HomeOld_PostsHow observing taboos helps maintain social order

How observing taboos helps maintain social order

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THE observation of cultural taboos in most African communities has resulted in harmonious living in different communities in Zimbabwe.
Observance of taboos helped maintain social order and instills discipline among the youths.
Children were taught to respect their environment, avoid danger as well as respect their elderly through the observance of different taboos in different societies.
A taboo is an activity that is forbidden or sacred based on traditional, religious beliefs or morals.
Breaking a taboo is extremely objectionable in society as a whole.
Taboos also helped in nation building and interpretation of history in Zimbabwe.
However, certain taboos and spiritual guidance were observed and sought by the liberation struggle fighters.
Most of the influential guides in the liberation war were cultural taboos which helped freedom fighters win the war.
Many survivors of the liberation war owe their life to the obsevance of taboos.
During the birthday commemorations of President Robert Mugabe in Matobo, the taboo system was observed as delegates were prohibited from doing certain things or going to certain places in the Matopos National Park and the vicinity of the Njelele shrine.
Interestingly, people listened to the advice given by the elders and this left the place clean while no incidents of crime were recorded, courtesy of the observance of the taboos of the area.
Some of the taboos enforced included not crossing the road randomly as this was bound to upset ancestral spirits who would have unleashed untold suffering to those who defied the orders.
Climbing the rocks was said to be taboo and bound to bring bad luck, when in actual fact elders were trying to warn those who dared to climb the rocks risked falling and injuring themselves.
It is also taboo to venture into the caves in the park, as people who do so are said to disappear forever. This deterred people from straying into dangerous places as the area is known to have the largest concentration of black mambas (rovambira) which feed on the rock hyraxies that are normally found in the caves.
Pointing at the rock paintings had its own punishment where one’s finger would forever point at the painting. This taboo ensured that the cultural heritage in the Matopos World Heritage Site would be respected.
Straying into the Njelele Shrine was said to cause disappearance forever. This ensures the place is kept as sacred as possible and not defiled.
There was also talk of the three legged leopard which guarded King Mzilikazi’s grave, also meant to ensure the grave was not desecrated.
Killing any animal in the park was said to bring the killed animal into one’s house or the animal would talk to you.
This taboo deterred would-be poachers from killing any animals.
The taboo system, however, did not only apply in Matopo Hills but also in communities around the country for the maintenance of peace, order and harmony; they minimised dangers as well as confrontations.
Some of the common taboos in Zimbabwe include adultery, where having sexual intercourse with someone other than your spouse is not allowed as well as bestiality, bigotry and speaking ill of people of other cultures.
While some people believe that taboos are superstitious and pagan beliefs, most communities in Zimbabwe have used the taboo system as a control measure in the management of their natural resources and surroundings.
This system has also been used not only in African cultures but in other societies far away such as in North and South America where the indigenous people have their own taboo systems to manage their natural and indigenous knowledge systems.
Places such as sacred shrines, caves, graves, forests, pools and wells were not used or entered into for any purpose other than those specified by traditional chiefs and village spirit mediums.
Defying instructions often results in pools drying up or the forests not producing wild fruits for both animals and human beings.
The debarking of fruit trees was not allowed. Any breach of this taboo often resulted in the trees drying up or developing a disease.
However, this taboo seems to be true to this day as those trees that were not debarked properly are not bearing any fruits or have developed diseases.
Shrines and other sacred places such as the Njelele and Chinhoyi Caves as well as sacred mountains and forests in Chimanimani and Domboshava where spirits of the land are believed to dwell, are approached with all caution.
Staring at certain places was forbidden. Defying this was said to result in blindness, bad luck to one’s family or even death.
The observance of taboos at such places led to the general conservation of the entire ecosystem and environment.
Killing or capturing of certain wild animals and birds was taboo and against mother nature.
The taboo system classed certain animals into totems, and most totems have animal, reptile and amphibian names attached to them.
People do not eat animals that signify their totem.
For example, the Ndlovu (elephant) clan should not eat meat from the elephant; the same is true for the Dubes who are not supposed to eat zebra meat.
Today the observance of taboos is not closely followed and elders blame it on the carefree attitude of most families and the infiltration of Western cultures and inter-marriages.
However, some communities like the BaTonga still observe taboos during life-cycle events like birth, puberty, marriage and death.
Taboos have deeper meanings. During the President’s birthday celebrations, the youths were spellbound by the interpretation of certain taboos as they were seen subserviently observing the instructions from the elders.
Some did not even take pictures at places they thought were sacred, and they conducted themselves in an orderly manner.
With the introduction of Heritage Studies in the new curriculum we are likely to see a well-behaved generation that has deep respect for the country‘s culture and observe the indigenous knowledge systems in Zimbabwe through the observance of these taboos.

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