goat of anger and provision........................................................................124 Reception of the rite and subsequent discussions leading to a stalemate.................................125 Conclusion..................................................................................................132 CHAPTER THREE A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SCRIPTURAL TEXTS USED IN THE DISMISSAL OF NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS............134 Introduction................................................................................................134 Savoury Texts to Missionaries...................................................................135 The Social and Historical Context of Monotheism...................................137 Critique on the Missionary Approach........................................................146 Special Focus on the Mavhudzi-Muchabaiwa school...............................151 Divination and Sorcery in Israel...................................................................154 Divination in Shona religion.........................................................................157 Necromancy..................................................................................................159 6 Conclusion..................................................................................................168 CHAPTER FOUR CHURCH’S TEACHING ON SALVATION.............................169 Introduction................................................................................................169 The Church’s understanding of salvation prior to Vatican II....................170 Salvation from the perspective of Vatican II (1963-1965)..........................175 Church’s relation to non-Catholic Christians...............................................176 The Church’s relation to non-Christian religions.........................................178 Theological Input..........................................................................................180 African Synod................................................................................................187 The Church’s unique role in the face of other religions............................188 Conclusion..................................................................................................192 CHAPTER FIVE THE SALVIFIC VALUES IN SHONA FUNERAL RITES...........194 Introduction................................................................................................194 General notions on culture dynamics........................................................194 Substitution..................................................................................................196 Loss...............................................................................................................196 Incrementation.............................................................................................197 Fusion...........................................................................................................197 Persistence....................................................................................................197 Pre-burial rites............................................................................................199 Kupeta Ritual................................................................................................200 Mourning Ritual............................................................................................201 Salvific values in pre-burial rites................................................................203 Respect for life..............................................................................................204 Sacredness of the verbal last testament......................................................205 No dualism...................................................................................................206 Sense of community.....................................................................................207 Richness of symbolism.................................................................................208 Burial rites...................................................................................................210 Times for burial............................................................................................210 Procession to the graveyard.........................................................................210 The burial itself.............................................................................................211 Rumuko.........................................................................................................212 Gata ceremony..............................................................................................212 Rite of purification........................................................................................213 Rite of a person who dies away from home.................................................214 7 Salvific values in burial rites......................................................................215 Spiritual view of life......................................................................................215 Admission that no one is perfect.................................................................216 Belief in the existence of an evil force..........................................................216 Responsibility of the living for the success of the deceased’s journey.......217 Respect for the place of the dead.................................................................217 Post-burial rites..........................................................................................218 Kurova guva ritual.........................................................................................218 Inheritance ceremony...................................................................................219 Rituals of honour..........................................................................................220 Rituals of Appeasement...............................................................................221 Salvific values in post-burial rites..............................................................222 Immortality of the spirit...............................................................................222 Communion of the living and the dead.......................................................223 Sense of family bondedness.........................................................................224 Respect for the role played by the father......................................................225 Progeny should be looked after....................................................................225 Our interaction with the dead should not be a one time event...................226 Faithfulness to one’s obligations.................................................................226 Conclusion..................................................................................................227 CHAPTER SIX THE TRADITIONAL MEDICAL PRACTITIONER AND HIS/HER PROFESSION..............................................229 Introduction................................................................................................229 Traditional medical practitioner as the victim of scathing attacks...........229 Factors favouring a rebounce of traditional healers..................................234 The fight for legal recognition....................................................................236 Becoming a traditional healer....................................................................240 Spirit possession..........................................................................................240 Apprenticeship..............................................................................................243 Njuzu (river) spirits......................................................................................244 Dreams.........................................................................................................245 The code of conduct...................................................................................245 Social functions of a traditional healer......................................................248 A doctor in sickness.....................................................................................249 A priest in religious matters.........................................................................249 A lawyer in legal issues.................................................................................250 A policeman/woman in the detection and prevention of crime..................250 A possessor of magical charms for the good of others...............................252 8 A psycho-therapist and exorcist...................................................................252 General remarks on the profession of traditional healers.........................254 Areas of possible collaboration between priests and traditional healers..256 Healing and deliverance...............................................................................256 Ministry to the dying and the dead..............................................................259 Conclusion..................................................................................................262 CHAPTER SEVEN APPLYING THE INCARNATIONAL PRINCIPLE TO SHONA FUNERARY CUSTOMS........................................................263 Introduction................................................................................................263 Integration Approach..................................................................................264 Dynamic Equivalence...................................................................................265 Creative Assimilation....................................................................................269 Independent/Compartmentalisation Approach.........................................278 Substitution Approach................................................................................285 Mourning and burial of priests and nuns....................................................286 Nyaradzo.......................................................................................................288 Unveiling of the Tombstone.........................................................................289 Conclusion..................................................................................................291 CHAPTER EIGHT SUMMARY AND CONCLUDING REMARKS.........................293 BIBLIOGRAPHY.......................................................................305 APPENDIX A............................................................................315 APPENDIX B............................................................................327 APPENDIX C............................................................................329 APPENDIX D............................................................................343 APPENDIX E............................................................................349 APPENDIX F............................................................................352 INDEX OF SUBJECTS...............................................................372 INDEX OF AUTHORITIES........................................................375 9