SOCIETY, RELIGION & CULTURE

Following the death of a loved one, the Shona do a number of things before, during, and after the burial. These, however, may differ among the various groups of the Shona.

A Shona clan has a clan name, the mutupo, which all clansmen are identified by. A mutupo has an animal symbol, and the animal is tabooed by clansmen. A chidao is the male title, while the mutupo name is used to address females.

Shona religion centres on spiritual beings. Gombwe is a guardian spirit of a tribe, mhondoro is a clan spirit, mudzimu is an ancestral spirit, and shavi is a patronal spirit. Then there is the healing and divining n’anga spirit, and the evil muroyi spirit.