Names and naming: Seeking to expose commonalities among the Bantu
WE have so far looked at naming with a view to unpacking reasons why objects are named, and the meanings resident in the various names. This we sought to achieve by looking at the names of cosmic bodies. We saw some close relationship between societal knowledge and its reflection and expression in the named world. Cosmic names may not extend to some distant stars and as a result names do not embrace the unknown world.
Our search was limited to the world of the Ndebele and, to a smaller extent, that of the BaKalanga. What became clear was a common tradition, cosmic perceptions and hence a common history and origin. Language tells the history of a community and its links with languages of related communities. No wonder the languages of the two communities referred to above belong to the Bantu group of languages born of a common origin and history. The similarity is expressed in more ways than just the two languages.
Knowledge and perceptions of the cosmos is comparatively similar. This is to be expected as this is a sphere that has, by and large, remained the same and has not undergone fundamental changes from the time the Bantu or before them, interacted with it. Original knowledge and perceptions have not undergone substantial alteration as a result of technological advances. The two, and indeed other Bantu communities, have interacted with different natural environments which have led to acquisition of new ideas, knowledge and perceptions which have found their way into the body of knowledge.
Both the BaKalanga and the Ndebele share common spiritual ideas. Indeed, this is true of other Bantu communities too. Their religion or more appropriately spirituality, is what may be termed cosmic religion as it is underpinned by cosmic attributes. Their rituals and ceremonies are, in terms of timing and content, informed by the cosmos. The adage, “as above, so below,” aptly captures the link between the cosmos and religious ideas, thought and world-view.
Ideas about beauty are black Africa-wide and embrace elements that are derived from cosmic attributes such as circularity, curvilinearity, movement, rhythm (seasonality, periodicity), repetition and symmetry/balance. These are common considerations that explain common designs as found in the various artefacts, hut and village layout, architectural design, body art and many more. The shared cosmic ideas that inform aesthetic manifestations lie behind observed commonalities.
A people are their ideas thought and cosmology. As pointed out above, Africans were inspired by the cosmos which informed several aspects of their culture, including those enumerated above. Beliefs, thought, cosmology and philosophy underpin a people’s cultural practices. People practice what they believe in. Cultural behaviour is an outward manifestation of deep-seated ideology, cosmology, thought and beliefs. At that level, our being Bantu is expressed and we begin to see the common thread that runs through our cultures, but more particularly our thought. We have laid emphasis on the fact that our skin pigmentation and residence on the African continent do not constitute our identity which is more to do with our common view of the world and corresponding cultural knowledge, ideas, perceptions and practices.
Where a people share a common view of the world, what follow are common or related cultural practices. Cultural practices are expressed most clearly through the various arts genres such as visual arts, sculpture, performances (dances, music, performance poetry, theatre and drama) architecture, fashion and graphic design, culinary arts, inter alia.
It is against this background that we observe how regrettably arts are rendered in a way that does not show unity through exposure of cultural commonalities. This is glaringly missing in the new curriculum, both at primary and secondary school levels. Emphasis is more on the ethnic cultural differences than what they share in common as Bantu people. This to say emphasis was given more to cultural practices which are a result of adaptations to unique environmental realities. The fundamental thought and world-view are glossed over and sometimes completely ignored, if at all appreciated.
The Bulawayo artists brought this idea clearly and unequivocally when they interacted with the first family. They argued, and rightly so, that the arts may be used to weld diverse peoples into a united nation that shares a common vision. The arts, it ought to be appreciated, are the immediate frontline after the sphere of thought and cosmology. The cultural practices are more distant and are a second tier when it comes to expressions of culture. Art expresses effortlessly and is thus a veritable pedagogy that Zimbabwe, needful of creating a united nation, should make use of.
After traversing a broad expanse of names within the cosmos and the natural environment, we are at the stage where we should be turning our exploration to the cultural environment and see whether this front shares commonalities with the two that we have already alluded to. We are here thinking of names of domesticated animals. Are these animals named with the same intensity? Why do chickens seem to be named less in comparison to cattle? Cattle are better named than goats. It would seem to me all donkeys have names. But why is this so? Equally, there does not seem to be dogs without names. All human beings have names as their identities plus a lot more.
Where institutions such as hospitals, schools, educational colleges, universities have been built, they have always been given names. In towns where there are roads, streets and avenues these too have been given names. Nicknames are common among human beings. Who among them, gets a nickname, and why? We are entering a world more intimate and better known and thus better named. Do we then find a stronger concentration of names on this front?
Another consideration will be to seek the underlying meanings resident in names. When King Lobengula’s mother was named Fulatha, what did that mean? When a girl is named Fikile, what does that mean, and is it a name that may be given to any girl? Whereas William Shakespeare may have posited, “what is in a name?” we think there is a lot that goes with a name. While he argued that a rose by any name smells the same, our contention is that names carry particularity emanating from a given context, be it cultural, political, economic, social or historical. It is not about picking any names from a common basket and thrusting them on a newborn baby.
A lot of history resides in given names. For a people who were orally literate (not illiterate) naming becomes a form of documentation, a prayer for one bearing a given name to live up to the expectations of name. Jabulani should live to please his parents, sometimes meaning that his birth was facilitated or that he would grow up to see his name come to fruition.
Finally, how is gender expressed in names, of humans and animals?