African traditional societies, including the Amakhuwas of Northern Mozambique, developed believes and traditional practices, in the spiritual as well as in the social field, which evolved over time. Nevertheless, the prevalent trend in research relegates such cultures to a role of subordination. This was the case of colonial as well as missionary literature, and it is so in part until today, with the use of paradigms centered into a supposed modernizing approach, which invites ethnic and linguistic groups as the Amakhuwas to leave their practices, in name of the respect of a set of human rights which those practices, would violate. This research, carried out in Nampula city, tries to show that a similar perspective does not consider a universe of values, believes and practices which have to be understood through an “internal” philosophical and anthropological approach. This approach has not to disregard the respect for human individual rights, as well as for collective rights of a group which built its identity on these believes and practices. This research was focused in particular on two interconnected aspects: the social functions of traditional medicine and the initiation rites, especially of feminine type. As a conclusion, this research shows that traditional practices suffered an evolution, in general going towards the respect for human individual rights, differentiating them in accordance with the localization and the social and cultural environment in which they are practiced. Without drawing definitive conclusions, it seems necessary to carry out a deep reflection regarding the relation between traditional practices and respect for human rights inside the amakhuwa society.
