The pedi culture The stages of growth and development of the male were defined as: baby (lesea), boy (mosemane),youth (lesoboro), circumcised youth (modikana), member of a short transitional period (sealoga), initiate (leagola), initiate undergoing the bogwera (legwere) and adult man (monna). At each stage there were certain set rules to be observed and rites of passage to be passed. The first of the initiation sessions for boys (bodika) gave them full membership of the group and the second (bogwera) incorporated them into the society of men, according to the class and position to which they were born. Initiation was always timed for midwinter and depended on the presence of a high-ranking son or grandson of a chief among the initiates. He would be the leader of that lodge and remain the lifelong leader of that regiment. In this way, the men would be linked to the chieftainship. A few days before the first session, two officials would be nominated by the chief ’s inner council to manage the session and thus to act as envoys of the chief. A medicine man would also be elected to perform the circumcision. He was usually from outside the group, to reduce the possibility of witchcraft. During the night of the opening ceremony, the initiates of the first session lined up in single file, according to social status, behind the leader and were each given two lashes on the back. This lashing by rank consolidated forever the fact that social status was gained by birth alone, not by achievement. It added another dimension to the education function of initiation: to position candidates within the structure of the group. Before dawn the next day, the war-horn was blown and the initiates ordered to the river where they were circumcised and left to sit in the cold water of the river, to deaden the pain. After resting for the rest of the day, they were marched to the initiation lodge (mphato). Each kgoro had its own fire around which the members of that family sat. The fires had great symbolic importance since each had been lit by an ember that had come from the chief ’s fire and had to be kept lit for as long as the initiation proceedings lasted. Initiates of the same bodika received a name just before the initiation ceremony was finished. For the rest of their lives, they would use this name to distinguish them from the other age groups with different names. These age groups also represented regiments that had a military function. Once the bodika had been given a name, the initiates were told the date of the end of the session and food was prepared for a feast to celebrate the homecoming of the initiates. About two years later, the ogwera session started. It was very similar to the first although it was less formal and only lasted for about a month. The main purpose of this session was to incorporate the initiates into the society of men with its accompanying responsibilities. The session also served to build lifelong ties of solidarity and co-operation between the members of the regiment. When the Pedi men went off to seek work as migrant labourers on the farms and in the cities, these networks helped them to find work and accommodation and served as useful communication channels. Pedi girls, like the boys, also passed through certain stages of development. These stages were known as baby (lesea), girl (mosetsana), uninitiated girl (lethumasa), mature maiden (kgarebe), member of a brief period of transition (sealoga), initiated maiden (mothepa) and maiden with recognition of her status of maturity (kgarebe). Only after a woman had married and produced her first child could she gain the status of mosadi (woman). The initiation course of the girls simply initiated them into membership of the group. On the day that the second initiation session of the boys ended, the initiation session for the girls began (byale). Only girls who had gone through puberty could undergo the initiation that was directed by the principal wife of the chief, assisted by the old women. The girls were summoned to the chief’s kgoro by the blowing of the war-horn and taken to a secluded spot in the bush where all their hair was cut off. They wore a special leather apron which their parents had given them, as well as a back apron, and were marched off to a secluded spot in the bush where they were subjected to a very realistic simulation of the circumcision rites undergone by the boys. The girls were secluded in a lodge and instructed in the duties of women. They were taught to respect all men and especially the chief, given instruction in sexual matters as well as being subjected to endurance tests. Singing and dancing played an important role and a special drum, the moropa, which belonged to the chief, usually accompanied the girls. After the seclusion, the girls bathed, participated in rituals and were then allowed to return home. In earlier times, their legs were tied at the knees and their bodies covered from neck to ankle with grass mats. They had to remain this way for nine months or until the harvest was brought in. While in this garb, the girls had to help their mothers with their household duties in daytime and at night return to a special shelter built behind the homesteads of each kgoro. Here they would receive lessons in songs and the correct behaviour. As a sign of the completion of their initiation, the girls would henceforth completely change their style of dress and their hairstyle. Initiated girls were known as mothepa, but were not yet marriageable. Many Pedi still believe in the importance of initiation but it has become a source of social division in contemporary Pedi society. Differences exist between the traditionalists and the Christians and have at times caused serious problems, such as traditionalist youths kidnapping Christian youths and forcing them to undergo initiation. Music and dance A six-note scale was traditionally used to play a plucked reed instrument (dipela). However, contemporary musicians have graduated to the Jew’s harp and the German Autoharp. The kiba dance was one of the best-known Pedi dances. Men and women performed this dance but each group had a different version. An ensemble of players with aluminium end-blown pipes with different pitches accompanied the men who wore kilts with traditional regalia. The women were accompanied by singers and wore the traditional smocked clothes usually worn for the first time after the initiation process. Both men and women dancers were accompanied by drums. Courtship and marriage A Pedi marriage not only cemented a relationship between two people but also legalised a binding relationship between two families. A Pedi marriage was regarded as a legal matter and did not involve any religious rites. The existing status of the bride and groom as fully initiated adults was strengthened by their marriage but the marriage did not give them new or higher status as was the case with many other African groups. As the status was a legal one, it merely increased the powers, obligations and duties of the two people. The marriage was based on the transfer of payments (magadi) from the groom to the bride’s parents. In return the bride’s family transferred her ability to have children to the groom’s family. The contract was therefore only fulfilled when the first baby was born. BELIEF SYSTEM Like the other Sotho-speaking groups, the Pedi believe in and fear the so-called Tokoloshe (the dwarf). Some people maintain that the Tokoloshe is much maligned and is in fact a rather mild little creature who is particularly fond of children. However, some Black people still adhere to the tradition of placing their beds on bricks to make it impossible for the dwarf to steal up on them during the night. However, the teachings of Christian missionaries have caused many Pedi to become Christians and to abandon the old beliefs.
Let me give you a brief description of Pedi culture The global issue of culture encompasses many diverse matters of interest which include: Religious Freedom, Cultural Diversity, Disability Culture, Indigenous Peoples, Global Citizenship, and Languages. Languages = the ability to communicate thoughts, emotions, changes in time and beliefs through words and physical movement. Every human being has the capacity to develop at least one language (i.e. the mother tongue) in a lifetime.
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