African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African Americans 129
References
Mwanalushi, Muyuda. 1990. Youth and Society in Zambia. Lusaka: Multimedia Publications.
Ngulube, Naboth M.J. 1989. Some Aspects of Growing Up in Zambia. Lusaka: Nalinga
Consultancy Publishing.
Sumbwa, Nyambe. 1993. Zambian Proverbs. Lusaka: Zambia Printing Co. Publications.
BRADFORD STRICKLAND
See also Tricksters in African Folklore
CHILDREN’S FOLKLORE: NDEBELE
Not to be confused with the Ndebele of South Africa, who are well known for their
decorative arts, the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe are cousins with, or descendants of, the
Zulu of South Africa. The Ndebele are located in the southwestern part of Zimbabwe.
Their founding ruler was uMzilikazi and the last Ndebele king was uLobegula.
As a primarily oral people the Ndebele possess oral art forms that serve a variety of
functions. African scholars have suggested the term orature to label these oral art forms.
In Ndebele society orature is used as a medium for socializing children. Consequently,
children’s orature is a reflection of the society’s culture and history. Today most of the
traditional oral forms have changed particularly in terms of the media and forms of
existence. This entry focuses on lullabies, folktales (inganekwane), jokes (amaphoxo),
riddles, tongue twisters, material forms, and games, and adopts a chronological
presentation of the oral forms, that is, it presents them in a manner that corresponds to the
developmental stages of children, from birth through early adolescence. The infant forms
take a primarily poetic structure, and as the children grow older the forms become more
narrative except for songs.
Lullabies
Lullabies are children’s poetry composed with the understanding and appreciation of the
child’s needs. They are among the earliest oral forms to which infants are exposed. They
do not have a fixed performance location. Although they are usually performed to
entertain or soothe a crying baby, lullabies also serve as media for socializing children.
Mothers or any other adult performs them. A lullaby can either be slow, rhythmic, or
sleep-inducing, depending on what the intention for it is. As a socialization tool, lullabies
are used to introduce infants and babies primarily to the language of the society. The
following example illustrates this:
Ola ola Ola, ola
Nank’amabhecezana I see some pumpkin pieces
Enhla kwembiz’enkulu At the corner of a big pot