Ndulute, Clement Lupyano2019-08-172020-01-072019-08-172020-01-071977Ndulute, C. L. (1977). The place of songs in Hehe oral literature. Master dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam. Available at (http://41.86.178.3/internetserver3.1.2/search.aspx?formtype=advanced)http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/1020Available in print formAny attempt to study any oral literature of any given people must necessarily mean a complete or at least partial survey of their way of life, their culture. It must entail an examination of their material and spiritual conception of the world of which their spoken art is but the effect, not the cause; the flower, not the root; and the final crystalization of their ideals and aspirations. In this study, which is divided into three major parts, attempt will be made to discuss as fully as it is possible within a work of this humble length the Hehe cultural context from which the various genres of their oral literature spring. Like rivulets which feed a major river, the various social and economic activities of the people are the source of their verbal artistry. Part ONE of my study answers this demand. Myths and legends have also been touched on in this section. The title of the thesis, The Place of Songs in Hehe Oral Literature, suggests that an examination of the entire body of Hehe Oral Literature be made in order to establish the significance of that part of it which is sung. It is with this aim in mind that I have devoted Part TWO of this work to the major forms of oral literature of the Wahehe. These include tales, riddles, proverbs, praise poems and praise names in that order. These genres have been analysed in so far as they throw light or deepen insight into the role which songs play or will finally play in Hehe life. Part THREE of the survey, the core of our discussion, is sub-divided into several parts which deal with the songs by first categorising them according to the EFFECT they have on society or their motive. This approach is adopted after a brief discussion and consequent rejection of the "other methods" of categorisation such as those based on the geographical environment or the situations in which they are sung. We believe that the ' effect category' is the only one which throws some light on the social origins of the masses' songs. thereby exposing the contradictions that bedevil their society. This is followed by an analysis of the song as a work of art; as literature. The vexed question of what is poetry in the African traditional sense is here tackled. The dominance of the song in all Hehe activities, from cradle to grave, makes it the most expressive and forceful genre in their traditional literature. This preponderance of the song in Hehe verbal artistry is finally linked up with the development of a National Literature and Culture. It is argued that the dynamism and innovative character of the song make it a valuable and revalutionary contribution towards this direction.enHehe literature (bantu)Songs and musicBantuAfricanFolk songsThesis