From the interviews and focus group discussions, it was revealedthat Shona naming is a familyoccasion. 92% (230 out of 250) of the responses from the questionnaires indicated that the father has the sole responsibility to name the child. Only 4% (10 out of 250) indicated that the mother is responsible for naming the newborn. Questionnaire responses also revealed that other family members can also name the child, but their chances of naming are limited, as is reflected by their 4% (10 out of 250) contribution in the naming process. One interview participant said that in the past, women among the Zezuru were not given the opportunity to name children. But with the passage of time and the advent of the highly publicized human rights among other variables, Zezuru women are now having a say in the naming process. There were also responses which pointed out that the naming is done by the father, but only after
136 consulting the mother of the child. Few responses from the questionnaires – 2% (5 out of 250) – indicated that both parents are frequent namers of their children.
From the interviews and responses from questionnaires, it was established that among the Zezuru, parents may jointly name their children unless some special circumstances prevail that would allow only one parent to name. From the interviews, instances like when the father denies responsibility of the pregnancy were identified as one of the few casesthat would give the mother the right to name the child. Conversations from the interviews and focus group discussions indicated that other family members, especially the brothers of the father of the child, were also given the responsibility to name the newborn, but only with blessings from the father of the child. It was revealed in focus group discussions thatother family members can only name the newborn when the father of the child is not around due to work commitments for instance, or the father might decide to give this important responsibility to his brother as a sign of showing respect. Responses from the questionnaires revealed that among the Zezuru, men always determine the names of their children, and they usually come up with names that give hope to the family, especially if the name bearer is a boy. They do this in the hope that the person will live up to the meaning of his or her name. Thus, they hope that the child will behave according to the dictates of the name. These results seem to suggest that the naming process among the Zezuru is gendered becausethe father is the one who names the newborn child;
giving him the chanceto express his beliefs, norms and values through the names he chooses.
Focus group discussions and interviews indicated that on very few occasions, the couple maymutually agree on preferred names before they announce it to the other family members, but without identifying the original namer. However, most respondents asserted that the father was responsible for naming the child, and this stems from the fact that the Zezuru society is a patriarchal one.
It was revealed from the interviews that the brothers to the biological father of the newborn can name the child especially if there are good relations between the brothers. Generally, this research found that among the Zezuru, the father of the child is the main name giver in the family. It was also revealed that the mother of the child and other family members can take the duty of naming the newborn when the father is not there. It emerged from the interviews that other family members were significant namers, as shown by a total of ten (10%) respondents.
Among the Zezuru, this category of other family members is very broad because it encompasses several significant family members of the couple. According to Makondo (2009),
137 these relatives usually bring setnames which the couple must ponderand voluntarily accept or deny. On the issue of other family members who come with names to name the child, one interviewee reported:
“Zita romwana rokutanga raitumidzwa nambuya vakamugamuchira.Kazhinji pazita apa vanenge vachirondedzera nhuna dzavo.Asika zhinji zita iri handiro rinozodanwa mwana uyu nokuti vabereki vake vangangodawo kumupa rimwe zita ravanoda”
(The midwife gave a child’s first name. Through it, the midwife echoed her labor experiences.
At most, this name was not the one to be popularized as the parents were at liberty to give other names).
The interviews also revealed that names which are given by the midwives are free from any gender connotations, but names which are given to the child by his/her parents usually carry gender connotations. The fact that parents usually name the child after the midwife has named the child explains why most children among the Zezuru end up with more than one personal name.
Based on the responses from the questionnaires, the following table shows the people who are responsible for naming:
Table 5.7.1.PEOPLE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR NAMING
Options Number of responses
Father 230
Mother 10
Other family members 10
These results show that among the Zezuru, theresponsibility of naming a newborn in a family lies largely with the father. According to one interviewee, fathers are the solitary namers as it is a means of showing their fatherhood and ownership of the children because they pay bride riches. This speaks volumes about the patriarchal dominance among the Zezuru people in
138 BuheraSouth. However, one interviewee indicated that the mother ofthe child may also be given the opportunity to name the new baby if she has some complications during childbirth.
The interviewee said that she was given the responsibility to name her baby boy when she gave birth to him through caesarean incision and named the child Nyasha (Grace), meaning that it was out of grace that she and her baby are alive.
Responses from the focus group discussions indicate that the father of the child is responsible for naming the child and that other members of the family can do so only if the fatheris absent, is late, or was never identified. On the same issue, one respondent from the focus group expressed that:
“Nekuuya kwakaita nyaya yekodzero dzemadzimai vakadzi vavakungotumidzawo vana mazita kungofanana nevarume” (With the coming of equal rights which cater for women, women now have the right to name newborns just like their male counterparts).
Makondo (2012) concurs with the above respondent and asserts that with the advent of equal rights and other vehicles of change such as Christianity and western education, women now have a say in the naming process because such progressions have given them a voice to speak out.
Thefocus group discussions revealed that whoever is responsible for naming the child is expected to conform to the dictates of the Zezuru society, which impose that names for boys must be carefully chosen so that they communicate important messages regarding the desires of the family –for the boy child represents the continuity of the family. On the other hand, when naming a girl, one is usually expected to come up with a name which is just a form of identity and does not place a lot of emphasis on the hopes of the family. Koopman (2007) supports this idea and says that during his research on male and female names among the Zulu, informants indicated that it is possible to give a completely meaningless name to a girl as long as it sounds pleasant. This points to the idea that the naming process is gendered. TheZezuru people are a patriarchal society which seems to give preference to males.