Wedding Songs Entwine Souls: Applying Ethnomusicology in the Didactic and Pedagogical Dimensions of AmaXhosa Wedding Songs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6697/13784Keywords:
amaXhosa, didactic, ethnomusicology, pedagogical, wedding songs, phenomenologyAbstract
The amaXhosa wedding songs possess didactic and pedagogical dimensions, thereupon evidencing their relevance far beyond the entertainment component. A notable literature review indicates the instructional and educational value of these songs in various African and global contexts, especially in indigenous communities. Having said this, their scholarly examination remains of scholarly concern. With this view in mind, this article aims to uncover the didactic and pedagogical dimensions of three preferred amaXhosa wedding songs. Phenomenology, as a qualitative research technique, is deployed to recognise and appreciate the three amaXhosa wedding songs as sources of data, while ethnomusicology is applied as a theoretical framework. This implies that the two research techniques—phenomenology and ethnomusicology—operate in a symbiotic relationship. The principal findings and discussions are indicative that amaXhosa wedding songs are instrumental in conveying social and cultural expressions for the duo or marital family, while in contrast, they serve as a preservative tool for cultural legacy. Inevitably, it stands to reason that several indigenous wedding songs are critiqued in a bid to unearth covert meanings.
References
Abdisa, B. M., and B. A. Daba. 2022. “The Role of Indigenous Institutions in Conflict Resolution with Particular Emphasis on Siiqqee Practices: The Case of Kelem Wallaga Zone, Oromia.” Journal of Algebraic Statistics 13 (2): 2776–2788.
Biru, D. 2018. “Indigenous Oromo Religion.” Gadaa Journal 1 (2): 76–90. https://journals.ju.edu.et/index.php/gadaa/article/view/569.
Biyela, N. G. 2014. “The Traditional Zulu Valentine.” Indilinga African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems 13 (1): 1–10. https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/EJC156196.
Cohen, E. D. 2004. “Philosophy with Teeth: The Wedding of Philosophical and Psychological Practices.” International Journal of Philosophical Practice 2 (2): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5840/ijpp2004226. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/ijpp2004226
Diko, M. 2022. “Uhlalutyo Bunzululwazi Ngokomxholo Ochongiweyo Kwingqokelela Yesihobe SikaWelile Shasha Ethi Umsila Wembulu.” South African Journal of African Languages 42 (3): 265–271. https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2132689. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2132689
Diko, M. 2024. “‘The Girl Next Door’: A Semantic Lyrical Analysis of Zahara’s Songs ‘Destiny’ and ‘Rise Again.’” Muziki: Journal of Music Research in Africa 20 (1–2): 159–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/18125980.2024.2337643. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/18125980.2024.2337643
Dlamini-Myeni, B., and S. D. Mbokazi. 2024. “Ubuciko Bomlomo: Wedding Songs as an Effective Means of Communication and Education among the Zulu People.” e-Bangi: Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 21 (1): 411–426. https://doi.org/10.17576/ebangi.2024.2101.35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17576/ebangi.2024.2101.35
Eze, S. U. 2023. “Echoes of Ethnicity: Popular Music and the Resurgence of Igbo Nationalism in Democratic Nigeria.” Ethnomusicology 67 (1): 23–44. https://doi.org/10.5406/21567417.67.1.04. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5406/21567417.67.1.04
Ge, L. 2006. “The Tiger-Killing Hero and the Hero-Killing Tiger.” Comparative Literature Studies 43 (1): 39–56. https://doi.org/10.1353/cls.2006.0030. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/cls.2006.0030
Gumede, H. S., and N. N. Mathonsi. 2019. “Feminist Discourse Analysis of the Image of the ‘Liberated’ Woman in Umshado [Marriage] by N Zulu.” Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa 31 (1): 11–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/1013929X.2018.1547014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1013929X.2018.1547014
Harris, D. L. 2022. “On Race, Value, and the Need to Reimagine Ethnomusicology for the Future.” Ethnomusicology 66 (2): 213–235. https://doi.org/10.5406/21567417.66.2.03. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5406/21567417.66.2.03
Henry, E. O. 1975. “North Indian Wedding Songs.” Journal of South Asian Literature 11 (1–2): 61–93.
Hlongwane, N., and S. Madiba. 2020. “Navigating Life with HIV as an Older Adult in South African Communities: A Phenomenological Study.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17 (16): 5797. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165797. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165797
Joseph, R. 1983. “Zulu Women’s Music.” African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music 6 (3): 53–89. https://doi.org/10.21504/amj.v6i3.1168. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21504/amj.v6i3.1168
Kaplan, S. 2011. “Vital Information at Your Fingertips: The Ethiopian Yellow Pages as a Cultural Document.” Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies 15 (2–3): 247–263. https://doi.org/10.3138/diaspora.15.2-3.247. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3138/diaspora.15.2-3.247
King, T. L., and K. Elliott. 2021. “Why Gender Equality Is Good for Men’s Health and Why This Matters Now.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 60 (6): 873–876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2021.01.007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2021.01.007
Kirby, P. 2021. “Geography and Film Music: Musicology, Gender, and the Spatiality of Instrumental Music.” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 46 (3): 570–583. https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12443. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12443
Kramer, K. L. 2023. “Female Cooperation: Evolutionary, Cross-Cultural and Ethnographic Evidence.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 378 (1868): 20210425. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0425. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0425
Lebaka, M. E. K. 2023. “The Significant Role Played by Long Social Connections and a Pleasant Interactive Experience among Traditional Bapedi Music Practitioners.” European Journal of Social Sciences 6 (1): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.2478/eujss-2023-0001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/eujss-2023-0001
Mahali, A., and N. Matete. 2022. “#MbokodoLeadUs: The Gendered Politics of Black Womxn Leading Campus-Based Activism in South Africa’s Recent University Student Movements.” Journal of Contemporary African Studies 40 (1): 132–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/02589001.2021.1946490. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02589001.2021.1946490
Manuel, P. 2021. “The Rosalía Polemic: Defining Genre Boundaries and Legitimacy in Flamenco.” Ethnomusicology 65 (1): 32–61. https://doi.org/10.5406/ethnomusicology.65.1.0032. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5406/ethnomusicology.65.1.0032
Mapaya, M. G. 2014. “Dinaka/Kiba: A Descriptive Analysis of a Northern Sotho Song-Dance Performative Compound: Dance.” African Journal for Physical Health Education, Recreation and Dance 20 (21): 426–438. https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/EJC155182.
Mbunyuza-Memani, L. 2018. “Wedding Reality TV Bites Black: Subordinating Ethnic Weddings in the South African Black Culture.” Journal of Communication Inquiry 42 (1): 26–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/0196859917726047. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0196859917726047
Mhlope, G. 1993. “Nokulunga’s Wedding.” Critical Quarterly 35 (1): 89–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8705.1993.tb01002.x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8705.1993.tb01002.x
Mokala, N. 2020. “Kea Patlotsa Hela lona, a Turn Around on Basotho Hip-Hop Hits: A Case of Tshepe Music.” Southern African Journal for Folklore Studies 30 (2): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6697/8713. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6697/8713
Mtose, X. 2011. “Wedding Songs by AmaXhosa Women of Idutywa.” Muziki: Journal of Music Research in Africa 8 (1): 96–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/18125980.2011.570301. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/18125980.2011.570301
Mtshiselwa, N. 2011. “Towards an Indigenous (Xhosa) South African Biblical Scholarship.” Old Testament Essays 24 (3): 668–689.
Mugandani, V., and D. Vermeulen. 2016. “Jangwa Wedding Songs among the Manyika People of Zimbabwe: Cultural Meanings and Functions Conveyed through Song Lyrics.” Southern African Journal for Folklore Studies 26 (1): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.25159/1016-8427/565. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/1016-8427/565
Mugovhani, N. G. 2009. “Mbilamutondo Music and Instruments in Venda Culture.” South African Journal of Art History 24 (3): 45–54.
Muthivhi, A. 2010. “Ploughing New Fields of Knowledge: Culture and the Rise of Community Schooling in Venda.” Journal of Education 48 (1): 137–154.
Ndebele, L. 2022. “Negotiating Marital Challenges through Classic Wedding Songs: A Case of the Ndebele in Zimbabwe.” South African Journal of African Languages 42 (3): 272–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2132692. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2132692
Netshia, S. 2023. “‘Sweep the Yard Girl’: Brooms, Wifely Duties and the Subversive Art of Usha Seejarim.” Image and Text 37: 1–22. https://doi.org/10.17159/2617-3255/2023/n37a22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17159/2617-3255/2023/n37a22
Ntombela, S. A. 2016. “Umculo Womaskandi: Ukuhlaziywa Komculo WesiZulu Womdabu Kusetshenziswa I-general Inductive Approach.” South African Journal of African Languages 36 (2): 257–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2016.1252030. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2016.1252030
Ntshangase, S. Z. 2018. “The Power of Dreams and Religious Philosophy of the Zulu People as Portrayed in the Novel, Umshado.” South African Journal of African Languages 38 (2): 237–245. https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2018.1463719. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2018.1463719
Pauli, J., and R. van Dijk. 2016. “Marriage as an End or the End of Marriage? Change and Continuity in Southern African Marriages.” Anthropology Southern Africa 39 (4): 257–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/23323256.2016.1243451. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23323256.2016.1243451
Pauw, B. A. 1990. “Widows and Ritual Danger in Sotho and Tswana Communities.” African Studies 49 (2): 75–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/00020189008707728. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00020189008707728
Roseboom, T. J. 2020. “Why Achieving Gender Equality Is of Fundamental Importance to Improve the Health and Well-Being of Future Generations: A DOHaD Perspective.” Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 11 (2): 101–104. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2040174419000734. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S2040174419000734
Schuiling, F. 2019. “Notation Cultures: Towards an Ethnomusicology of Notation.” Journal of the Royal Musical Association 144 (2): 429–458. https://doi.org/10.1080/02690403.2019.1651508. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02690403.2019.1651508
Shabalala, D. 2023. “Do We Need Exit Rules for Traditional Knowledge? Lessons from Solomon Linda and the Mbube/‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ Case.” Queen Mary Journal of Intellectual Property 12 (4): 532–552. https://doi.org/10.4337/qmjip.2022.04.05.
Sinthumule, N. I. 2022. “Gender and Sacred Natural Sites: The Role of Women in Sacred Sites Protection and Management in Vhembe Region, Limpopo Province of South Africa.” Global Ecology and Conservation 35: e02099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02099. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02099
Smit, A., and T. Bosch. 2020. “Television and Black Twitter in South Africa: Our Perfect Wedding.” Media, Culture and Society 42 (7): 1512–1527. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720926040. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720926040
Somniso, M. M. 2005. “Echoes of Orality in Christian Xhosa Songs.” Literator: Journal of Literary Criticism, Comparative Linguistics and Literary Studies 26 (3): 131–145. https://doi.org/10.4102/lit.v26i3.240. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/lit.v26i3.240
Sosik, J. J., and D. I. Jung. 2002. “Work-Group Characteristics and Performance in Collectivistic and Individualistic Cultures.” The Journal of Social Psychology 142 (1): 5–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224540209603881. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00224540209603881
Strobel, M. 1975. “Women’s Wedding Celebrations in Mombasa, Kenya.” African Studies Review 18 (3): 35–45. https://doi.org/10.2307/523720. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/523720
Terrone, E. 2020. “Listening to Other Minds: A Phenomenology of Pop Songs.” British Journal of Aesthetics 60 (4): 435–453. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesthj/ayaa018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aesthj/ayaa018
Vilakazi, B. W. 1942. “Some Aspects of Zulu Literature.” African Studies 1 (4): 270–274. https://doi.org/10.1080/00020184208706594. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00020184208706594
Walker, J.-A. 2012. “Early Marriage in Africa—Trends, Harmful Effects and Interventions: Review Article.” African Journal of Reproductive Health 16 (2): 231–240. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC121533.
Yarbrough, M. W. 2020. “A New Twist on the ‘Un-African’ Script: Representing Gay and Lesbian African Weddings in Democratic South Africa.” Africa Today 67 (1): 49–70. https://doi.org/10.2979/africatoday.67.1.04. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2979/africatoday.67.1.04
Yende, S. J., and V. Ngema. 2022. “Examining the Autonomy of Zulu Ingoma from the 1930s to Present: Image or Authentic Experience?” HTS Theological Studies 78 (3): a7610. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v78i3.7610. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v78i3.7610
Zondi, N. B. 2015. “Verbal Art Forms as Poetic Licence for Women: The Case of Ilima Women’s Work Songs.” Southern African Journal for Folklore Studies 25 (2): 43–56. https://doi.org/10.25159/1016-8427/566. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/1016-8427/566
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright will be vested in Unisa Press. However, as long as you do not use the article in ways which would directly conflict with the publisher's business interests, you retain the right to use your own article (provided you acknowledge the published version of the article) as follows:
- to make further copies of all or part of the published article for your use in classroom teaching;
- to make copies of the final accepted version of the article for internal distribution within your institution, or to place it on your own or your institution's website or repository, or on a site that does not charge for access to the article, but you must arrange not to make the final accepted version of the article available to the public until 18 months after the date of acceptance;
- to reuse all or part of this material in a compilation of your own works or in a textbook of which you are the author, or as the basis for a conference presentation.
