The relationship between mbira dzavadzimu mode and Zezuru Spirit Possession. This thesis investigates the relationship between mbira dzavadzimu modes and different levels of Zezuru spirit possession. The research adopted an ethnographic paradigm. Fieldwork, participant observation, face-to-face interviews and video recordings were employed during data collection. The theoretical underpinnings of the research were grounded in Neher’s 1960 theory of auditory driving1, Seeger’s 1987 theory of metamorphosis, Wiredu’s 2007 theory of interpretation and Tempels’ 1959 theory of cosmology. The researcher carried out the research from an emic perspective. Both deep reflexivity and narrative reflexivity frameworks were used in the writing of this documentation and editing of my film. The position of mbira music in the religious life of the Zezuru is quite significant in that it is used to evoke spirits in spirit mediums during occasions when the Zezuru communicate with their ancestors. Mbira music is embedded in the modes and tuning systems played on the mbira. The Zezuru believe that the modes belong to the ancestors and are passed from generation to generation as part of their heritage. My hypothesis is that mbira dzavadzimu modes are responsible for evoking spirits in spirit mediums.

Thesis (M.Mus.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.