Iziduko: Xhosa Clan Names and Praises
Iziduko are Xhosa clan names, and among Xhosa people they are held to be more important than surnames. Many families can trace their isiduko back to a particular male ancestor. [1]
Naming someone's isiduko is the highest form of respect, and asking after it is the ordinary courtesy of a first meeting. [1] [2]
A married woman keeps her own isiduko, addressed with the prefix Ma, as in MaJola or MaTshawe. A man and a woman who share an isiduko do not marry, because a shared clan name marks shared descent. [1] [2] [3]
The praise recited for a clan is its izinqulo, from ukunqula: to call upon the ancestors by the clan's names. [2] [3]
The record covers the amaXhosa and the other peoples who speak isiXhosa and carry iziduko, among them the abaThembu, amaMpondo, amaMpondomise, amaBhaca, amaXesibe and amaHlubi, across the Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal. [4]
Iziduko · isiXhosa · A–Z
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Questions About Iziduko
What are iziduko?
Iziduko are Xhosa clan names. Among Xhosa people they are held to be more important than surnames, and many families trace theirs to a particular male ancestor.
Why do Xhosa people greet each other by isiduko?
Naming someone's isiduko is the highest form of respect, and asking after it is ordinary courtesy when people first meet.
Can two people with the same isiduko marry?
By custom, no. A shared isiduko marks shared descent, so a man and a woman of the same clan are treated as related.
Does a woman change her isiduko when she marries?
No. She may take her husband's surname, but she keeps her own isiduko and is addressed with the prefix Ma, as in MaJola.
What are izinqulo?
Izinqulo are the praises recited for a clan, from ukunqula, to call upon the ancestors by the clan's names. Each isiduko page shows the izinqulo as recorded, with its sources.
If your family holds more than the record does, add what your family holds.