Nyasa people
The Nyasa are a people of southeastern Africa, concentrated mainly in Malawi, southwestern Tanzania and parts of northern Mozambique. The people are also known as the Kimanda, Kinyasa and Manda.[1] Significant populations of Nyasa live along the shores of northeastern Lake Malawi.[1] Many Nyanja people of Malawi refers to themselves as Nyasa; as of 2010 roughly 500,000 claim to be Nyasa people.[2]
In Malawi, the Nyasa are a minority tribe with their own distinct culture. While matrilineal (much like the Chewa, the country's dominate tribe), the Nyasa's belief system is extremely different. Unlike the Chewa, which is part of the dominant Bantu culture, the Nyasa are part of the lesser known Nigha culture[3].
The most distinctive involve the male/female dynamics, which is vastly different to most other African cultures. An example of this is the control in a relationship, where the woman is seen as being akin to a figure similar to Mother Earth. As the creator of life, women are on a pedestal, and are subject to a different set of norms to men.
Still practised in more traditional families, a defining custom is the half-castration of the husband (by the wife). Seen as both a demonstration of the husband’s commitment to the marriage, and proof of his masculinity, it reflects the power dynamics within the marriage.[4] A further widely practiced belief is consensual non-monogamy, where the wife is enabled - and even encouraged - to have sexual relations with other single males. The same does not apply to the husband, who is expected to remain chaste to his wife.[5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Yakan, Muḥammad Zuhdī (1999). Almanac of African Peoples & Nations. Transaction Publishers. p. 580. ISBN 978-1-56000-433-2. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ^ Appiah, Anthony; Gates, Henry Louis (17 February 2010). Encyclopedia of Africa. Oxford University Press. p. 259. ISBN 978-0-19-533770-9. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ^ Maquet ·, Jacques (1972). Africanity - The Cultural Unity of Black Africa. Oxford University Press.
- ^ Douglas, Mary (1950). Peoples of the Lake Nyasa Region Volume 1, Part 1. International African Institute.
- ^ Jahn, Janheinz (1958). Muntu Umrisse der neoafrikanischen Kultur. Germany: E. Diederichs.
 | This Malawi-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Tanzania-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |