The Naming Of Individuals In Northern Sotho Culture: A Unique Pattern Of Selfhood And Identity

Abstract

In African culture, Northern Sotho culture, in particular, the naming of individuals follows a unique pattern. The mother of the child has little or no rights to provide the newborn with any name she might wish, but the responsibility of naming is within the authority of the elderly members of the family. The elderly members of the family must first kneel around the ancestral shrine to request ancestors to provide the precise name for the newborn through one member of the family, most probably the father’s sister, Rakgadi. This article reports on the study that focused on the naming patterns and anomalies in the Northern Sotho culture. The study followed a qualitative research approach where a case study design was adopted. Data were generated through focus group interviews and document analysis. The study found that: One, Northern Sotho nationalities have prescribed cultural naming patterns. Two, Northern Sotho names have poetic narratives that give the individual selfhood and identity. Finally, the African name, Northern Sotho names are means of connection of Africans to their ancestors. These findings have at least two implications. Firstly, African people must respect their African names, and secondly, that, belief in ancestors is connected to IAR (Indigenous African Religion) which comes as the first religion for all African people.