article

Old women in Zulu culture

South African journal of ethnology8 • Published In 1985 • Pages: 98-108

By: Brindley, Marianne.

Abstract
Marianne Brindley presents part of the results of her fieldwork among the Zulu people of Nkandla, in which she focuses on the role of women past the age of childbearing. This article, dealing primarily with childbirth, indicates the extensive involvement of old women in the major stages of procreation: conception, pregnancy, confinement, and the postpartum period. Accumulated knowledge and experience, but also associations of purity, appear to be the crucial characteristics determining the roles of old women. The positions of mother-in-law and paternal grandmother in particular, enable a woman to wield considerable power and influence. The author concludes that the action-patterns of old women at a confinement are indicative of an area of cultural life in which women have symbolic power over men (p. 98).
Subjects
Sociocultural trends
Cultural participation
Grandparents and grandchildren
Parents-in-law and children-in-law
Sorcery
Eschatology
Conception
Pregnancy
Childbirth
Difficult and unusual births
Postnatal care
Activities of the aged
culture
Zulu
HRAF PubDate
2005
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Southern Africa
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 2004
Field Date
1979-1982
Coverage Date
1979-1982
Coverage Place
Nkandla District, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
Notes
the old woman and childbirth
Includes bibliographical references (p. 108)
LCCN
88648489
LCSH
Zulu (African people)