OZA AND NDAGHIO INITIATION CEREMONIES: THE SIGNIFICANT NARRATIVES IN THE SHAMBAA COMMUNITY
Keywords:
initiation ceremonies narratives, performance, dramatic representation, transformative processAbstract
The Shambaa continue to hold to their oral traditions. They use them to inculcate Shambaa values and morals to their children. However, there is a claim that narratives of oral traditions, particularly initiation ceremonies are no longer significant to a modern generation since Christianity, formal education and modernity have replaced them. Although these claims cannot be totally ignored, it is important to indicate that Shambaa oral traditions have been narrated by elders during family events such as dowry, wedding and burial ceremonies where Shambaa rituals are still practiced. This paper therefore, argues that narratives of Shambaa oral traditions still reign supreme among the Shambaa. It presents the narratives of Oza and Ndaghio initiation ceremonies as aspects of Shambaa traditions and culture. This paper examines their significance in upbringing Shambaa youth. The paper uses Victor Turner’s theory of “liminality” and Tzevan Todorov's narrative theory as theoretical framework to analyze how these initiation ceremonies transform a Shambaa girl or boy into adult woman and man and how the transformative process informs individuals’ personalities.
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