ABSTRACT
Racial classifications, especially apartheid-era classifications in South Africa, are heavily loaded, and in this book, all racial and ethnic designation. Clear terminology and language are critical to setting the agenda if we want to avoid past epistemological errors in misrepresenting customary practices and families. The list below provides an explanation of some of the common vernacular words used throughout the book. Many of the same terms are spelt slightly differently in this book. Some chapters have used different grammatical forms of the same words in vernacular. While some traditional leaders prefer not to be called chiefs, ‘the term “chiefs”, for all its colonial connotations, is still widely used in South Africa'. The use of it may reflect the historical use or a participant's use of the word and does not necessarily connote the author's approval of it.
