Unveiling the Role of Hahani (Paternal Aunts) in the VaTsonga Culture of South Africa
Stewart Lee Kugara 
, Lucky Sethuthuthu Vuma & Tsetselelane Decide Mdhluli
Issue: Vol.5 No.16 Issue Article 54 pp.3360 – 3370
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451654 | Published online 30th December, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Down history, hahani (paternal aunt) played an indispensable role in the family. The paternal aunt was a family figure who was known for skillfully weaving into marital roles, conflict resolution and rituals. She displayed unique flexibility and counseling dexterity to her nieces, nephews and the entire family. Unlike other indigenous groups in Africa, the role of hahani is being downplayed and ignored because of modernity and the growth of families. This indigenous figure in the VaTsonga communities is however a rare gem and her role needs to be preserved before it is abrogated by disuse. This conceptual paper thus adopted the Sankofa Theory to underpin the write-up. To illuminate this subject matter, the paper focused on discussing who the hahani is, her marital counseling role, conflict resolution and leading indigenous rituals in the family from the lived experiences of the authors. In summation, the paper emulates the balanced power of the hahani. The paper argues that the hahani’s existence within the indigenous platforms must be preserved to sustain families of young couples and assist in disciplining and putting into order those who misbehave, and instilling indigenous norms. The paper recommends the usage of local solutions to address local challenges while having a global outlook. In this way, the unique role of hahani must be embraced, ensuring it evolves in an amicable way without distorting and adulterating it. By engaging in the under-researched aspect of VaTsonga culture, the study contributes broadly to gender roles, culture and African family structures thus igniting the impetus of scholarship in this unique field.
Keywords: Hahani, Indigenous Knowledge, Culture, VaTsonga, Conflict Resolution
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Doctor (Advocate) Stewart Lee Kugara is a Y2 National Research Foundation (NRF) rated scholar – Law and Indigenous Knowledge Systems. He is a former Senior Lecturer (African Studies and School of Law – UNIVEN) and former adjunct lecturer Monash University, South Africa (Now IIE MSA). He is a former Postdoctoral Fellow: University of Limpopo – DSI/NRF Innovation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021-3) and The Department of Science and Technology (DST) – National Research Foundation (NRF) Centre in Indigenous Knowledge Systems (CIKS) – UNIVEN – 2020. He is an interdisciplinary, intradisciplinary and multidisciplinary author with academic publications straddling the following areas; African indigenous law, intellectual property, traditional leadership, African traditional health and beliefs, knowledge management, African conflicts management, cultural astronomy, human rights, indigenous customary law, poverty and development studies, African philosophy and cultural philosophy, heritage studies and medical anthropology. He possesses excellent experience in customary legal issues (indigenous knowledge systems), research, community engagement and teaching.
Sethuthuthu Lucky Vuma is a holder of a Doctor of Philosophy in History from University of Limpopo. He is currently working at University of Limpopo as a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities, School of Social Sciences, Department of Cultural and Political Studies. His field of research interest is Liberation History, Student Activism, Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS), and South African Historiography. He published a number of journal articles in accredited journals and also presented a number of papers in academic conferences. He produced and continue to supervise honours, masters and PHD students at University of Limpopo. He is also an external examiner for University of Venda, University of Zululand, and Walter Sisulu University. He is a provincial Chairperson of Oral History Association of South Africa (OHASA), Limpopo Chapter and Deputy Chairperson for Limpopo Archives Council (LAC). He is also former chairperson of Sports in the SRC at University of Limpopo. He spend most of his time analysing politics of the world, kept updated with current affairs and researching about new developments in his field of his research interest. Being born and live his life in Limpopo province, South Africa, instilled in him a respect for diversity and a burning desire to be a well-grounded academic. This goal has been his main reason for his stay in academia and he is determined to work hard in order to achieve this goal.
Tsetselelani is an Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Senior Lecturer at the University of Limpopo. She holds the following degrees: a Doctor of Philosophy in African Studies, Master’s Degree in African Studies, (Hons) Degree in Gender Studies, BA in International Relations and Post graduate Diploma in Higher Education. She is an author in the following areas: Indigenous Knowledge system, African philosophy, gender and indigenous studies and African conflict management. Poverty and African resolution, research and community engagement.
Kugara, Stewart Lee, Lucky Sethuthuthu Vuma, and Tsetselelane Decide Mdhluli. “Unveiling the Role of Hahani (Paternal Aunts) in the VaTsonga Culture of South Africa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.16 (2024): 3360 – 3370. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451654
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
