By Anthony Chawagarira

Across Zimbabwe’s diverse communities, traditional ways of confirming parentage persist alongside modern science.

While contemporary Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) testing now provides definitive answers about biological relationships, age-old customs still carry emotional weight and social meaning. This feature examines those practices—what they are, why they matter, and how they interact with scientific methods of establishing parenthood.

Tradition as a Social Framework

Customs shape how families understand relationships. In many rural areas, traditional practices help maintain social order by affirming fatherhood, parental rights, and a child’s place within the family. These practices are rooted in deep communal values and express trust, belonging, and identity.

Common Traditional Signs Used to Judge Paternity

Elders and family members often point to certain behaviours and events as evidence that a child belongs to a particular man. Some widely reported indicators include:

• The child stirs or wakes when the father first enters the homestead:
  It is said that when a father arrives at his village compound with his child for the first time, the baby will react—an act interpreted as recognition.

• The child opens their eyes when the father holds them:
  There is a belief that if a man truly is the father, the baby’s eyes will open and focus when held by him. If not, the baby may not display that response.

• Cattle behaviour at the kraal:
  A ritual sometimes involves taking the baby to the cattle kraal. If the cattle come out and rub against the child, it is taken as a sign that the child belongs to that family. If the cattle refuse to approach or only a few come out, some interpret that as a sign the child does not belong to them.

• Placing the child in the father’s shoes:
  If a baby is placed in the father’s shoes and begins to cry, some interpret that as evidence the child is not his. Conversely, a child who remains calm is considered likely to be his.

• The direction the crawling child chooses:
  If a crawling child moves toward and between a man’s legs—reaching for his trousers or coming directly to him—this is often seen as a sign of paternity. If the child crawls elsewhere or shies away, some conclude he is not the father.

What Modern Science Offers: DNA Testing

DNA testing is the scientifically reliable method for establishing biological parentage. It provides objective evidence that courts use in inheritance cases, custody disputes, and legal recognition.

DNA results are not influenced by emotions or social interpretations. They offer a level of certainty that traditional signs cannot provide.

Where Tradition and Science Meet

Although traditional signs lack the precision of DNA testing, they remain meaningful social tools. Some observations—such as a child’s calmness with a particular adult—may reflect emotional bonding or familiarity rather than biology.

In communities where laboratory testing is inaccessible or culturally sensitive, these practices can shape family decisions and relationships.

However, relying exclusively on unproven signs can lead to harm, including stigma, wrongful exclusion, or unjust family breakdown. For example, interpreting cattle behaviour or a child’s reaction as definitive proof may wrongly ostracise a mother or deny a child access to parental support.

Environmental or practical factors—such as illness, herd management practices, or a child’s temperament—can influence these signs independently of biological parentage.

Building Dialogue and Education

A constructive approach is to combine respect for cultural practices with accessible scientific information. Useful steps include:

• Community education about how DNA testing works, what it can and cannot determine, and when it may be appropriate.

• Preserving cultural practices that foster bonding and social cohesion while discouraging those that cause harm or discrimination.

• Facilitating conversations among community leaders, traditional authorities, and legal or health professionals to agree on fair procedures when parentage is disputed.

Respect, Truth, and Protecting Families

Traditional signs of paternity reflect a community’s history and values. They help people make sense of relationships in culturally meaningful ways. However, where certainty is required, science offers a dependable answer.

Rather than forcing a choice between tradition and DNA testing, the goal should be to allow them to complement each other—using culture to preserve dignity and cohesion, and science to provide fairness and clarity when needed.

Together, they can help protect children’s rights and strengthen family bonds.