The rock art of Chinamwali: material culture and girls' initiation in south-central Africa
Date
2010-05-03T12:30:45Z
Authors
Zubieta Calvert, Leslie Francis
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Abstract
In this thesis I examine the material culture of initiation in central Mala i,
eastern Zambia and central-western Mozambique.
The White Spread-eagled tradition is a rock art tradition that has been
linked to the Che a girls’ initiation ceremony: Chinamwali. Women no longer
paint as part of the initiation but they continue to make other objects that they use
as mnemonic devices in this ceremony. I explore the parallels between these
objects and the paintings, based on ethnographic accounts and data collected in
my fieldwork.
Rock paintings are interpreted in this study as part of a range of material
culture that had a specific purpose: to create a dynamic cognitive process with
which the initiate learnt the important rules of society. I explore how the material
culture of initiation is used to help in the recall of instructions alongside the
intangible aspects of the ceremony such as songs, dances and music.
I explore the ways in which the objects are created, used and disposed of,
in the light of memory and secrecy. I discuss various aspects of the use of
symbolism in the context of initiation. Lastly, I explore why the women choose
particular images as symbolic carriers of the instructions based on their
perceptions of the animal world, the woodland and the village.