The Zaramo people reside in the coastal regions of Tanzania, particularly in and around the city of Dar es Salaam.
They are known for their skilled craftsmanship, including wood carving, pottery, and basketry.
The Zaramo people have a rich artistic tradition, with their cultural practices expressed through music, dance, and storytelling.
Here’s a brief overview of the Zaramo people.
Family Structure
Traditionally, the Zaramo have two beliefs; there is biological descent, following the line of the mother, and there is spiritual descent, following the line of the father.
The children belonged to their mother’s clan but used their father’s clan name.
The father is the head of the family and is responsible for making decisions. The wife’s role is to submit and care for the children. They live in households clustered by family and clan.
Clans
The Zaramo are divided into several clans that sum up the concepts of ancestry, kinship, and descent family.
Lineages are traced through female lines, and the clans represent people who acknowledge common descent.
They possess a common clan name which is inherited matrilineally. Children belong to their mother’s clan and never that of their father.
Read Also:
The Major Nandi Clans you Should Know
Totems
The Zaramo clans did not have totems. More so, they did not observe common prohibitions or taboos.
Dialects
There are no known dialects of the Zaramo language. The language of the Zaramo is mutually intelligible with those of the Kami, the Kwere, Jutu, and the Luguru.
Naming System
Childbirth amongst the Zaramo was celebrated. Cutting of hair was the first phase followed by naming. Zaramo give their children the names of their grandparents.
The firstborn boy is named after the grandfather while the firstborn girl is named after the grandmother, both from the mother’s line. They believed that the name would bestow that relative’s qualities on the child.
Kinship Names
The Zaramo lineage system is based on two doctrines. There is biological descent, following the line of the mother, and, on the other hand, there is spiritual descent, following the line of the father.
Marriage/Courtship
Marriage, amongst the traditional Zaramo, was arranged. Girls did not know whom they would marry beforehand.
A mother of a son would notice a girl with good morals and afterwards approach her mother.
She would ask if the girl has a fiancé’ and if not, she would suggest that the girl’s mother consider her son for marriage with the girl.
The mother of the girl would then observe the boy’s character, and if she’s satisfied, she will allow her daughter to be married to the boy.
A marriage ceremony is then arranged and dowry is paid for the girl. The Zaramo allowed cross-cousin marriages provided that the partners did not have the same taboos.
This was possible since taboos were carried through the mother’s clan but not through the father’s line.
Polygamy
Zaramo marriages were polygamous in nature, and divorce was frequent. A man was allowed to marry many wives provided he can take care of them equally.
Gender Roles in Marriage
Women performed house chores and took care of their husband's and children's needs.
They were also responsible for teaching girls how to be good wives when they got married.
Men, on the other hand, were responsible for security and providing for the family. More so, they performed heavy tasks like building and hunting.
Boys were close to their fathers to learn by imitating them while they were performing manly duties.
Divorce
For several reasons, marriage among the Zaramo often led to divorce.
However, kin togetherness and support have always been a tradition to them. In these situations, children find themselves not living with their biological parents.
Inheritance
Since the Zaramo are a matrilineal society, women inherited property. They were considered the sole inheritors of their father’s properties.
Death
The Zaramo people respect the dead. They had high veneration because they believed that life is continued, and the spirits of the dead only bring misfortune upon the living.
Death rites (tambiko), were performed after the death of a person in the community.
The wife of the deceased went into seclusion for three to six months after the burial of her husband.
Other relatives sleep for seven days on bare ground. There was much emphasis on communal eating. People would come together to mourn but still indulged in a feast.
The family cleaned the grave and offered food and drinks to each other. Sometimes a temporary hut was built around the grave to act as a shrine.
Women were, however, not involved in the burial procedures. They were not allowed to view the body or be around the gravesite.
Comments
Post a Comment