Located at the tip of Africa lies a place with diverse cultures and languages. It's a place with stunning landscape full of culture, food, wildlife, and villages. This place I speak of is South Africa. South Africa is home to the largest ethnic group in Africa, The Zulu. They primarily reside in the Kwasulu-Natal province, with a population of approximately 11 million people. Traditionally men and women are expected to give great respect for their traditions, and heritage and fellow tribe members. Both are also involved in different types of arts and crafts. The Zulu women are best known for their bead work and grass basket weaving, while men are known for their wood carvings and for the many objects they make out of animal skins. But, before we dive into who the Zulu's are today, we must understand where these unique people came from (africancraftsmarket.com/Zulupeople).
The history of the African Zulu tribe began long ago in the 16th
century when the tribe migrated to their present location Natal
Africa. A young warrior by the name of Shaka became the leader of the
Zulu tribe in 1816. Shaka quickly took leadership and control and
watched his tribe continue to grow until they were the most powerful
tribe in South Africa. They fought many aggressive and bloody wars
attacking and defeating other tribes in their area defending, and
saving their land. Their great success was due to Shaka's
organization for society, that and their warfare. Shaka developed an
effective style of fighting that involved the use of short stabbing
spears, heavy wooden clubs, sharp chisel fighting sticks, and color
coated shields. After twelve years of brilliant leadership and
constant growth, Shaka's power grew to a level that caused him to
become mentally unstable. He started doing odd things for example; he
increased the orders of death to his own men for no apparent reason.
Henry Francis Fynn,a white man who was
a commander for Shaka, and also traded from the settlement of Port
Natal Africa in the mid 1800’s, described the aftermath of one of
Shaka’s battles in 1824. “The remnant of the enemy’s army
sought shelter in a nearby wood in which they were driven. They began
the slaughter of women and children. They were all put to death…Early
next morning Shaka arrived at each regiment, previous to its
inspection from him, had picked out it’s ‘cowards’ and put them
to death. Many of these, no doubt forfeited their lives because their
chiefs were in fear that, if they did not condemn some as being
guilty, they would incur the resentment of Shaka.”
(http://www.historywiz.com/zuluwars.htm)
In 1828 Shaka was finally assassinated, by his own brothers.
(http://africanadrenalin.co.za/IsibindiAfrica/zulu/history.htm)
After the death of Shaka, this period of warfare between the tribe, led the British wanting South Africa to become their safe strategic naval base. On Jan 11, 1879 The Zulu war against the British and Dutch began. The Zulu fought with everything they had, shedding blood and tears to try and protect their homes. The British reinforced their troops and defeated Zululand, splitting the land into 13 smaller states and eventually making Zululand its own colony. This was an unfortunate time in Zulu’s history. Since these ancient times the political aspect of the Zulu culture had rested in the hands of their chief. Today, the chief is always determined by his genealogy, and governs the internal affairs of the tribe. He is also the voice of the people on international levels. Even though the Zulu are officially ruled by South Africa, they are seen as separate when viewed nationally (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/shaka-zulu-assassinated).
After the death of Shaka, this period of warfare between the tribe, led the British wanting South Africa to become their safe strategic naval base. On Jan 11, 1879 The Zulu war against the British and Dutch began. The Zulu fought with everything they had, shedding blood and tears to try and protect their homes. The British reinforced their troops and defeated Zululand, splitting the land into 13 smaller states and eventually making Zululand its own colony. This was an unfortunate time in Zulu’s history. Since these ancient times the political aspect of the Zulu culture had rested in the hands of their chief. Today, the chief is always determined by his genealogy, and governs the internal affairs of the tribe. He is also the voice of the people on international levels. Even though the Zulu are officially ruled by South Africa, they are seen as separate when viewed nationally (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/shaka-zulu-assassinated).
The Zulu which translates into “the people of heaven,” is an
extremely sociable tribe, displaying dedication, and devotion to
their religion, beliefs, and way of life. Today, the Zulu men are in
charge of raising cattle, goats and sheep, while the women are
responsible for the planting and harvesting of crops. Living in
villages often without electricity and running water, make it very
hard for the men and women to raise their cattle and keep their crops alive. The huts of
the Zulu village are constructed of a mixture of mud brick and modern
cheap materials such as grass, bark and rocks. The Zulu village is
always circular in shape, building their huts to be beehive coned,
and constructed by the men of the village. These huts are very
stable, warm in the winter and cool in the summer which makes them
accommodating for the Zulu people. Food is a very important aspect of
the Zulu culture and instead of just preparing a meal for those
present in the home, they will instead prepare and cook extra food in
case they have a visitor or find a stranger passing through. The
types of food prepared alternate between porridge and dumplings,
usually eaten with beans, potatoes, cabbage or wild spinach. The Zulu
also have a very distinct way of displaying their clothing. Zulu wear
is known for their colorful and decorative bead work, due to its
beautiful color combinations and patterns they are designed to convey
messages between the men and women of the tribe. Displaying intimacy,
talent, and showing their relationship standing. The symbols of their
bead work express their feelings towards one another and can even
relate to their romantic relationships depending on the pattern and
colors. These colorful beads are precious to the Zulu tribe,
symbolizing the power of good health and excellent living. The bead
work of the Zulu community is not only an ornamental display, but it
is also sacred and religious to the whole tribe
(http://www.eshowe.com/article/articlestatic/65/1/13/).
The Zulu religion is based around their creator, their god named
Unkulunkulu (the greatest of great). It's also involves the worship
of their ancestors which live in the spirit world and can be traced
back for thousands of years. Zulu's believe their god is almighty,
but has little to do with their everyday activities. On the other
hand the presence of the spirit world is always traditional in their
Zulu religion. It is believed that when a person dies this person's
spirit will watch over the others from this spirit world. People can
come into contact with the spirit world and one's ancestors during
their special ceremonies; this is only allowed by the men of the
tribe since they are the leaders. The spirits of their ancestors are very
important to them and are worship during their everyday activities
and rituals which are done to please them. The ancestors of the Zulu
tribe must be kept in memory of the family every day otherwise; they
may seek to be remembered by bringing trouble and darkness on the
people of the tribe. Religion and culture for the Zulu’s also
consists of polygamy. The king of their tribe is allowed to take on
five wives to bear him children. If the women of the tribe do not
bear children for their new husband they are looked down on and loose
the position of being a wife of the clan. Each
wife lives in her own hut and they are located in order of standing
from the husband's hut. The wives also have their own fields to herd
and cook only for their immediate family. Along with the Zulu
religion and culture, their dancing and ceremonies are also extremely
important to them.
(http://izmo.tripod.com/project/zulu.htm)
These dances and ceremonies consist of vocal
chants, melodies, and singing along with loud drums being played. The
dancers wear the traditional attire which comes from the war dances
of the warriors. They believe these activities will promote unity in
all their transitional ceremonies such as births, weddings, and
funerals. Dance and song symbolizes their lifestyle, with each
movement and formation they make they create memories and stories of
hunting, tidal movement, and war. One of their national ceremonies
includes celebrating their once great leader we learned about earlier
named Shaka, founder of the Zulu nation. These ceremonies involve
stick fighting and public duels. Guests that attend will be anyone
and everyone from the Zulu tribe; they are traditionally greeted with
their hospitality and etiquette, and happy smiles ready to show off
their heritage. It is custom to the people that only unmarried girls
and young men dance alternating in groups. While the young men dance,
the girls will provide the singing and clapping, and same thing goes
for when the girls of the tribe dance- the boys will do the same
(http://www.drakensberg-tourism.com/zulu-culture-traditions.html).
Weddings are also a huge event among the Zulu
tribe. Zulu weddings are all different and
depending
on the culture of the particular tribe, typically have different
ceremonies. Zulu's believe in traditions and rituals that have been
passed down from generation to generation. Most weddings today take place in a
church and the bride usually wears a white wedding dress. It is not
mandatory for the women to wear white, but they usually prefer to
because to them it symbolizes purity. A typical wedding consists of a
process of rituals, including dancing and singing. In these rituals
the women wear an assortment of
beads as well as colorful skirts and feathers. The bride will change
into her soft leather apron so that it is easy for them to dance in
after the wedding ceremony is over. Once the wedding ceremonies and
rituals are done at the church, the rest of the
wedding takes place at the
husband and wife’s home. During the ceremonies, the bride is
accepted into the groom’s family and the bride shows her
appreciation by giving gifts to her new family members. The wife will
change her outfits many
times through the duration of the wedding. Her different dresses will
present a variety of colors that display her beauty to her new
family. There also will be unique beading throughout her dress, as
well as in the overall design. The beading shows the woman’s desire
and ability to be a good wife and new edition to the family. Even the
members of each side of the family compete in different tasks, and
the way they dress also shows the other family how well presented
they are. The wedding ceremonies and dance rituals have been a part
of the Zulu tribe since the time of Shaka and continue to be present
today
(http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travelblogs/41/121343/Zulu+Weddings?destId=35561).
Shaka
continues to look down from above, and is glorified by who his people
have become today. Mazed by the perfection and beauty of the land he
once controlled, is now a peaceful and welcoming village. He listens
as he hears the Zulu's celebrate another ceremonial full of singing,
dancing, clapping, and drums. The Zulu are still displaying their
traditional tribal clothing, the men decorated in animal hides- the
women in their talented variety of bead work. Shaka feels fulfilled at
this moment, knowing he was an important man in their society who
made a difference in the Zulu forever.
(Kwazulu Natal province, the home of the Zulu Tribe)
Works
Cited
African
Crafts Market. “Zulu People Traditions & Culture.”
africancraftsmarket.com, retrieved from:
http://www.africancraftsmarket.com/Zuu_people.htm
Discover Our
Drakensber. “Zulu Traditions & Culture” South Africa.
Retrieved from:
Eshowe. “Zulu
Tribe. Zolou Tribe” Top level/Zulu Culture. Eshowe.com retrieved
from:
http://www.eshowe.com/article/articlestatic/69/1/13
History Wiz. “The
Zulu Wars” The Bitter Union: HistoryWiz 1999-2008 retrieved from:
http://www.historywiz.com/zuluwars.htm
Isibindi Africa.
“The Zulu Nation – A Brief History” africanadrenalin.com 2007
retrieved
from: http://africanadrenalin.co.za/IsibindiAfrica/zulu_history.htm
Jung,
D. Lonely Planet. “Zulu Weddings” June, 2011 Retrieved from:
This
Day in History. “Shaka Zulu Assassinated” History.com General
Interest. Retrieved from:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/shaka-zulu-assassinated
Tripod. “Zulu”
Izmo.tripod retrieved from:
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