Unpacking the cultural heritage of the amaMpondo in the Eastern Cape

Abstract

Cultural heritage, this chapter's focus, is defined as those attributes, behavioural patterns, lifestyles, social structures and norms literally passed on or inherited from one generation to another (Omekwu, cited in Nwaru, 2015). The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines "cultural heritage" as a term that encompasses several main categories of heritage, including: tangible cultural heritage such as paintings, sculptures, coins, manuscripts, arts; immovable cultural heritage such as monuments, archaeological sites; underwater heritage such as shipwrecks, underwater ruins and cities; and intangible cultural heritage such as oral traditions, performing arts and rituals.