The Cultural and Historical Significance of Kalanga Place Names in Midlands Province of Zimbabwe
Keywords:
Onomastics, Historical Record, Significance, Kalanga Place Names, Function, Cultural, Midlands Province
Abstract
The discipline of onomastics is still at its infancy yet it constitutes a very important aspect of the day to day survival of a people in the society. Naming is part of oral tradition in African societies, people were never used to write and record things but rather their names. This means that names are a historical record that would carry some aspects of a people's way of life which include their history, beliefs and customs among others. On the same note, Midlands Province constitute of people from different backgrounds mainly Shona and Ndebele. Of interest to this research is the presence of the Kalanga people through some toponyms that are found in the area. In light of this view, this study therefore seeks to identify and unlock the culture and history embedded in these names by looking at the significance of Kalanga place names in Midlands Province. The study argues that place names or toponyms of any people carry with them a history, meaning and significance to particular people that name the places, thus studying the place names in this community can be a valuable tool of unpacking the history surrounding the Kalanga people in Midlands Province in Zimbabwe. Guided by the Afrocentric paradigm, specifically nommoic creativity tenant, the study seeks to explore the cultural and historical significance of Kalanga toponyms in Midlands Province.References
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13. Klugah, M. 2013. Recounting history through linguistics: A toponymic analysis of Asogli migration narratives. African Journal of History and Culture, Vol. 5(8), pp. 151-159, October 2013. http://www.academicjournals.org/AJHC. (Accessed on April 16, 2018)
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16. Mamvura, Z. 2014. A Sociolinguistic analysis of school names in selected urban centres during the colonial period in Zimbabwe (1890-1979). Unpublished PhD thesis, University of South Africa.
17. Masola, K. 1983. Nhau dzabaKalanga: A History of the Kalanga, Vol 1. Pretoria: University of South Africa.
18. Medway, D., and Warnaby, G. 2014. What’s in a name? Place branding and toponymic commodification. Environment and Planning 2014, volume 46, pages 153-167. doi:10.1068la45571.
19. Moyo, N. E. 2012. The Rebirth of BaKalanga: A manifesto for the liberation of a Great People with a proud history Part 1. Plumtree: Mapungubgwe News Coorpertion.
20. Mushati, A. 2013. Street naming as author(iz)ing the collective memory of the Nation: Masvingo’s Mucheke Suburb in Zimbabwe. International Journal of Asian Social Sciences, 2013, 3(1):69-91
21. Ndimande-Hlongwa, N. 2015. The role of Indigenous place names in preserving living heritage of the Zulu people in KwaZulu-Natal. Durban: University of KwaZulu-Natal.
22. Ndlovu, H. 2017. Prospects and challenges of standardising Kalanga orthography. Unpublished MA thesis, Midlands State University.
23. Nhongo, R., and Masuku, J. 2012. Influence of an African language on European place names in Zimbabwe: Is it language corruption, language development or resistance.
24. Ormeling, F. 2007. “Minority Toponyms - the Western Europe Experience.” In Ormeling’s Cartography, edited by E. Heere and M. Storms, 117-124. Netherlands Geographical Studies.
25. Simenale-Kalumba, P.I. 2014. The Use of Proverbial names among the Xhosa Society: Socio-Cultural approach. Unpublished Masters’ Thesis: University of the Western Cape.
26. Snodia, M., Mnguti, T., and Mutami, N. 2010. “Politically Dialoguing Through the Naming Process: The Case of Colonial Zimbabwe (1890-1980).” J. Pan African Stud. 3(10). UNGEGN 2015.
2. Bigon, L. 2011. “The Former Names of Lagos (Nigeria) in Historical Perspectives.” Names 59 (4):229-240.
3. Chabata, E. 2012. Feature Names and Identity in Zimbabwe. In Helleland, C, Ore E & Wikstrom S (eds). Names and Identities, Oslo Studies in Language 4(2), 2012, 1-6 (ISSN 1890-9639). http://www.journals.uio.no/osla
4. Chauke, M.T. 2015. Name Changes in South Africa: An Indigenous Flavour. Anthropologist, 9(1):285-293 (2015). Thohoyandou: University of Venda.
5. Crystal, D. 2003. The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language (2nd ed). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
6. Curchin, L.A. 2011. Naming the Provincial landscape: Settlement and Toponymy in Ancient Catalunya. Canada: University of Waterloo.
7. Gayre, R. 1972. The origin of the Zimbabwean civilisation. Salisbury: Galaxie Press
8. Gray, C.C. 2001. Afrocentric Thought and Praxis: An Intellectual History. Asmara: African World Press.
9. Guma, M. 2001. The Cultural Meaning of Names among Basotho of Southern Africa: A Historical and Linguistic Analysis. Nordic Journal of African Studies. 10 (3):265-279
10. Helleland, B. 2012. (a) Names and Identities. In Helleland, C., Ore, C., and Wikstrom, S. (eds). Oslo Studies in Language 4(2), 2012. 95-116, http://www.journals.ulo.no/osla.
11. Helleland, B. 2012. (b) Place Names as Means of Landscape Identity: Paper presented at the symposium on Geographical Names as Part of the Cultural Heritage. Vienna.
12. Hlophe, D. 2002. SA Names must tell the story of all its people. City Press, Weekly, February 18, 2002, p.9
13. Klugah, M. 2013. Recounting history through linguistics: A toponymic analysis of Asogli migration narratives. African Journal of History and Culture, Vol. 5(8), pp. 151-159, October 2013. http://www.academicjournals.org/AJHC. (Accessed on April 16, 2018)
14. Krauss, R. M. 1998. Language as a symbolic process in communication. American Scientist, 56, 265-278
15. Letsoela, P.M. 2015. A Semantic Analysis of Sesotho Place Names: Evidence from Bus Stop Names. International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 3(1), 01-08. http://www.eltsjournal.org (Accessed on April 16, 2018)
16. Mamvura, Z. 2014. A Sociolinguistic analysis of school names in selected urban centres during the colonial period in Zimbabwe (1890-1979). Unpublished PhD thesis, University of South Africa.
17. Masola, K. 1983. Nhau dzabaKalanga: A History of the Kalanga, Vol 1. Pretoria: University of South Africa.
18. Medway, D., and Warnaby, G. 2014. What’s in a name? Place branding and toponymic commodification. Environment and Planning 2014, volume 46, pages 153-167. doi:10.1068la45571.
19. Moyo, N. E. 2012. The Rebirth of BaKalanga: A manifesto for the liberation of a Great People with a proud history Part 1. Plumtree: Mapungubgwe News Coorpertion.
20. Mushati, A. 2013. Street naming as author(iz)ing the collective memory of the Nation: Masvingo’s Mucheke Suburb in Zimbabwe. International Journal of Asian Social Sciences, 2013, 3(1):69-91
21. Ndimande-Hlongwa, N. 2015. The role of Indigenous place names in preserving living heritage of the Zulu people in KwaZulu-Natal. Durban: University of KwaZulu-Natal.
22. Ndlovu, H. 2017. Prospects and challenges of standardising Kalanga orthography. Unpublished MA thesis, Midlands State University.
23. Nhongo, R., and Masuku, J. 2012. Influence of an African language on European place names in Zimbabwe: Is it language corruption, language development or resistance.
24. Ormeling, F. 2007. “Minority Toponyms - the Western Europe Experience.” In Ormeling’s Cartography, edited by E. Heere and M. Storms, 117-124. Netherlands Geographical Studies.
25. Simenale-Kalumba, P.I. 2014. The Use of Proverbial names among the Xhosa Society: Socio-Cultural approach. Unpublished Masters’ Thesis: University of the Western Cape.
26. Snodia, M., Mnguti, T., and Mutami, N. 2010. “Politically Dialoguing Through the Naming Process: The Case of Colonial Zimbabwe (1890-1980).” J. Pan African Stud. 3(10). UNGEGN 2015.
Published
2020-06-30
How to Cite
Matiza, V. and Dube, L. (2020) “The Cultural and Historical Significance of Kalanga Place Names in Midlands Province of Zimbabwe”, Journal of Law and Social Sciences, 4(2), pp. 21-28. doi: https://doi.org/10.53974/unza.jlss.4.2.470.
Section
Social Sciences