I am grateful to my fiance Doctor Mamphekgo Phahlamohlaka who has been by my side during my studies (you are the best thing that happened to me). This study analyzes given and inherited names among Northern Soto-speaking people in Moletjie and Sekhukhune.
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Since onomastics studies names, proper names of people from the Moletjie and Sekhukhune communities would be examined to determine the meaning and significance of the names. This study will examine both given and hereditary names among the people of Moletjie and Sekhukhune, as there is no 'in-depth' study of names among the Northern Sotho-speaking people of Limpopo Province.
AIM OF THE STUDY
In addition to the categories of names mentioned above, there are names that are given based on the wishes of the parents as well as the prevailing circumstances. What are the similarities and dissimilarities of given and inherited names in Moletjie and Sekhukhune.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
DATA COLLECTION
- The primary research method
- The secondary research method
DATA ANALYSIS
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
- Mahome (1972)
- Lyons (1977)
- Bakari (1981)
- Palmer (1981)
- Chao (1983)
- Smith (1985)
- Chauke (1992)
- Nelson (1992)
- De Klerk (1996)
- Katakami (1997)
- Eileen (1998)
- Saarelma-Maunumaa (1999)
- Dakubu (2000)
- Duckett (2000)
- Hodgson (2003)
- Sebashe (2003)
- Mokgokong (2004)
- Nziyane (2004)
- Mabotja (2005)
- Vom Bruck and Bodenhorn (2006)
- Mudau (2009)
He says that names are supposed to influence the character of the wearer. The above discussion shows that the name is crucial because it is tied to the culture of the bearer.
CONCLUSION
These names were given in order to commemorate, honour, or distinguish one place from the other. Looking at these different categories mentioned above, according to the scholar, different factors will however play a role in giving names in each category.
DEFINITION OF GIVEN NAMES
The chapter will provide an overall analysis of first names in general among the Moletjie and Sekhukhune people and how these names affect society in these two different places.
BIBLICAL NAMES
Types of English Christian or biblical given names found in both Moletjie
NAMES GIVEN TO WOMEN DURING MARRIAGE CEREMONIES
Thus, the name is given to a woman who marries into a family where there is no one in her family who has married into that family. Mmamolatelo, then, is the name given to the bride who follows the first bride of the same family (see Mmamoyahabo). The name Mmamaropeng is usually given to a woman who marries into a family where the husband's wife has passed away.
Ratale is the name given to the child of a newly married woman who replaces the lost child in the family.
NAMES GIVEN DURING EVENTS
- Names which express sadness
- Names given to children after a long grieving period (Bana ba lehloko)
- Names based on days of the week
- Given names based on weather
Mošupologo means Monday, and refers to the fact that the child was born on Monday. Phoka is dew and means that the child was born when there was a lot of dew. Kgodi is a fog; this means that the child was born when there was a lot of fog in the area.
The name mma indicates the female gender and the name means the child of the cold.
GIVEN NAMES WHICH EXPRESS SATISFACTION AND HAPPINESS …
The following names which express happiness are only given to male
The belief is that the boy will grow their generations to the next level when the parents are gone, as they believe that when he marries, their family will grow. If the family has only boys, the last born would be the one left in the family where he would marry and bring the bride to the parents' house. There are some years when most women give birth to baby boys and Northern Sotho people believe that the year is an abundance as there would be plenty of food to plant and harvest.
They believe that it would be a year of rain, their livestock would not starve from hunger and that they would plant and harvest a lot of food that year.
VIRTUE NAMES
The parents therefore believe that the child will grow up like this, not cruel but kind. The name is given to the child after birth because she always laughs and smiles. Listening is a skill and it depends on how the child is raised, whether by bad or good parents.
It is based on the child's behavior that we can have an idea of what kind of family the child comes from.
FAMILY GIVEN NAMES
Bapedi people like to say mmala wa kgomo o gola namaneng which is an idiom that explains that whatever behavior we observe in a child is the behavior the child has acquired from home. However, it has been confirmed by both Bapedi groups that a good name can positively influence the child's actions in the future, while a bad name can be destructive.
NICKNAMES
Character nicknames from Moletjie
He got his nickname because he was known for painting houses in the community. The man is nicknamed Radio because he is always found where there is food. A man's nickname is given by his friends because he likes to hide from them.
The nickname is given to a male person by his friends because he likes tight clothes.
Physical appearance given nicknames
The nickname is given to a black person who is too fair complexioned as if he were a white person. The nickname is given to a male person by his schoolmates because he is the fastest runner. The nickname is given to a female person because she is too thin and too short.
This is the nickname which is given to a male person by his soccer mates because he is good at soccer.
OVERVIEW OF NAME CARRIERS
Unfortunately, as Duckett explains, a large number of Muslims have names without realizing their meaning, or they have names unrelated to their Islamic heritage.
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
DEFINING INHERITED NAMES
Campbell and Campbell (1996) further explain that a family name, also known as a family name or surname, is a name that is passed down from one generation to another. They show that a few centuries ago in Europe, surnames began to be used as a tool to further distinguish people from each other. This means that not only the name is inherited, but also the surname.
The chapter will now discuss features that characterize inherited names prevalent among the people of Moletjie and Sekhukhune.
ANCESTORS
They say that in many cultures a woman adopts her husband's surname when they are married. As years passed and things began to change, these surnames eventually became inherited as they were passed down from parents to children. Bapedi people perform their customs and rituals and direct their faith towards their ancestors, by which they refer to their grandparents, their great-grandparents, their uncles and aunts, their children and some members of the family who died.
INHERITED FAMILY NAMES
The praise for the name: Ke Mamphekgo ke Ledima lesela, ke Sephekgolela maphegwana ke tau ya Madibong. Morufi is the name of the grandfather's ancestor given to the bride by the in-laws. If the bride's son marries in the future, his wife will take the mother-in-law's name as her married name: Morufi.
Theto ya leina: Ke nna mantšiboa ao a beago Batlokwa.
INHERITED NAMES GIVEN TO WOMEN WHEN GETTING MARRIED …63
The process of inherited naming in Sekhukhune
In this case, the process that happened is different from the naming process in Moletjie, because in Moletjie, children get their inherited names immediately after the birth of the child if the mother knows how the process works, and if not, the mother would consult the eldest relatives to take over. She named the first-born, who was a female, rakgadi (aunt), which is the great kgadi of the kingdom (younger sister of the child's grandfather), meaning that the first child inherited her name from her father-in-law, not her father-in-law. grandfather as in Moletjie, but from the grandfather's younger sister. This means that the second-born, like the first-born, inherited his name from his father's side, unlike Moletjie, where the sequence changes from the groom's family to the bride's family and from the bride back to the groom.
The third and fourth female children then received their names from the mother's family.
TOTEM NAMES
The transmission of totems and praises
There was no time to write anything down as most people in that period were illiterate and the only schools they had were initiation schools. People were good listeners because they understood and remembered what their elders said. Unlike today's people, as one of the brides in Sekhukhune explained, most of today's brides do not even know what their family totems are and what they mean.
She went on to say that only a few of them (new brides) tried to trace their lineage by writing down their family totems and praises.
NAMES FROM INITIATION SCHOOL (KOMA)
Circle of Koma names (initiation school)
There are twelve names used to denote each year in which the initiation school is held. The circle of Koma in Moletjie means that each year the initiation school (Koma) will target specific children for participation. For example, if young males go to Koma in 2009, they will all be called Matitša, and those who go to Koma the following year will be called Makeretla until they reach the twelfth name.
If a child attends a mountain school in Matlala or in Sekhukhune, he or she will be called differently depending on the norms and values of that culture, as people do things in different ways.
Given names from mountain school (Koma)
Fetod got his name because he always had an answer to any question, whether it was right or wrong. Phenyokgo got his name because he always got away with the cruel thing he caused.
THE PHRASE: A CHILD CRIES FOR A NAME
INHERITED CEREMONIES
The inherited beer making
The ancestors’ role
If it is the man who has passed away, the family will then have to remove their hair to remain bald in respect of their beloved father and a husband. If it is the woman who has passed away, the man will only wear a cloth over his shoulder to show that he is mourning. After removing their hair, the family must remain for a period of one year not to do anything to their hair until the next ceremony called go apola (which means to take off).
When a woman dies, for the community, it is a sad thing, but since the man is traditionally the sole breadwinner, the community believes that the family will still have the father to take care of it.
CONCLUSION
All Bapedi of Moletjie and Sekhukhune perform the same process when they want to talk to their ancestors about anything, whether they want to introduce the newborn, ask for a fortune, ask for forgiveness, thank them for the great achievements , wanting to ask for jobs, and other aspects of life. If it is a small family affair, the family simply slaughters a chicken for the ancestors, including the home-brewed beer, calling on the ancestors to come and celebrate or eat with them. Furthermore, the authors emphasize that it is society or structural conditions that can limit us or expand our capabilities.
In this case, it provides the summary of each chapter regarding the findings and recommendations of the study.
SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS
The researcher found that people from Moletjie are more famous in giving nicknames than those in Sekhukhune as most of the nicknames are in Moletjie. That is, further research needs to be done on naming in general, as this research was limited to the people of Moletjie and Sekhukhune. An analysis of personal naming in the Moletjie area of Limpopo Province: an onomastic approach.
A critical analysis of the name change from Louis Trichardt to Makhado with special attention to principles and procedures.
