Analysis of Traditional Wisdom for Ecological Sustainability in Tanzania: A Case Study of Metaphorical Source Domains in Pangwa Ritual Texts

Campaigns for ecological sustainability have gained a great currency in the contemporary academic discourse. Nonetheless, from time immemorial, Africans have pushed the ecological sustainability agenda through cultural taboos and regulated resource harvesting. Many African societies have embedded ecological consciousness in daily life expressions, and have intricately expressed it through literary and ritual texts. This study focuses on ecological awareness in the ritual texts of the Pangwa community. It analyses how environmental domains—such as land, seeds, and fruits—serve as the basis for metaphors in the Pangwa community to prove the use of wisdom to promote and sustain ecological practices (ecocriticism). The study employed observation and interviews to solicit indigenous perspectives and orientations concerning ecological awareness. The findings reveal that ecological systems and their interdependencies are well reflected in Pangwa metaphors. The metaphors largely link the environment with God, ancestors, living beings, and inanimate entities. The findings underscore the crucial role of ritual practices in cultivating and sustaining ecological awareness and balance, thereby explaining the relations between humans and nonhumans in the environment. This suggests that metaphors embody a society’s ecological knowledge. Moreover, it provides an opportune moment to recognise the role of African traditional practices in fostering ecological awareness.