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Archiving the Cultural Legayc of Mbira Dzavadzimu in the Context of Kuriva Guva and Dandaro Practices

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Archiving the Cultural Legayc of Mbira Dzavadzimu in the Context of Kuriva Guva and Dandaro Practices ARCHIVING THE CULTURAL LEGAYC OF MBIRA DZAVADZIMU IN THE CONTEXT OF KURIVA GUVA AND DANDARO PRACTICES By Perminus Matiure A Thesis submitted to The University of KwaZulu-Natal in fulfilment of the requirement of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences School of Music November 2013 Supervisor: Dr Patricia Opondo ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am grateful to all participants who provided both data and archival materials for this study. Members from Hwedza District and Gweru urban provided very valuable information which made this thesis a success, I thank them all. I give special thanks to Tichaedza Mauraya, Reverend Basera and Muhwati Chinyanga, who were the major consultants of this study. I would like to extend my profound gratitude to the various mbira ensembles that managed to participate during mbira shows. These include Maungira Enharira, Mhembero Mbira Ensemble, Dzimbabwe Mbira Ensemble, Ras Diva Mbira Ensemble, Senga Primary School, Cecil John Rhodes, Thornhill and United College of Education. Particular mention goes to Mbira Dzenharira for being support in both the Mbira Conference and the Mbira Symposium. I also thank members of the Department of Music and Musicology for supporting me during my research especially members of Zvirimudeze Mbira Ensemble. Not forgetting the Research board of University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and Midlands State University for the unwavering financial support they provided. My supervisor, Dr Patricia Opondo is a supervisor of a class of her own. Her professional wisdom, integrity, collegial and motherly attitude made consultations and supervision easy. I also would like to thank colleagues who provided me with courage and advice who include Sailas Mangwende, Dr Jerry Rutsate, Dr Sheasby Matiure, Richard Muranda and Claudio Chipendo. Lastly I would like to say this study would not have been complete without the support of my family. I thank my wife Rungamirai Matiure for looking after the children each time I visited South Africa for my studies and during fieldwork. I also thank my children Amanda, Faith, Delight and Kupakwashe whose disciplined behaviour made my study period peaceful. i ABSTRACT This thesis focuses on archiving cultural legacy of Shona mbira dzaVadzimu in the context of kurova guva and dandaro practices. The study is informed by archive theory which provides insights on how to collect and archive tangible materials. Alongside the archive theory, the study also employs Shelemay’s theory which discusses how traditions undergo change as they are transmitted from the past to the present and the role of ethnomusicologists in preserving legacies that are affected by the change. This theory assists in discussing the changes that have taken place in Shona kurova guva practices and how they have led to a decline in the sacred use of mbira dzaVadzimu. In order to collect empirical data about kurova guva and mbira dzaVadzimu, an ethnographic paradigm is employed in which participants are selected using purposive sampling technique from a population of all culture bearers, mbira maker and players, pastors and archivists in Gweru urban and Hwedza District. Face to face interviews, field notes, participant observation method and video recordings are used to solicit data about mbira dzaVadzimu and kurova guva ceremony. In this study I argue that while mbira dzaVadzimu has gained popularity within and outside Zimbabwe, the migration of mbira players from rural to urban together with the change in perceptions about mapira ceremonies like kurova guva by the Shona have subsequently led to the decline in the sacred use of the cultural legacy of mbira dzaVadzimu in the Shona cosmology. In order to preserve the legacy an applied action research is embraced to collect and archive tangible materials. The materials which include mbira dzaVadzamu, traditional drums, and hand shakers, traditional objects, still photographs, videos and transcribed mbira songs are preserved in an archive at Midlands State University. The study employs yet another type of archiving system in which intangible heritage of the cultural legacy of mbira dzaVadzimu, which include mbira pieces, skills of playing and making the instrument and indigenous knowledge about mbira dzaVadzimu are preserved in living people through mbira performances in matandaro ceremonies and workshops conducted during mbira conferences, symposium and formal teaching of mbira to ii students in schools as a way of transmitting the legacy to the young. The study recommends that government and non-governmental organizations should assist in funding the preservation of the cultural legacy of mbira dzaVadzimu. Annual mbira conferences, symposia and workshops should be organized to create an opportunity for the young to interact with culture bearers and scholars. Institutionalization of material culture through archiving should involve the owners of the materials by constantly allowing them to visit the archive and to explain the use of the materials to people who visit the archive. iii TABLE OF CONENTS iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i ABSTRACT ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND MAPS vii SONG EXAMPLES xii GLOSSARY OF SHONA TERMS xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background to the study 1 1.2 Research Problem 4 1.3 Goals and Rationale of Study 5 1.4 Theoretical Orientation 6 1.5 Review of Literature 7 1.5.1 The Shona religion and church 7 1.5.2 The sacred efficacy of mbira dzaVadzimu 9 1.5.3 Applied Ethnomusicology 11 1.5.4 The ritual of escorting the spirit 12 1.5.5 Archiving system 14 1.5.6 The role of an archivist 18 1.5.7 Methods of Collection 19 1.5.8 About cataloging 20 1.6 Research Design and Methodology 23 1.6.1 Research Population and location 23 1.6.2 Research participants 27 1.6.3 Data Collection, Presentation and Analysis 36 1.7 Conclusion 40 CHAPTER 2: KUROVA GUVA CEREMONY AMONG THE SHONA 41 2.1 Introduction 41 iv 2.2 Mbira dzaVadzimu the instrument 41 2.3 Mbira dzaVadzimu music 44 2.4 Mbira performance 46 2.5 Kurova guva, the ceremony 48 2.5.1 Opening ritual (Kupira) 54 2.5.2 Participation during all-night ceremony (bira) 56 2.6 Mbira Music and the ritual at the grave (Kutora mudzimu) 74 2.7 The ritual of slaughtering a beast 83 2.8 Rituals of inheritance (Nhaka) 84 2.9 The ritual of Succession (Zita) 87 2.10 The ritual of dziva 89 2.11 Current state of kurova guva 90 2.12 Conclusion 101 CHAPTER 3: DANDARO PRACTICES 102 3.1 Introduction 102 3.2 Evolution of Dandaro Practices 102 3.2.1 Commercialization of mbira 104 3.3 Recording and Broadcasting mbira music 105 3.4 Mbira dzaVadzimu in contemporary dandaro practices 107 3.4.1 Changes on tuning systems 108 3.4.2 Amplification of mbira 110 3.4.3 Materials used to make mbira today 113 3.4.4 Changes in perceptions about mbira 114 v 3.5 Mbira Performance in the changing contexts 115 3.5.1 Contemporary dandaro mbira songs 119 3.5.2 Some shifting trends 122 3.6 Gweru Show (Dandaro) 125 3.7 Hwedza Mbira Show (Dandaro) 128 3.8 The outcomes of the Show 132 3.9 Conclusion 136 CHAPTER 4: ARCHIVING TANGIBLE MATERIAL CULTURE 138 4.1 Introduction 138 4.2 The need to preserve Material Culture 138 4.3 Collection of tangible materials for archiving 141 4.4 Cataloguing System 146 4.4.1 Musical instruments 148 4.4. 2 Traditional Objects 160 4.4.3 Films 162 4.4.4 Transcribed mbira pieces and traditional songs 163 4.4.5 Still photographs 165 4.5 The internal outlook of the archive room 167 4.6 Challenges 171 4.7 Conclusion 172 CHAPTER 5: CONFERENCES/SYMPOSIA AS ARCHIVING SYSTEMS 174 5.1 Introduction 174 5.2 Gweru Mbira Conference 174 5.2.1Workshops 178 5.2.2 Paper presentations and speeches 181 5.2.3 Evaluation of the Conference 183 5.2.4 Challenges 184 vi 5.3 Mbira Symposium 184 5.3.1 Paper presentations 188 5.3.2 Exhibition of traditional objects and mbira dzaVadzimu hybrids 192 5.3.3 Symposium feedback 199 5.4 Conclusion 201 CHAPTER 6: PERFORMANCES AND FORMAL EDUCTATION 202 6.1 Introduction 202 6.2 Performances during Mbira Conference 204 6.3 Performances during Mbira Symposium 209 6.4 Preservation of mbira through formal teaching 220 6.4.1 Observations during mbira lessons at Senga Primary School 228 6.5 Conclusion 230 CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION 232 REFERENCES 236 PRIMARY SOURCES 236 RELEVANT UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH 237 RELEVANT PUBLISHED RESEARCH 238 APPENDICES 249 vii LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES AND MAPS FIGURES Figure 1.1 Hierarchy model of archival collections. 21 Figure 1.2 Part of Blacking’s series titles 22 Figure 2.1 Mbira dzaVadzimu and its parts 42 Figure 2.2 Bottom left notes 42 Figure 2.3 Top left notes 42 Figure 2.4 Mbira keys with different shapes 44 Figure 2.5 Finger movements 45 Figure 2.6 Hand shakers (hosho) 46 Figure 2.7 Traditional drums (ngoma) 47 Figure 2.8 Flow diagram for kurova guva showing rituals that involve mbira 53 Figure 2.9 Kurova guva set up 57 Figure 2.10 Traditional cup (mukombe) 57 Figure 2.11 Participants singing on their way to the grave 76 Figure 2.12 Participants dancing on the grave 79 Figure 2.13 Participants at the grave side 80 Figure 2.14 The intensity of music during escorting the spirit ritual 82 Figure 2.15 Slaughtering the ox 84 Figure 2.16 Ritual of inheritance (Zita) 86 Figure 2.17 Ritual of succession 88 Figure 2.18 Emily Mutusva and two ritual pots (Dziva) 90 Figure 2.19 Unveiling of the tombstone (dombo) for Nathan Jambwa 92 Figure 2.20 Kurova guva model designed by the researcher 100 Figure 3.1 Sharpening keys of mbira 109 Figure 3.2 Flattening keys of mbira 109 viii Figure 3.3 An electric tuner 110 Figure 3.4 Amplification
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