Stories

These stories are based on the accounts of ordinary Zimbabweans - the experts from whom the content on ZimbOriginal is sourced.

What do ancestors have to do with the indigenous religion of the Shona?

By ZimbOriginal | April 7, 2024 | 4 Comments

The Shona people believe in a Supreme Being, whom they call by different names. These names include Musikavanhu, Musiki, Mwari, Nyadenga, Samasimba, Samatenga, Wedenga, Musikarudzi, … Read more

5 uncommon death and funerary customs of the Shona

By ZimbOriginal | March 20, 2024 | 0 Comments

The Shona have a number of beliefs and practices that relate to remembering and respecting the dead. These may differ in one way or another … Read more

Nyaudzosingwi| Many Shona words for 101 English verbs

By ZimbOriginal | March 2, 2023 | 4 Comments

This post was last updated on 22 February 2024. Adverbs Adverbs are words that modify or describe words such as verbs, adjectives, clauses, sentences, and … Read more

Madimikira| 28 idioms from the 1968 novel ‘Tambaoga Mwanangu’

By ZimbOriginal | February 9, 2023 | 2 Comments

After reading China manenji hachifambisi I wrote on idioms (madimikira) that the writer, Mordikai A. Hamutyinei, used in the story. I decided to do the … Read more

A Shona legend| The Hera chief and a cave

By ZimbOriginal | January 8, 2023 | 8 Comments

A legend is a traditional story that is believed to be true. Some legends on the origins of the Shona people detail how large societies … Read more

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

By ZimbOriginal | October 31, 2022 | 8 Comments

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

4 stories on ‘mutupo’ and modern society

By ZimbOriginal | June 25, 2022 | 4 Comments

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

Indigenous religion in Zimbabwe| 5 key ‘chivanhu’ ritual festivals

By ZimbOriginal | March 30, 2021 | 16 Comments

Recurring cycle-based religious festivals For this story, I will refer to indigenous religion in Zimbabwe as chivanhu. This is a term used to refer to … Read more

The Tembo-Shumba Samaita clan

By ZimbOriginal | February 14, 2021 | 32 Comments

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

Tsumo| 20 Shona proverbs to inspire good work habits

By ZimbOriginal | November 30, 2020 | 10 Comments

Tsumo on work tell a story of a hard-working society, and give the picture that agriculture was the mainstay of the economy of the Shona … Read more

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    ZimbOriginal was born from a passion for discovery and writing, and a commitment to never losing sight of who we are.

    It is a place for stories on culture, customs, traditions, and anything else that is indigenous to Zimbabwe. ZimbOriginal not only promotes cultural awareness, but also supports learning and discovery.

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