Characteristics of the Northern Sotho heroic poetry

Abstract

Praise poems play a significant role in the Northern Sotho heroic poetry. They are full of egocentricism, traditional in form and content. They express bravery and heroic deeds. The power of heroic poems depends partly on the delivery and personality of the poet. They are mostly based on personal appearance and actions of a person. For this reason, a person is not addressed by his/her name. Some names are created for the chiefs and important personages. Some of these names have single words while others have compound nouns that are used to describe a person. Short sentences may also be used to describe a person. Not only people of royal blood are praised by the commoners, but commoners too may get heroic names for their outstanding deeds. There are many poets who coin their own words at will and employ unusual poetic devices, including figures of speech. The Northern Sotho people give their own peculiar interpretation of certain universal challenges that have confronted mankind everywhere. In this way, the experience of a person is not individualistic, but affects the entire community. Quantitative research method was used for data collection. In analyzing the topic, people are encouraged to be strong and face the challenges of life. They build social order and provide community members a sense of rootedness and the feeling of belonging. The main problem is that the use of heroic poetry is declining fast and no one seems to worry about it.