HUMANS and animals move their hands, different body parts such as feet, eyes and heads as they talk or during heated or tense arguments.
This is called gesturing.
Gesturing is a robust phenomenon, found across cultures, ages, and tasks.
They substitute speech and clearly serve a communication function.
When called upon to carry the full burden of communication, gesture assumes a language-like form, with structure at word and sentence levels.
According to Wikipedia, gestures are a form of non-verbal communication in which visible bodily actions are used to communicate important messages, either in place of speech or together and in tandem with spoken words.
However, when gestures are produced along with speech, they assume a different form – they become imagistic and analogic.
However, gestures are culture-specific and can convey very different meanings in different social or cultural settings.
Gesture is distinct from sign language.
Although some gestures, such as the act of pointing, differ little from one place to another, most gestures do not have invariable or universal meanings, but connote specific meanings in particular cultures.
A single emblematic gesture can have very different significance in different cultural contexts, ranging from complimentary to highly offensive.
The BaTonga have always used gestures as a way of communicating important messages; gesturing is used when elders gather at traditional ceremonies or funerals where they prefer to communicate on their own without outsiders hearing what they would be communicating.
There are several gestures the BaTonga use and common among them is the beckoning sign.
A beckoning sign is made with the index finger sticking out of the clenched fist, palm facing the gesturer.
The finger moves repeatedly towards the gesturer in a hook like the gesturer is drawing something nearer.
It has the general meaning of saying ‘come here’.
In some cultures, calling someone is done using the full hand.
A clenched fist is used as a gesture of defiance or solidarity when it is raised in a meeting of elders or at a traditional ceremony it means solidarity, but when it is facing the owner it means one is threatening another with physical violence.
Crossed fingers are used to superstitiously wish for good luck or to nullify a promise.
This sign is used when two lovers break up or when two people disagree on something.
Making a circling motion of the index finger at the ear or temple signifies that the person is speaking nonsense or is crazy.
If one uses the impala horns sign made with two index fingers placed on one’s head, this says one has an unfaithful wife.
The gesture is now extinct but the insult remains among other cultures and means one is foolish.
The eyelid pull, where one forefinger is used to pull the lower eyelid further down signifies alertness and is often used as a reminder at funerals that one should not fall asleep.
The handshake is a greeting ritual in which two people grasp each other’s hands and may move their grasped hands up and down.
This is usually done between strangers or relatives who may have spent some time without seeing each other.
The circle sign gesture made with the hand and curled fingers and the thumb thrust between the middle and index fingers is considered a good luck charm among the BaTonga.
The loser sign made by extending the thumb and forefinger to resemble the shape of an ‘L’ on the forehead is an insulting gesture, while the money sign is where thumb rubs repeatedly over the tip of the index and middle finger.
This gesture resembles the act of rubbing coins or bills together and is generally used when speaking about money, especially during bride price paying ceremonies (lobola).
An outstretched hand with the palm up is a near-universal gesture for begging or requesting, extending beyond human cultures and into other primate species.
This gesture can also be done with both hands to form a bowl.
The gesture of respect is made by extending the index, middle and ring fingers of one hand at another person with the middle finger raised slightly higher than the index and ring fingers.
It is used as a sign of respect for the elders.
Waving is a gesture in which the hand is raised and moved left and right as a greeting or sign of departure.
Hand rubbing is a gesture used by the fishermen who rubbed both hand palms together along the fingers’ direction to mean that one is expecting or anticipating a large fish catch or that one is feeling cold.
The throat slash gesture made by moving one’s index finger, thumb or entire hand, held straight and with palm down, horizontally across one’s throat imitates cutting a person’s throat with a blade, indicating strong disapproval, extreme anger or displeasure with others or with oneself.
Alternatively, it can be a signal to instruct someone to slaughter a chicken, goat or ox at a funeral by the elders.
Then there is the age-old praying mantis gesture, an expression used in most religious prayers.
The palms of the hands are held together with the fingers extended and touching or the fingers folded.
This gesture is often made with the two hands held at chest or head level, the elbows against the side and the head bowed towards the hands.
Among the BaTonga, this gesture is often made when one visits a herbalist or medicine man for divine intervention.
The bowing or lowering of the torso or head is a show of respect in many cultures, while the curtsey is a greeting typically made by women and performed by bending the knees while bowing the head.
The head shake gesture indicates a negative reaction to a query or a rejection and is also used occasionally in disbelief; it goes with the head banging gesture which is a deep and abrupt shaking of the head used as a sign of excitement and appreciation of an act.
The nod gesture is the tilting of the head up and down that usually indicates assent in some cultures, but a nod also means the opposite among the BaTonga.
When shaken once, firmly, it is an expression of strong agreement.
When shaken quickly and repeatedly, the person is indicating a desire to move along with the topic.
The eye-roll gesture performed by rotating the eyes upward and back down can indicate incredulity, contempt, boredom, frustration or exasperation.
It can be performed unconsciously or consciously and is a sign of warning.
The face palm gesture is an expression of frustration or embarrassment made by raising the palm of the hand to the face and covering the eyes or the mouth.
However, there are other gestures that have been borrowed from other cultures by the BaTonga such as genuflection, a show of respect by bending at least one knee to the ground or the hat tip, a salutation or show of respect made by two people tipping their hats at each other.