- Title
- “Ubuhle bemvula” : the meaning of rain among the Xhosaspeaking pensioners of Zuurbekom
- Creator
- Ntombela, Jabulile Julia
- Date
- 2019
- Type
- Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10210/294456
- Identifier
- uj:32040
- Description
- Abstract: The current changes in our climate have sparked a growing interest in understanding existing knowledge and experiences in communities regarding changes and variations in the weather. However, the currently existing anthropological analyses of weather and climate focus on adaptations to local climate, temperature, and rainfall, and often do not engage studies of meaning making. While there are a vast number of studies that have focused on rainmaking, rainmaking rituals, and the symbolism of rain, previous work has failed to integrate the perceptions of those affected by rain in their studies because indigenous knowledge (IK) was not esteemed. This study aims to integrate the perceptions and knowledge of locals by framing them in a local setting. With a specific interest in humans’ natural attraction to rain and the need to fill the current gap in rain studies, the purpose of this research is to understand how the people of Zuurbekom make meaning of rain. Through employing an ethnographic approach, coupled with conversational and in-depth interviews with purposefully selected participants, this study reveals that the people of Zuurbekom have an intricate relationship with rain. Rainfall is not only recognised for agricultural benefits but it also has socio-cultural meanings. For the participants in this study, rainfall affirms their ascribed socio-cultural identities, acknowledges and sustains the relationship they have with their ancestors, and signifies purity. Lastly, rain creates and sustains individual, communal, environmental, and spiritual wholeness. The results obtained in this study could assist in understanding how the generation of meaning ultimately guides how local communities understand and adapt to current climate changes., M.A. (Anthropology)
- Contributor
- De Wet, T., Prof.
- Language
- English
- Rights
- University of Johannesburg
- Full Text
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