Hukama PaChiShona Flashcards: A Fun Guide to 14 Shona Family Titles

In our last post, we shared the story behind the development of the Hukama PaChiShona Chart, to simplify understanding of Shona family relationships. Today, we discuss the Hukama PaChiShona Flashcards which facilitate a deeper understanding of family titles and their application to different relationships. 

One of the most beautiful and challenging aspects of understanding Shona family relationships is how one family title can represent a multitude of relationships. Beautiful because it embodies the broad and inclusive definition of family at the center of Shona culture that is foundational to understanding other social norms. Challenging, because there are approximately 22 family titles and these are not modified when applied to different relationships - there is no ‘great uncle’ or ‘cousin twice-removed’ in Shona culture. 

To address this, we developed the Hukama PaChiShona Flashcards to facilitate a deeper understanding of family titles and their application. While the Hukama PaChiShona Chart provides a visual overview, the flashcards offer detailed descriptions and interactive learning opportunities. Each flashcard displays a family title in ChiShona on one side and describes the various relationships that can lead to that title in ChiShona and English on the other.

The durable, multifunctional flashcards can be used for individual learning, revision, and in groups to spark discussions or play games (e.g., How many ways to be 'mainini' do you know?), making the learning process engaging for all ages. Together, the Chart and Flashcards offer a comprehensive and interactive way to explore Shona family relationships from different perspectives.

At NhakaBox, we create products that facilitate opportunities for families and communities to engage authentically in Shona culture because we believe that appreciating cultural heritage requires more than language basics. Our products are unique in their focus on exploring and expanding understanding of Shona cultural concepts. An understanding of family relationships is at the core of Shona culture and that is why we have focused on this in our first Box. If you haven’t yet, visit www.nhakabox.com to get your own Hukama PaChiShona Box and start exploring Shona family relationships today.

Is there a role for digital technologies in participatory cultural education and preservation? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 

In our next post we’ll discuss the making of Hama Hama! The Original Shona Card Game for Family & Friends which is also available as a mobile game.