Skip to content
ZimbOriginal
ZimbOriginal
  • Stories
  • Mutupo Ndiani?
  • Tsumo
  • Sponsors
  • Library & Shona Learning
ZimbOriginal
  • Stories
  • Mutupo Ndiani?
  • Tsumo
  • Sponsors
  • Library & Shona Learning

Family

The forgotten but interesting Shona housewarming ceremony

October 10, 2025October 9, 2025 by ZimbOriginal

Some time ago, a reader reached out with a thoughtful question. Her family had lived in Zimbabwe years ago, and now that her children are … Read more

Categories Family, Lifestyle & Social Issues Leave a comment

5 interesting discoveries from 1,000+ Zimbabweans on their mutupo

October 3, 2025September 25, 2025 by ZimbOriginal

Key Takeaways Let me pour my heart out a little here. Back in July 2024, I seriously considered giving up on ZimbOriginal. I had ideas … Read more

Categories Family, Lifestyle & Social Issues Leave a comment

An interesting look at Shona names

September 28, 2025September 4, 2025 by ZimbOriginal

I attended a kurova guva ceremony just this past month. A mbira crew had been hired to play, and the drummer’s surname was Mangoma. He … Read more

Categories Family, Lifestyle & Social Issues 2 Comments

Polygamy in traditional Shona society, as told in ‘Tambaoga Mwanangu’

June 13, 2025October 31, 2022 by ZimbOriginal

A polygamous family I’ve just started reading ‘Tambaoga Mwanangu.’ This is a story about how an eighteen year old boy, Tambaoga, went about trying to … Read more

Categories Family, Lifestyle & Social Issues 8 Comments

4 stories on ‘mutupo’ and modern society

March 20, 2025June 25, 2022 by ZimbOriginal

1. A breakdown in the transmission of cultural knowledge My grandmother is over a hundred years old. Now too old to live alone, she lives … Read more

Categories Family, Lifestyle & Social Issues 4 Comments

The Tembo-Shumba Samaita clan

January 30, 2025February 14, 2021 by ZimbOriginal

1. Why Tembo-Shumba? I have come across a number of differing accounts on this clan. In one of them, it is stated that Tembo-Shumba (‘Zebra-Lion’) is … Read more

Categories Family, Lifestyle & Social Issues 45 Comments

Mutupo| 6 interesting things you should know about Shona totems, praise names and poetry

March 21, 2025May 19, 2019 by ZimbOriginal

This post was last updated on 11 April 2024. Mutupo, chidao and detembo redzinza The mutupo system is an important source of ancestral and family … Read more

Categories Family, Lifestyle & Social Issues Tags mitupo, totems, zvidawo 62 Comments

Recent Posts

  • The forgotten but interesting Shona housewarming ceremony
  • 10 interesting pairs of tsumo that will confuse you — and how to make sense of them
  • 5 interesting discoveries from 1,000+ Zimbabweans on their mutupo
  • 8 things every Shona learner should know that will make learning smoother
  • What the Shona believe about witchcraft — and why it’s surprising

Recent Comments

  • Bornaventure on Shona indigenous religion as a way of life
  • bankerdove on Nyaudzosingwi| 70 ways to fall in Shona: Ideophones that describe falling (with examples)
  • ZimbOriginal on An interesting look at Shona names
  • Ratidzo on An interesting look at Shona names
  • Ronica Karimaguti on Traditional medicine – A look at 50 indigenous plants

ZimbOriginal

Supporting Learning and Discovery

Menu

  • About
  • Be a Sponsor
  • Refer a School
  • Stories
  • Tsumo
  • Zero Data Cost

Recent Stories

  • The forgotten but interesting Shona housewarming ceremony October 9, 2025
  • 10 interesting pairs of tsumo that will confuse you — and how to make sense of them October 2, 2025
  • 5 interesting discoveries from 1,000+ Zimbabweans on their mutupo September 25, 2025
  • 8 things every Shona learner should know that will make learning smoother September 18, 2025
  • What the Shona believe about witchcraft — and why it’s surprising September 11, 2025

Search Stories

© 2025 ZimbOriginal | All Rights Reserved