NYATURU TRIBE IN TANZANIA

Nyaturu reside in central and southern part of Singida region, west f Wambare river with a population of approximately 932,000 people. Traditional the Nyaturu have conducted circumcision ceremony as a rite of passage for both boys and female genital mutilation for girls at the same time.

The rite involved the separation of initiates into camps where they learn of cultural and community values.

Their traditional food is maize, sun flower and sorghum, traditional ceremony including songs and ngoma.

After coming of Arabs, Nyaturu tribe most of them they change their believes from traditional believes to Islamic believes. Also nowadays the traditional ceremony and traditional events associated with Islamic law (sharia).

Birth. Most of the tribe in Africa has rituals and rites to ensure the safety of the pregnant mother and her child. Some regulations and taboos are observed for example the women stops sleeping with her husband for a certain period, not doing some works such as cutting firewood.

In Nyaturu tribe, the issue of birth it relate to consolidate women’s marriage when a wife finds out that she is expecting a child because the birth of a child is a great blessing to the family. Also pregnancy is a sign of fertility since it assures everyone that the women is able to beat children and it is a security for the marriage between wife and husband’s family.

Food taboos, in Nyaturu tribe there is illegal food when a women is pregnant such as eggs.

Initiation. Initiation rites are usually very elaborate, lasting from a few days to more than two years. They are performed often in seclusion with the aim of introducing the youth into adulthood. In some societies initiates submit to physical hardships, pain and emotional strains, symbolizing their transition from a childhood condition to a stage of adult responsibility. The widely practiced initiation rites are circumcision and clitoridectomy (FGM).

In Nyaturu tribe for a boy, age from three years and above the circumcision can be practiced, in this issue tattooing, removal of some teeth and killing of a fierce animal are not done. There is a songs that containing content related to the husband responsibilities like hunting and livestock keeping. After a boy to be fit from circumcision condition, there is a tradition ceremony to congratulate him.

for girls, there is female genital mutilation is most frequently carried out by traditional practitioners, within the communities of Nyaturu in Singida called “Ngaribas” in Kiswahili. Its supported by six percent of all women who know about the practice, with the majority of support coming from rural areas.

Marriage. In Africa marriage is considered a vital link between death and life that the departed, the living and the unborn. Marriage is festive communal event involving the entire extended family the bride and groom, their families, clans, ancestors and the unborn.

The Nyaturu traditional marriage is exogamous, with preference given to cross cousins. Although this pattern is still recognized as the original ideal, it is no longer the preferred model. Ndengereko marriage is also polygamous. Traditionally, all wives and children belonged to one man. Nyaturu consider the bride price such as cattle. Also they consider the relationship between husband’s family and wife’s family and behaviors of the girl.

However, marriage is done in Nyaturu tribe the husband’s house and wife’s house are separated from each other such that no one can discover that at which time the couples meet to conceive.

Death, death as a transformation from this world to the spirit world. It is a separation of the spirit and body. It is considered to provide the passage from this to the world of spirits and the company of departed ancestors. In most African societies, death is believed to be caused. Some myth show that death resulted by accident, from a women, from animals or from the ancestral spirit.

In Nyaturu tribe death mostly is caused by accident to young and child death or to elders and old man is because there time is very short to live also they waiting to die. Mostly in Nyaturu tribe women inheritance is practiced so that to replace the gap left by a husband’s brother or young brother.

 posted by ibrahim ramadhan mchuchuri

REFERENCES

Iliffe, John (1979). A Modern History of Tanganyika. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Koponesn, J. (1988). People and Production in Late Pre-Colonial Tanzania: History and   Structures. Helsinki.

Turner, V.(1969). The ritual processes. London: Routledge