A Contemporary Recontextualisation of Meanings and Identities of Ṅwenda: A Qualitative Study of the Vhavenḓa from South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6697/19331Keywords:
Vhavenḓa, ṅwenda, heritage, preservation, meanings, identity, culture, globalisation, modernisation, young generationAbstract
This study explores the contemporary recontextualisation of the traditional ṅwenda in Vhavenḓa culture, examining its evolving meanings within a modern socio-cultural framework. It investigates the impact of transformation on cultural heritage preservation and the roles of governmental and traditional leadership. Historically a marker of age, status, and identity, ṅwenda is increasingly worn for aesthetic and fashion purposes. Grounded in modernisation theory, this qualitative study uses semi-structured interviews with elderly Vhavenḓa women, traditional leaders, and a government official. Thematic analysis revealed that while modern adaptations influence cultural preservation, deliberate efforts are needed to sustain its historical significance. Findings emphasise the role of younger generations in cultural transmission, highlighting intergenerational dialogue and education as essential for integrating ṅwenda meaningfully into contemporary society. The study advocates for youth engagement in safeguarding Vhavenḓa cultural identities, ensuring the resilience of traditional knowledge amid rapid sociocultural change.
References
Akinbileje, T.Y. 2014. "Symbolic Values of Clothing and Textiles Art in Traditional and Contemporary Africa. "International Journal of Development and Sustainability 3(4): 626-641. https://isdsnet.com/ijds-v3n4-3.pdf
Amri, Y. K., and Putri, D. M. 2023. "The Role of Traditional Leaders in Bridging Cultural Values." Lakhomi Journal Scientific Journal of Culture 4(4):159-166.
Appadurai, A. 1986. The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective. London: Cambridge University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511819582 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511819582
Appadurai, A. 1996. Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Arya, R. 2021. "Cultural Appropriation: What is it, and Why Does it Matter?" Sociology Compas 15(10).
https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12923 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12923
Bahl, V. 2005. "Shifting Boundaries of "Nativity" and "Modernity" in South Asian Women's Clothes." Dialectical Anthropology 29: 85-121.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10624-005-4173-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10624-005-4173-z
Barton, L., Waelchi, R., and Rosenbaum, K. 1991. Modernity and Self-identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Bhabha, H. 1994. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge.
Brunk, C. 2012. The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation. London: Blackwell Publishing Company.
Canclini, N. G. 2005. Hybrid Cultures: Strategies for Entering and Leaving Modernity. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Comaroff, J., and Comaroff, J. L. 2009. Ethnicity, Inc. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226114736.001.0001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226114736.001.0001
Craik, J. 2020. "The Political Culture of Non-Western Fashion Identities." Fashion, Style and Popular Culture 7(1): 9-27. https://doi.org/10.1386/fspc_00003_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/fspc_00003_1
Creswell, J.W. 2014. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approach. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Dasgupta, R. K., and Alimen, N. 2024. "Consuming and Retailing Fashion: South Asian Diaspora Negotiating Clothing Practices, Identities and Community Making in Glasgow." Social Identities 30(4): 306-330.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13504630.2024.2382865 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504630.2024.2382865
De Vos, S. P. 1998. Research at Grass Roots. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
Department of Arts and Culture, South Africa. 2015. Report of Cultural Policy Review Committee. Pretoria.
Held, D., McGrew, A., Goldblatt, D., and Perraton, J. 1999. Global Transformations: Politics, Economics, and Culture. Stanford: Stanford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780333981689_2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780333981689_2
Hobsbawm, E., and Ranger, T. (Eds.). 1983. The Invention of Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jackson, J.B. 2021. "On Cultural Appropriation." Journal of Folklore Research 58(1):77-122.
https://doi.org/10.2979/jfolkrese.58.1.04 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2979/jfolkrese.58.1.04
Jansen, A. 2020. "Fashion and Phantasmagoria of Modernity: An Introduction to Decolonial Fashion Discourse." Fashion Theory 24(6): 815-836. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704X.2020.1802098 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704X.2020.1802098
Johnson, S.J., and. Koech, BA. 2022. "Influences of Cultural Attire in Contemporary Fashion for Posterity of African Culture." Africa Design Review Journal, University of Nairobi. 1 (2).
Ladzani, K. Y. 2014. "Moral Regeneration in the Lives of Vhavenḓa Youth through Indigenous Knowledge System: Applied Ethnography of Communication-based Approaches with Special Reference to Tshivenḓa." Doctoral dissertation, University of South Africa.
Ladzani, K.Y, and Sengani, TM. 2021. "From Ethnic to National Cloth: The Diverse Nature of the Tshivenḓa Ṅwenda." African Journal of Gender, Society and Development 10(4):141-161. https://doi.org/10.31920/2634-3622/2021/v10n4a7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31920/2634-3622/2021/v10n4a7
Le Roux, M. 2011. Vhalemba: Ndi lushaka lwo xelaho lwa Isreale lu re Tshipembe ha Afrika naa? Pretoria: Unisa Press.
Lee, M. S., Sa, J. K., and Chung, K. H. 2012. "A Comparative Analysis of the Characteristics and Images of Costume Colors in the Traditional Plays of Korea, China, and Japan." Colour Research and Application 37(4):302-312.
https://doi.org/10.1002/col.20673 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/col.20673
Lerner, D. 1958. The Passing of Traditional Society: Modernizing the Middle East. Glencoe: The Free Press.
Lindholm, C. 2001. Culture and Identity: The History, Theory, and Practice of Psychological Anthropology. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Mashwele, R.S., Mandende, I.P., and Sebola, M., 2024. "Ethnolinguistic Vitality in Thulamela Local Municipality: A Case of Xitsonga." Literator 45 (1). https://doi.org/10.4102/lit.v45i1.1966 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/lit.v45i1.1966
Mawere, J, and Tshamano, NW. 2023. "The Role of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems ew321in Achieving Restorative Justice among the Vhavenda of South Africa." In Indigenous People - Traditional Practices and Modern Development, edited by S. Kumar and M.B., Lakshminarayana. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.111291 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1002677
Miller, D. 2010. Consumption and its Consequences. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Mudau, P. P., Mandende, I. P., and Mushaathoni, M. 2024. "Through our Indigenous Greeting Terms, We Are Identified: A Study of Tshivenḓa from Tshimbupfhe, Vhembe District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa." African Identities 1-15.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2024.2381484 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2024.2381484
Mukwevho, M. H. and Khosa, K. J. 2018. "A Quest for Cultural Emancipation through Traditional Attire in Mphambo Village, Vhembe District of South Africa." Anthropologist 33(1-3): 59-66. https://doi.org/10.31901/24566802.2018/33.1-3.2006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31901/24566802.2018/33.1-3.2006
Mulaudzi, P.A. 2022. A Linguistic Description of Language Varieties in Venda Dialectology. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing GmbHand Co.KG.
Mushaisano, A.W. 2009. "Ṱhoḓisiso ya vhungoho nga ha zwine ha pfi zwiambaro zwa vhafumakadzi zwa sialala zwi na mulaedza une zwa u pfukisela vhathuni musi vho zwi ambara: hu tshi ḓo lavheleswa kha tshiṱiriki tsha Vhembe Vunḓuni ḽa Limpopo." MA Dissertation, University of Limpopo.
Nyamnjoh, F. B. 2015. Africa's Media, Democracy and the Politics of Belonging. London: Zed Books.
Oladoyin J. Labode, O.J, and Braide, O.O. 2022. "Symbolic Designs of Textile Art in African Fabrics." The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series 16 (2/2022):71-86. https://doi.org/10.4467/24506249PJ.22.010.16833 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4467/24506249PJ.22.010.16833
Patton, M. 2002. Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Phophi, L. 2005. "Venda Traditional Female Dress: Use and Significance." MA dissertation, Tshwane University of Technology.
Raphalalani, M.R., and Mashige, M.C. 2018. "Tshivenḓa Female Attire: A Socio-cultural Significance." Southern African Journal for Folklore Studies 28(2):1-14. https://doi.org/10.25159/1016-8427/3780 DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/1016-8427/3780
Reddy, S. 2009. "Styling The Self: Fashion As An Expression Of Cultural Identity In a Global World." University of KwaZulu-Natal South Africa.
Rostow, W. W. 1960. The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-communist Manifesto. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Saldaña, J. 2020. The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, 2nd ed. London: SAGE.
Schramm, W. 1964. Mass Media and National Development: The Role of Information in Developing Countries. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Sibadela, M.J. 2023. "Exploring the Preservation Methods of Ndayo by Vhavenda People." Doctoral dissertation, University of Venḓa.
Traditional Authorities Research Group. 1999. "The Role and Future of Traditional Leaders in South Africa." Koers-Bulletin for Christian Scholarship/Bulletin vir Christelike Wetenskap 64(2-3): 295-324. https://doi.org/10.4102/koers.v64i2/3.505 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koers.v64i2/3.505
Van Warmelo, N.J. 1989. Venda Dictionary: Tshivenḓa - English. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
Yao, R., and Inchan, N. 2024. "Design and Development of Traditional Han Chinese Ethnic Clothing for Contemporary Apparel." International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews 4(6): 639-650.
https://doi.org/10.60027/ijsasr.2024.5112 DOI: https://doi.org/10.60027/ijsasr.2024.5112
Young, J.O. 2010. Cultural Appropriation and Arts. Malden: Blackwell Publishing Company.
Young, O, and Brunck, C.G. 2012. The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell.
Yuan, H.; Lin, R.; Su, Y.; Mao, Z., and Li, X. 2024. "The Impact of Globalisation on Fashion and Media: Bridging Cultures Through Style." Advances in Social Behaviour Research 12: 8-12. https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7102/12/2024116 DOI: https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7102/12/2024116
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.
