132-553: Zulu people ( / ˈ z uː l uː / ; Zulu : amaZulu ) are a native people of Southern Africa of the Nguni . The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa , with an estimated 14.39 million people, in total of which 13.78 million people live in South Africa , mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal . They originated from Nguni communities who took part in
264-399: A homorganic nasal consonant (so-called "prenasalisation", described in more detail below) and optionally followed by the consonant /w/ . In addition, syllabic /m̩/ occurs as a reduction of former /mu/ , and acts like a true syllable: it can be syllabic even when not word-initial, and can also carry distinctive tones like a full syllable. It does not necessarily have to be homorganic with
396-494: A British force of this size, it was the logistical arrangements which occupied Chelmsford's thoughts. Rather than any fear that the camp might be attacked, his main concern was managing the huge number of wagons and oxen required to support his forward advance. Once he had established the camp at Isandlwana, Chelmsford sent out two battalions of the Natal Native Contingent to scout ahead. They skirmished with elements of
528-518: A Zulu force which he believed to be the vanguard of the main enemy army. Such was his confidence in British military training and firepower that he divided his force, departing the camp at dawn on January 22 with approximately 2,800 soldiers—including half of the British infantry contingent, together with around 600 auxiliaries—to find the main Zulu force with the intention of bringing them to battle so as to achieve
660-509: A box was empty, no other boxes were to be opened, and the quartermasters were reluctant to distribute ammunition to units other than their own. Well-equipped and well-trained British soldiers could fire 10–12 rounds a minute. The lack of ammunition caused a lull in the defence and, in subsequent engagements with the Zulus, ammunition boxes were unscrewed in advance for rapid distribution. Numerous first hand accounts, including Smith-Dorrien's earliest in
792-424: A breathy consonant syllable, like dla , are [ɮǎ̤ ɮa̤᷈ ɮà̤] . A depressor does not affect a syllable that's already low, but it blocks assimilation to a preceding high tone so that the tone of the depressor syllable and any following low-tone syllables stays low. Prenasalisation occurs whenever a consonant is preceded by a homorganic nasal, either lexically or as a consequence of prefixation. The most notable case of
924-419: A company of the 24th, but Pulleine was reluctant to agree since his orders had been specifically to defend the camp. Chelmsford had underestimated the disciplined, well-led, well-motivated and confident Zulus. The failure to secure an effective defensive position, the poor intelligence on the location of the main Zulu army, Chelmsford's decision to split his force in half, and the Zulus' tactical exploitation of
1056-498: A creator God ( uNkulunkulu ) who is above interacting in day-to-day human life, although this belief appears to have originated from efforts by early Christian missionaries to frame the idea of the Christian God in Zulu terms. Traditionally, the more strongly held Zulu belief was in ancestor spirits ( amaThongo or amaDlozi ), who had the power to intervene in people's lives, for good or ill. This belief continues to be widespread among
1188-448: A decisive victory, and leaving the remaining 1,300 men of the No. 3 Column to guard the camp. It never occurred to him that the Zulus he saw were diverting him from their main force. Chelmsford left behind approximately 600 British red coat line infantry – five companies, around 90 fighting men in each, of the 1st Battalion and one stronger company of around 150 men from the 2nd Battalion of
1320-511: A defensive line. The rocket battery under Durnford's command, which was not mounted and dropped behind the rest of the force, was isolated and overrun very early in the engagement. The two battalions of native troops were in Durnford's line; while all their British officers and NCOs carried rifles, only one in 10 of the native soldiers under their command had a firearm, and those few weapons were muzzle-loading muskets with limited ammunition. Many of
1452-586: A few miles apart to prevent a surprise attack. They were preceded by a screening force of mounted scouts supported by parties of warriors 200–400 strong tasked with preventing the main columns from being sighted. The speed of the Zulu advance compared to the British was marked. The Zulu impi had advanced over 80 km (50 mi) in five days, while Chelmsford had only advanced slightly over 16 km (9.9 mi) in 10 days. The British under Chelmsford pitched camp at Isandlwana on 20 January, but did not follow standing orders to entrench. No laager (circling of
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#17330862870221584-532: A foothold among the Zulu people, and when it did it was in a syncretic fashion. Isaiah Shembe , considered the Zulu Messiah , presented a form of Christianity (the Nazareth Baptist Church ) which incorporated traditional customs. Furthermore, the Zulu people also practice a ceremony called Ukweshwama . The killing of the bull is part of Ukweshwama, an annual ceremony that celebrates a new harvest. It
1716-660: A forward camp at Helpmekaar, past Greytown . On 9 January 1879 they moved to Rorke's Drift , and early on 11 January commenced crossing the Buffalo River into Zululand. The backbone of the British force under Lord Chelmsford consisted of twelve regular infantry companies : six each of the 1st and 2nd Battalions , the 24th Regiment of Foot (which was subsequently renamed the South Wales Borderers). These were regarded as hardened and reliable troops. In addition, there were approximately 2,500 local African auxiliaries of
1848-408: A high-tone syllable and another tonic syllable assimilates to that high tone. That is, if the preceding syllable ends on a high tone and the following syllable begins with a high tone (because it is high or falling), the intermediate toneless syllable has its pitch raised as well. When the preceding syllable is high but the following is toneless, the medial toneless syllable adopts a high-tone onset from
1980-437: A labial consonant plus /w/ . Whenever /w/ follows a labial consonant, it changes to /j/ , which then triggers palatalization of the consonant. This effect can be seen in the locative forms of nouns ending in -o or -u , which change to -weni and -wini respectively in the locative. If a labial consonant immediately precedes, palatalization is triggered. The change also occurs in nouns beginning in ubu- with
2112-504: A letter to his father, indicate ammunition was available and being supplied. Donald Morris in The Washing of the Spears argues that the men, fighting too far from the camp, ran out of ammunition, starting first with Durnford's men who were holding the right flank and who had been in action longer, which precipitated a slowdown in the rate of fire against the Zulus. This argument suggests that
2244-539: A lion, Father ) and Siyonqoba (English: We will conquer ) was used. In some movie songs, like "This Land", the voice says Busa leli zwe bo ( Rule this land ) and Busa ngothando bo ( Rule with love ) were used too. The song Siyahamba is a South African hymn originally written in the Zulu language that became popular in North American churches in the 1990s. The remix of the 2019 worldwide hit Jerusalema contains lyrics in Zulu language. Standard Zulu as it
2376-417: A lowering effect on pitch, adding a non-phonemic low-tone onset to the normal tone of the syllable. Thus, in syllables with depressor consonants, high tones are realised as rising, and falling tones as rising-then-falling. In both cases, the pitch does not reach as high as in non-depressed syllables. The possible tones on a syllable with a voiceless consonant like hla are [ɬá ɬâ ɬà] , and the possible tones of
2508-696: A male figure. Most Zulu people state their beliefs to be Christian . Some of the most common churches to which they belong are African Initiated Churches , especially the Zion Christian Church , Nazareth Baptist Church and United African Apostolic Church , although membership of major European Churches, such as the Dutch Reformed , Anglican and Catholic Churches are also common. Nevertheless, many Zulus retain their traditional pre-Christian belief system of ancestor worship in parallel with their Christianity. Traditional Zulu religion includes belief in
2640-453: A necklace, the beads were displayed in a criss-cross formation across the shoulders. This assemblage of beads by the warriors represented a symbol of bravery. Before the use of glass was apparent to the Zulu, beadwork was derived from wood, seeds and berries. It was not until the arrival of Europeans that glass became a trade material with the Portuguese, which soon became abundantly available to
2772-587: A protest movement against Apartheid but held more conservative views than the ANC . For example, Inkatha was opposed to the armed struggle, and sanctions against South Africa. Inkatha was initially on good terms with the ANC, but the two organisations came into increasing conflict beginning in 1976 in the aftermath of the Soweto Uprising . The language of the Zulu people is "isiZulu", a Bantu language ; more specifically, part of
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#17330862870222904-448: A result of word position as well. The remote demonstrative pronouns may appear with the suffix -ana when sentence-final, but only as -ā otherwise. Likewise, the recent past tense of verbs ends in -ile sentence-finally, but is reduced to -ē medially. Moreover, a falling tone can only occur on a long vowel, so the shortening has effects on tone as well. Some words, such as ideophones or interjections, can have stress that deviates from
3036-532: A stem beginning with a vowel. The following changes occur as a result of palatalization: Zulu employs the 26 letters of the ISO basic Latin alphabet . However, some of the letters have different pronunciations than in English. Additional phonemes are written using sequences of multiple letters. Tone, stress and vowel length are not indicated. Reference works and older texts may use additional letters. A common former practice
3168-407: A variety of attire, both traditional for ceremonial or culturally celebratory occasions, and modern Westernised clothing for everyday use. The women dress differently depending on whether they are single, engaged, or married. The men wore a leather belt with two strips of hide hanging down front and back. In South Africa, the miniskirt has existed since pre-colonial times. In African cultures, such as
3300-597: A woman is pregnant she wears an "isibamba ", a thick belt made from dried grass, covered with glass or plastic beadwork, to support her swelling stomach and its additional weight. The Zulu people govern under a patriarchal society. Men are perceived as the head of the household and seen as authoritative figures. Zulu men identify themselves with great pride and dignity. They also compare themselves to qualities of powerful wild animals such as bulls, lions and elephants. The men contribute to society by acting as defenders, hunters, and lovers. The Zulu men are also in charge of herding
3432-414: A young boy is seen wearing multiple necklaces, it is a sign that he is highly interested in these gifts from various girls. The more gifts he wears, the higher the prestige he obtains. Various forms of beadwork are found in different colour schemes. Typically, there are four different types of colour schemes: The colours of beads might hold different meanings based on the area that they originated from. It
3564-512: Is a Southern Bantu language of the Nguni branch spoken and indigenous to Southern Africa . It is the language of the Zulu people , with about 13.56 million native speakers, who primarily inhabit the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa . The word "KwaZulu-Natal" translates into English as "Home of the Zulu Nation is Natal". Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa (24% of
3696-399: Is a contraction of an earlier ilithambo /ílítʰámbó/ , which may still be used by some speakers. Likewise, uphahla /úːpʰaɬa/ "roof" is a contraction of the earlier uluphahla /ulúpʰaɬa/ . In addition, the vowel of the penultimate syllable is allophonically lengthened phrase- or sentence-finally. The use of click consonants is one of the most distinctive features of Zulu. This feature
3828-537: Is a day of prayer when Zulus thank their creator and their ancestors. By tradition, a new regiment of young warriors is asked to confront a bull to prove its courage, inheriting the beast's strength as it expires. It is believed this power was then transferred to the Zulu king . Zulu people have a system called ilobolo . This term is particularly used by Zulu people when it comes to bride wealth. Every African ethnic group has different requirements when it comes to bride wealth . In pre-capitalist Zulu society, ilobolo
3960-465: Is a sequence of high-low and occurs only on long vowels. The penultimate syllable can also bear a falling tone when it is long due to the word's position in the phrase. However, when it shortens, the falling tone becomes disallowed in that position. In principle, every morpheme has an inherent underlying tone pattern which does not change regardless of where it appears in a word. However, like most other Bantu languages, Zulu has word tone , meaning that
4092-427: Is a symbol of her being ready to accept a boyfriend and even get married. Additionally, each stage of a Zulu's life is determined by a specific type of clothing. An unmarried woman wears a skirt and nothing on top, but as she grows up, the woman starts to cover up her body because a time will come when she will be a married woman and an old woman. Nonetheless, a special type of clothing is reserved for pregnant women. When
Zulu people - Misplaced Pages Continue
4224-1383: Is a table with some words constructed from the roots - Zulu and -ntu (the root for person/people ): The following is a list of phrases that can be used when one visits a region whose primary language is Zulu: The following is from the preamble to the Constitution of South Africa : Thina, bantu baseNingizimu Afrika, Siyakukhumbula ukucekelwa phansi kwamalungelo okwenzeka eminyakeni eyadlula; Sibungaza labo abahluphekela ubulungiswa nenkululeko kulo mhlaba wethu; Sihlonipha labo abasebenzela ukwakha nokuthuthukisa izwe lethu; futhi Sikholelwa ekutheni iNingizimu Afrika ingeyabo bonke abahlala kuyo, sibumbene nakuba singafani. Battle of Isandlwana Zulu victory Overall commander: Maj. Gen. Lord Chelmsford Subordinate commanders: [REDACTED] Bvt. Henry Pulleine † Overall commander: Ntshingwayo kaMahole Khoza Dabulamanzi kaMpande Subordinate commanders: Vumindaba kaNthati Mavumengwana kaNdlela No. 2 Column: British: 14 Native + Colonial: c. 511 No. 3 Column: British: 734 Native + Colonial: c. 578 Total: 1,837 men Zulu Impi : about 20,000 c. 10,000 to 15,000 engaged Reserve: The Battle of Isandlwana (alternative spelling: Isandhlwana ) on 22 January 1879
4356-602: Is clear is that the slaughter was complete in the area around the camp and back to Natal along the Fugitive's Drift. The fighting had been hand-to-hand combat and no quarter was given to the British regulars. The Zulus had been commanded to ignore the civilians in black coats and this meant that some officers, whose patrol dress was dark blue and black at the time, were spared and escaped. Once their ammunition had been expended, surviving British soldiers had no choice but to fight on with bayonet and rifle butt. A Zulu account relates
4488-510: Is featured during the coming of age for a young girl or worn during dances. The beaded elements complement the costumes worn by the Zulu people to bring out a sense of finery or prestige. Beadwork is worn by all men, women, and children at any age. Depending on which stage of life an individual is in, the beadwork indicates different meanings. Beadwork is predominantly worn when young Zulu people are courting or in search of love affairs. The wearing of decorative beadwork can act as an attempt to grab
4620-424: Is impossible to say with certainty, at least 1,000 were killed outright in the assault..." Some 1,000 Martini-Henry rifles, the two field artillery guns, 400,000 rounds of ammunition, three colours, most of the 2,000 draft animals and 130 wagons, provisions such as tinned food, biscuits, beer, overcoats, tents and other supplies, were taken by the Zulu or left abandoned on the field. Of the survivors, most were from
4752-602: Is mostly predictable and normally falls on the penultimate syllable of a word. It is accompanied by an allophonic lengthening of the vowel. When the final vowel of a word is long due to contraction, it receives the stress instead of the preceding syllable. Lengthening does not occur on all words in a sentence, however, but only those that are sentence- or phrase-final. Thus, for any word of at least two syllables, there are two different forms, one with penultimate length and one without it, occurring in complementary distribution. In some cases, there are morphemic alternations that occur as
4884-400: Is not only worn by the dancers but by the guests as well. The Umhlanga is not purely for a time of dance. The King also uses this time to speak to the young men and women of the nation. The King discusses current political issues. The creation of beadwork dates back to the times of war for the Zulu people. This particular form of beadwork was known as iziqu , medallions of war. Often worn as
5016-418: Is often not understood by young people. The vowel system of Zulu consists of five vowels. /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ are pronounced [ e ] and [ o ], respectively, if the following syllable contains the [+ ATR ] vowels /i/ or /u/ . They are [ɛ] and [ɔ] otherwise: There is limited vowel length in Zulu, as a result of the contraction of certain syllables. For example, the word ithambo /íːtʰámbó/ "bone",
5148-404: Is often that this can lead to misrepresentation or confusion when attempting to understand what the beadwork is communicating. One cannot assume that the colour system is standard across South Africa . In some areas, the colour green symbolises jealousy in a certain area, but in other areas it symbolises grass. One must know the origin of the beadwork to interpret the message correctly. Zulus wear
5280-496: Is shared with several other languages of Southern Africa, but it is very rare in other regions. There are three basic articulations of clicks in Zulu: Each articulation covers five click consonants, with differences such as being slack-voiced, aspirated or nasalised , for a total of 15. Zulu syllables are canonically (N)C(w)V , and words must always end in a vowel. Consonant clusters consist of any consonant, optionally preceded by
5412-442: Is taught in schools, also called "deep Zulu" ( isiZulu esijulile ), differs in various respects from the language spoken by people living in cities (Urban Zulu, isiZulu sasedolobheni ). Standard Zulu tends to be purist , using derivations from Zulu words for new concepts, whereas speakers of Urban Zulu use loan words abundantly, mainly from English. For example: This situation has led to problems in education because standard Zulu
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5544-422: Is thus still lower in pitch than both of the adjacent syllables. Depressor consonants have an effect called tone displacement . Tone displacement occurs whenever a depressor occurs with a high tone, and causes the tone on the syllable to shift rightward onto the next syllable. If the next syllable is long, it gets a falling tone, otherwise a regular high tone. If the penultimate syllable becomes high (not falling),
5676-477: Is to injure the opponent and sometimes even kill. There are rules of etiquette that must be abided by when stick fighting. The men can only fight a man the same age as them. One cannot hit the opponent when they lose their stick. Only sticks are allowed when fighting. The women in Zulu society often perform domestic chores such as cleaning, raising children, collecting water and firewood, laundry, tending to crops, cooking, and making clothes. Women can be considered as
5808-479: The 24th Regiment of Foot to guard the camp, under the command of Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Henry Pulleine . Pulleine's orders were to defend the camp and wait for further instructions to support the general as and when called upon. Pulleine also had around 700 men composed of the Natal Native Contingent , local mounted irregulars, and other units. He also had two artillery pieces, with around 70 men of
5940-474: The Natal Native Contingent and a rocket battery of the No. 2 Column to reinforce the camp at Isandlwana. This brought the issue of command to the fore because Durnford was senior and by tradition should have assumed command. However, he did not over-rule Pulleine's dispositions and after lunch he quickly decided to take the initiative and move forward to engage a Zulu force which Pulleine and Durnford judged to be moving against Chelmsford's rear. Durnford asked for
6072-617: The Natal Native Contingent , many of whom were exiled or refugee Zulu. They were led by European officers, but were considered generally of poor quality by the British as they were prohibited from using their traditional fighting technique and inadequately trained in the European method as well as being indifferently armed. Also, there were some irregular colonial cavalry units, and a detachment of artillery consisting of six field guns and several Congreve rockets . Adding on wagon drivers, camp followers and servants, there were around 4,700 men in
6204-482: The Nguni subgroup. Zulu is the most widely spoken language in South Africa, where it is an official language . More than half of the South African population can understand it, with over 13.78 million first-language and over 15 million second-language speakers. Many Zulu people also speak Xitsonga , Sesotho and others from among South Africa's 12 official languages . The Zulu people celebrate an annual event that
6336-670: The Northern Ndebele language ( isiNdebele ) is closely related to Zulu. Xhosa , the predominant language in the Eastern Cape , is often considered mutually intelligible with Zulu, as is Northern Ndebele . Maho (2009) lists four dialects: central KwaZulu-Natal Zulu, northern Transvaal Zulu, eastern coastal Qwabe, and western coastal Cele. The Zulu, like Xhosa and other Nguni people , have lived in South Africa for hundreds of years. The Zulu language possesses several click sounds typical of Southern African languages, not found in
6468-505: The strategic lapses and failings in grand tactics on the part of high command under Bartle Frere and Chelmsford. Still, the latter comes under scrutiny for mistakes that may have led directly to the British defeat. The initial view, reported by Horace Smith-Dorrien , was that the British had difficulty unpacking their ammunition boxes fast enough."The box lids were screwed down, the screws were rusty and difficult to remove, there were too few screwdrivers, standing orders insisted that until
6600-416: The "teacher" meaning. In principle, every syllable can be pronounced with either a high or a low tone. However, low tone does not behave the same as the other two, as high tones can "spread" into low-toned syllables while the reverse does not occur. A low tone is therefore better described as the absence of any toneme; it is a kind of default tone that is overridden by high or falling tones. The falling tone
6732-535: The 24,000 strong main Zulu impi from near present-day Ulundi, on 17 January, across the White Umfolozi River with the following command to his warriors: "March slowly, attack at dawn and eat up the red soldiers." On 18 January, some 4,000 warriors, under the leadership of Mavumengwana kaNdlela Ntuli, were detached from the main body to meet with Dabulamanzi kaMpande and attack Charles Pearson 's No. 1 Column near Eshowe . The remaining 20,000 Zulus camped at
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#17330862870226864-521: The Bantu migrations over millennia. As the clans integrated, the rulership of Shaka brought success to the Zulu nation due to his improved military tactics and organization. Zulus take pride in their ceremonies such as the Umhlanga , or Reed Dance, and their various forms of beadwork. The art and skill of beadwork take part in the identification of Zulu people and act as a form of communication and dedication to
6996-667: The Basotho, the Batswana, the Bapedi, the Amaswati and the AmaZulu, women wore traditional miniskirts as cultural attire. These skirts are not seen as shameless, but are used to cover the women's genitals. The skirts are called isigcebhezana and are essential in Zulu ceremonies. For example, Umemulo is a ceremony for women who turn 21 years of age. It represents a huge transition in the woman's life because it
7128-827: The British colony of Natal . Under apartheid , the homeland of KwaZulu ( Kwa meaning place of ) was created for the Zulu people. In 1970, the Bantu Homeland Citizenship Act provided that all Zulus would become citizens of KwaZulu, losing their South African citizenship. KwaZulu consisted of many disconnected pieces of land, in what is now KwaZulu-Natal . Hundreds of thousands of Zulu people living on privately owned "black spots" outside of KwaZulu were dispossessed and forcibly moved to bantustans – worse land previously reserved for whites contiguous to existing areas of KwaZulu. By 1993, approximately 5.2 million Zulu people lived in KwaZulu, and approximately 2 million lived in
7260-538: The British advance to a crawl. The Zulu army, while a product of a warrior culture, was essentially a militia force which could be called out in time of national danger. It had a very limited logistical capacity and could only stay in the field a few weeks before the troops would be obliged to return to their civilian duties. Zulu warriors were armed primarily with assegai thrusting spears, known in Zulu as iklwa , knobkierrie clubs, some throwing spears and shields made of cowhide. The Zulu warrior, his regiment and
7392-452: The British and ultimately overwhelmed them, killing over 1,300 troops, including all those out on the forward firing line. The Zulu army suffered anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 killed. The battle was a decisive victory for the Zulus and caused the defeat of the first British invasion of Zululand. The British Army had suffered its worst defeat against an indigenous foe equipped with vastly inferior military technology. Isandlwana resulted in
7524-628: The British line so far out from the camp has led Ian Knight to conclude that the British were defending too large a perimeter. The official interrogation by Horse Guards under the direction of the Duke of Cambridge , the Field Marshal Commanding in Chief, in August 1879, concluded that the primary cause of the defeat was the "under estimate formed of the offensive fighting power of the Zulu army", additionally
7656-524: The British line. The Martini–Henry rifle was a powerful weapon and the men were experienced. Additionally, the shell fire of the Royal Artillery forced some Zulu regiments to take cover behind the reverse slope of a hill. Nevertheless, the left horn of the Zulu advance was moving to outflank and envelop the British right. Durnford's men, who had been fighting the longest, began to withdraw and their rate of fire diminished. Durnford's withdrawal exposed
7788-551: The British taking a much more aggressive approach in the Anglo–Zulu War, leading to a heavily reinforced second invasion, and the destruction of King Cetshwayo 's hopes of a negotiated peace. Following the scheme by which Lord Carnarvon had brought about the Confederation of Canada through the 1867 British North America Act , it was thought that a similar plan might succeed in South Africa and in 1877 Sir Henry Bartle Frere
7920-510: The No. 3 Column, and around 3,100 men in the No. 2 Column that composed the main centre column. Colonel Anthony Durnford took charge of No. 2 Column with orders to stay on the defensive near the Middle Drift of the Tugela River . Because of the urgency required to accomplish their scheme, Bartle Frere and Chelmsford began the invasion during the rainy season. This had the consequence of slowing
8052-693: The Royal Artillery. In total, over 1,300 men and two artillery guns of the No. 3 Column were left to defend the camp excluding civilian auxiliaries. Pulleine, left in command of a rear position, was an administrator with no experience of front-line command on a campaign. Nevertheless, he commanded a strong force, particularly the six veteran regular infantry companies, which were experienced in colonial warfare. The mounted vedettes, cavalry scouts, patrolling some 11 km (6.8 mi) from camp reported at 7:00 am that groups of Zulus, numbering around 4,000 men, could be seen. Pulleine received further reports during
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#17330862870228184-566: The Zambezi River at Chirundu in 1835 into Zambia setting up the Ngoni nation that extended to Malawi, Mozambique and Southern Tanzania. In mid-December 1878, envoys of the British crown delivered an ultimatum to 11 chiefs representing the then-current king of the Zulu empire, Cetshwayo . Under the British terms delivered to the Zulu, Cetshwayo would have been required to disband his army and accept British sovereignty. Cetshwayo refused, and war between
8316-461: The Zulu and executed. There was no casualty count of the Zulu losses by the British such as made in many of the other battles since they abandoned the field. Nor was there any count by the Zulu. Modern historians have rejected and reduced the older unfounded estimates. Historians Lock and Quantrill estimate the Zulu casualties as "... perhaps between 1,500 and 2,000 dead. Historian Ian Knight stated: "Zulu casualties were almost as heavy. Although it
8448-545: The Zulu commander of the Mthethwa Empire and successor to Dingiswayo , united what was once a confederation of lordships into an imposing empire under Zulu hegemony . Shaka built a militarized system known as Impi featuring conscription, a standing army, new weaponry, regimentation, and encirclement battle tactics. Zulu expansion was a major factor of the Mfecane ("Crushing") that depopulated large areas of southern Africa. It
8580-419: The Zulu. Beadwork is a form of communication for the Zulu people. Typically when one is wearing multiple beads, it is a sign of wealth. The more beads one is wearing, the wealthier they are perceived. The beads have the potential to convey information about a person's age, gender and marital status. The design of the beads often conveys a particular message. However, one must know the context of their use to read
8712-586: The Zulus and African contingents of the British crown began on January 12, 1879. Despite an early victory for the Zulus at the Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January, the British fought back and won the Battle at Rorke's Drift , and decisively defeated the Zulu army by July at the Battle of Ulundi . After Cetshwayo's capture a month following his defeat, the British divided the Zulu Empire into 13 "kinglets". The sub-kingdoms fought amongst each other until 1883 when Cetshwayo
8844-440: The ammunition was too far from the firing line and that the seventy rounds each man took to the firing line were not sufficient. A different view, supported with evidence from the battlefield, such as Ian Knight and Lt. Colonel Snook's works, (the latter having written How Can Man Die Better? ), suggests that, although Durnford's men probably did run out of ammunition, the majority of men in the firing line did not. The discovery of
8976-415: The area of the spurs of Nqutu hill. Having been discovered, the Zulu force leapt to the offensive. Raw's men began a fighting retreat back to the camp, and a messenger was sent to warn Pulleine. The Zulu adopted their traditional pitched battle formation, known as the 'horns and chest of the buffalo', with the aim of encircling the British position. From Pulleine's vantage point in the camp, at first only
9108-530: The arms of a coward, as they said, for they enable the poltroon to kill the brave without awaiting his attack." The British had timed the invasion to coincide with the harvest, intending to catch the Zulu warrior-farmers dispersed. Fortunately for Cetshwayo, the Zulu army had already begun to assemble at Ulundi, as it did every year for the First Fruits ceremony when all warriors were duty-bound to report to their regimental barracks near Ulundi. Cetshwayo sent
9240-462: The army drilled in the personal and tactical use and coordination of this weapons system. Some Zulus also had old muskets and antiquated rifles stockpiled, a relatively few of which were carried by Zulu impi . However, their marksmanship was very poor, quality and supply of powder and shot dreadful, maintenance non-existent and attitude towards firearms summed up in the observation that: "The generality of Zulu warriors, however, would not have firearms –
9372-527: The attention of someone of the opposite sex. Also, the gifting of beadwork is a way of communicating interest with lovers. During the transition from single to married women, beadwork is shown through a beaded cloth apron worn over a pleated leather skirt. As for older or mature women, beadwork is displayed in detailed headdresses and cowhide skirts that extend past the knee. These long skirts are also seen on unmarried women and young marriageable-age girls. Men are more conservative when wearing beadwork. However, when
9504-729: The auxiliaries. The two field artillery guns which were taken to Ulundi as trophies, were later found abandoned by a British patrol after the Battle of Ulundi. The following order of battle was arrayed on the day. Commanding Officer: Brevet Colonel Anthony Durnford, RE Commanding Officer: Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pulleine, 1st/24th Foot uDududu, uNokenke regiments, part uNodwengu corps – 3,000 to 4,000 men umCijo, uKhandampevu, regiments; part uNodwengu corps – 7,000 to 9,000 men inGobamakhosi, uMbonambi, uVe regiments – 5,000 to 6,000 men Undi corps, uDloko, iNdluyengwe, Indlondlo and Uthulwana regiments – 4,000 to 5,000 men The Zulus avoided
9636-593: The cattle, educating themselves on the lives of disciplined warriors, creating weapons, and learning the art of stick fighting. The art of stick fighting is a celebration of manhood for Zulu men. These men can begin to learn this fighting art form as young as the age of five years old. There are multiple reasons why men learn how to stick fight. For example, men may want to learn so that they can set right any wrongs or insults made towards them. Other reasons some men choose to learn are for sporting purposes, proving skills or manliness, and self-defence. The goal of stick fighting
9768-466: The community, one's isithunzi . By contrast, acting in a negative way towards others can reduce the isithunzi , and the isithunzi can fade away completely. To appeal to the spirit world, a diviner ( sangoma ) must invoke the ancestors through divination processes to determine the problem. Then, a herbalist ( inyanga ) prepares a mixture ( muthi ) to be consumed to influence the ancestors. As such, diviners and herbalists play an important part in
9900-422: The daily lives of the Zulu people. However, a distinction is made between white muthi ( umuthi omhlope ), which has positive effects, such as healing or the prevention or reversal of misfortune, and black muthi ( umuthi omnyama ), which can bring illness or death to others, or ill-gotten wealth to the user. Users of black muthi are considered witches, and shunned by society. Christianity had difficulty gaining
10032-620: The defence. The Zulus had outmanoeuvred Chelmsford and their victory at Isandlwana was complete and forced the main British force to retreat out of Zululand until a far larger British Army could be shipped to South Africa for a second invasion. Recent historians, notably Lock and Quantrill in Zulu Victory , argue that from the Zulu perspective the theatre of operations included the diversions around Magogo Hills and Mangeni Falls and that these diversions, which drew more than half of Chelmsford's forces away from Isandlwana, were deliberate. Also,
10164-559: The dispersal of their main fighting force and concealed the advance and location of this force until they were within a few hours' striking distance of the British. When the location of the main Zulu Impi was discovered by British scouts, the Zulus immediately advanced and attacked, achieving tactical surprise. The British, although they now had some warning of a Zulu advance, were unable to concentrate their central column. It also left little time and gave scant information for Pulleine to organise
10296-436: The early morning, each of which noted movements, both large and small, of Zulus. There was speculation among the officers whether these troops were intending to march against Chelmsford's rear or towards the camp itself. Around 10:30 am, Colonel Anthony Durnford , whose left arm was paralyzed from wounds sustained at Bushman's River Pass during the pursuit of Chief Langalibalele , arrived from Rorke's Drift with 500 men of
10428-411: The final stage of the battle at about 3:00 pm: In a few seconds we distinctly saw the guns fired again, one after the other, sharp. This was done several times – a pause, and then a flash – flash! The sun was shining on the camp at the time, and then the camp looked dark, just as if a shadow was passing over it. The guns did not fire after that, and in a few minutes all the tents had disappeared. Nearly
10560-422: The final syllable dissimilates and becomes low if it was not already. Tone displacement is blocked under the following conditions: Whenever tone displacement is blocked, this results in a depressor syllable with a high tone, which will have the low-tone onset as described above. When the following syllable already has a high or falling tone, the tone disappears from the syllable as if it had been shifted away, but
10692-451: The first full-length feature film in Zulu, Yesterday , was nominated for an Oscar . The mutual intelligibility of many Nguni languages has increased the likelihood of Zulu becoming the lingua franca of the eastern half of the country. In the 1994 film The Lion King , in the " Circle of Life " song, the phrases Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (English: A lion and a leopard spots ), Nans' ingonyama bakithi Baba (English: Here comes
10824-780: The following consonant, although the difference between homorganic nonsyllabic /mC/ and syllabic /m̩C/ is distinctive, e.g. umpetshisi /um̩pétʃiːsi/ "peach tree" (5 syllables) versus impoko /ímpoːɠo/ "grass flower" (3 syllables). Moreover, sequences of syllabic m and homorganic m can occur, e.g. ummbila /úm̩mbíːla/ "maize" (4 syllables). Recent loanwords from languages such as English may violate these constraints, by including additional consonant clusters that are not native to Zulu, such as in igremu /iːgreːmu/ " gram ". There may be some variation between speakers as to whether clusters are broken up by an epenthetic vowel or not, e.g. ikhompiyutha /iːkʰompijuːtʰa/ or ikhompyutha /iːkʰompjuːtʰa/ "computer". Stress in Zulu words
10956-441: The following syllable's tone is not modified. Some examples: Palatalization is a change that affects labial and alveolar consonants whenever they are immediately followed by /j/ . While palatalization occurred historically, it is still productive and occurs as a result of the addition of suffixes beginning with /j/ . A frequent example is the diminutive suffix -yana . Moreover, Zulu does not generally tolerate sequences of
11088-463: The idea of officers escaping on horseback when their men on foot are being killed." Of the 1,800-plus force of British troops and African auxiliaries, over 1,300 were killed, most of them Europeans, including field commanders Pulleine and Durnford. Only five Imperial officers survived (including Lieutenants Henry Curling and Horace Smith-Dorrien ), and the 52 officers lost was the most lost by any British battalion up to that time. Amongst those killed
11220-511: The ilobolo payment to 10 cattle for commoners (plus the ingquthu cow for the mother), 15 for hereditary chief siblings and 20-plus for the daughters of a chief. They found it too lenient to let the groom give whatever amount he wanted, so they decided to establish a specific number of cattle that would be needed before or at the start of the marriage. This has been accepted by Zulu men who were educated in mission schools, but according to more ritual people this became “untraditional”. Additionally, with
11352-591: The instauration of the Natal Code, some Zulu men decided to settle another way in which they could decrease the ilobo: offer a token payment or bring a present for the father of the prospective bride to decrease the ilobolo amount to be paid. The payment of ilobolo can be difficult for some families, but as it is often considered a symbol of pride and respect, many are willing to maintain this tradition as long as possible. Zulu language Zulu ( / ˈ z uː l uː / ZOO -loo ), or isiZulu as an endonym ,
11484-468: The intent of instigating a war with the Zulu, had presented an ultimatum to the Zulu king Cetshwayo on 11 December 1878 with which the Zulu king could not possibly comply. When the ultimatum expired a month later, Bartle Frere ordered Lord Chelmsford to proceed with an invasion of Zululand, for which plans had already been made. Lord Chelmsford , the Commander-in-Chief of British forces during
11616-470: The intention of attacking the British Army on 23 January. Pulleine had received reports of large forces of Zulus throughout the morning of 22 January from 8:00am on. Vedettes had observed Zulus on the hills to the left front, and Lt. Chard, while he was at the camp, observed a large force of several thousand Zulu moving to the British left around the hill of Isandlwana. Pulleine sent word to Chelmsford, which
11748-442: The investigation questions Chelmsford as to why the camp was not laagered and why there was a failure to reconnoitre and discover the nearby Zulu army. Colenso calls Chelmsford's neglecting to follow his own "Regulations for Field Forces in South Africa", which required that a defensible camp be established at every halt, fatal. Numerous messages, some quite early in the day, had been sent to Chelmsford informing him, initially, of
11880-562: The isiPhezi ikhanda. The next day, the main force arrived and camped near Babanango Mountain , then moved the next day to a camp near Siphezi Mountain. Finally, on 21 January they moved into the Ngwebeni Valley, where they remained concealed, planning to attack the British on 23 January, but they were discovered by a scouting party on 22 January. Under the command of Ntshigwayo kaMahole the Zulu army had reached its position in easy stages. It marched in two columns within sight of each other, but
12012-401: The kingdom and under the command of a close relative to (or someone else appointed by) the king. The barracks were designed and laid out similarly to an umuzi , but on a much larger scale. Aside from military duties, the izinsizwa ("young men") were also responsible for the repair and maintenance of their barracks. The Zulu formed a powerful state in 1816 under the leader Shaka . Shaka, as
12144-452: The latter is the class 9 noun prefix in- , which ends in a homorganic nasal. Prenasalisation triggers several changes in the following consonant, some of which are phonemic and others allophonic. The changes can be summed as follows: Zulu has tonic assimilation : high tones tend to spread allophonically to following low-tone syllables, raising their pitch to a level just below that of adjacent high-tone syllables. A toneless syllable between
12276-415: The latter without the h . Nouns are written with their prefixes as one orthographical word. If the prefix ends with a vowel (as most do) and the noun stem also begins with a vowel, a hyphen is inserted in between, e.g. i-Afrika . This occurs only with loanwords. Here are some of the main features of Zulu: The root can be combined with several prefixes and thus create other words. For example, here
12408-466: The main Zulu force was not unexpectedly discovered in their encampment but was fully deployed and ready to advance on the British camp. These historians' view of the expanded battlefield considers Chelmsford to have been the overall commander of the British forces and that responsibility for the defeat lies firmly with him. Debate persists as to how and why the British lost the battle. Many arguments focus on possible local tactical occurrences, as opposed to
12540-399: The message correctly. Depending on the area in which the beadwork was made, some designs can depict different messages compared to other areas. A message could be embedded into the colours and structure of the beads or could be strictly for decorative purposes. Beadwork can be worn in everyday use but is often worn during important occasions such as weddings, or ceremonies. For example, beadwork
12672-541: The modern Zulu population. Traditionally, the Zulu recognize several elements to be present in a human being: the physical body ( inyama yomzimba or umzimba ); the breath or life force ( umoya womphefumulo or umoya ); and the "shadow" prestige or personality ( isithunzi ). Once the umoya leaves the body, the isithunzi may live on as an ancestral spirit ( idlozi ) only if certain conditions were met in life. Behaving with ubuntu , or showing respect and generosity towards others, enhances one's moral standing or prestige in
12804-404: The nation and specific traditions. Today, the Zulu people are predominantly Christian , but have created a syncretic religion that is combined with the Zulu's prior belief systems. The Zulu were originally a minor clan in what is today Northern KwaZulu-Natal , founded c. 1574 by Zulu kaMalandela . In the Nguni languages , iZulu means heaven or weather . At that time, the area
12936-427: The native troops began to leave the battlefield at this point. Pulleine only made one change to the original disposition after about 20 minutes of firing, bringing in the companies in the firing line slightly closer to the camp. For an hour or so until after noon, the disciplined British volleys pinned down the Zulu centre, inflicting many casualties and causing the advance to stall. Indeed, morale remained high within
13068-403: The natives whose poorly equipped armies would put up a fight but in the end would succumb. Chelmsford believed that a force of over 4,000, including 2,000 British infantry armed with Martini–Henry rifles , as well as artillery, had more than sufficient firepower to overwhelm any attack by Zulus armed only with spears, cowhide shields and a few firearms such as Brown Bess muskets . Indeed, with
13200-530: The pattern of tones acts more like a template to assign tones to individual syllables, rather than a direct representation of the pronounced tones themselves. Consequently, the relationship between underlying tone patterns and the tones that are pronounced can be quite complex. Underlying high tones tend to surface rightward from the syllables where they are underlyingly present, especially in longer words. The breathy consonant phonemes in Zulu are depressor consonants or depressors for short. Depressor consonants have
13332-599: The population), and it is understood by over 50% of its population. It became one of South Africa's 12 official languages in 1994. According to Ethnologue , it is the second-most widely spoken of the Bantu languages , after Swahili . Like many other Bantu languages, it is written with the Latin alphabet . In South African English , the language is often referred to in its native form, isiZulu . Zulu migrant populations have taken it to adjacent regions, especially Zimbabwe , where
13464-471: The preceding syllable, resulting in a falling tone contour. For example, the English word spoon was borrowed into Zulu as isipunu , phonemically /ísipúnu/ . The second syllable si assimilates to the surrounding high tones, raising its pitch, so that it is pronounced [ísípʼúːnù] sentence-finally. If tone pitch is indicated with numbers, with 1 highest and 9 lowest pitch, then the pitches of each syllable can be denoted as 2-4-3-9. The second syllable
13596-409: The presence of the Zulu near the camp and, subsequently, of the attack on the camp, with increasingly urgent pleas for help. The most egregious failure to respond occurred at around 1:30 pm when a message from Hamilton-Browne stating, "For God's sake come back, the camp is surrounded, and things I fear are going badly", was received by Lieutenant-Colonel Harness of the Royal Artillery and Major Black of
13728-439: The regular pattern. Like almost all other Bantu and other African languages , Zulu is tonal . There are three main tonemes : low, high and falling. Zulu is conventionally written without any indication of tone, but tone can be distinctive in Zulu. For example, the words "priest" and "teacher" are both spelt umfundisi , but they are pronounced with different tones: /úm̩fúndisi/ for the "priest" meaning, and /úm̩fundísi/ for
13860-610: The resistance was more protracted than originally thought, and a number of desperate last stands were made. Evidence shows that many of the bodies, today marked by cairns , were found in several large groups around the camp – including one stand of around 150 men. A Zulu account describes a group of the 24th forming a square on the neck of Isandlwana. Colonial cavalry, the NMP and the carabiniers, who could easily have fled as they had horses, died around Durnford in his last stand, while nearby their horses were found dead on their picket rope. What
13992-594: The rest of Africa. The Nguni people have coexisted with other Southern tribes like the San and Khoi. Zulu, like most indigenous Southern African languages, was not a written language until the arrival of missionaries from Europe, who documented the language using the Latin script . The first grammar book of the Zulu language was published in Norway in 1850 by the Norwegian missionary Hans Schreuder . The first written document in Zulu
14124-528: The rest of South Africa. The Chief Minister of KwaZulu, from its creation in 1970 (as Zululand) was Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi . In 1994, KwaZulu was joined with the province of Natal, to form the modern KwaZulu-Natal. Inkatha YeSizwe means "the crown of the nation". In 1975, Buthelezi revived the Inkatha YaKwaZulu, the predecessor of the Inkatha Freedom Party . This organisation was nominally
14256-474: The right flank of the British regulars, which, with the general threat of the Zulu encirclement, caused Pulleine to order a withdrawal back to the camp. The regulars' retreat was performed with order and discipline and the men of the 24th conducted a fighting withdrawal into the camp. Durnford's retreat, however, exposed the flank of G Company, 2nd/24th, which was overrun relatively quickly. An officer in advance of Chelmsford's force gave this eyewitness account of
14388-416: The right horn and then the chest (centre) of the attack seemed to be developing. Pulleine sent out first one, then all six companies of the 24th Foot into an extended firing line, with the aim of meeting the Zulu attack head-on and checking it with firepower. Durnford's men, upon meeting elements of the Zulu centre, had retreated to a donga , a dried-out watercourse, on the British right flank where they formed
14520-490: The river, and received posthumous Victoria Crosses in 1907 as the legend of their gallantry grew, and, after twenty-seven years of steady campaigning by the late Mrs. Melvill (who had died in 1906), on the strength of Queen Victoria being quoted as saying that 'if they had survived they would have been awarded the Victoria Cross'. Garnet Wolseley , who replaced Chelmsford, felt otherwise at the time and stated, "I don't like
14652-463: The same moment is described in a Zulu warrior's account. The sun turned black in the middle of the battle; we could still see it over us, or should have thought we had been fighting till evening. Then we got into the camp, and there was a great deal of smoke and firing. Afterwards the sun came out bright again. The local time of the solar eclipse on that day is calculated as 2:30 pm. The presence of large numbers of bodies grouped together suggests
14784-526: The single-handed fight by the guard of Chelmsford's tent, a big Irishman of the 24th who kept the Zulus back with his bayonet until he was speared and the general's Union flag captured. Both the colours of the 2nd 24th were lost, while the Queen's colour of the 1st 24th was carried off the field by Lieutenant Melvill on horseback but lost when he crossed the river, despite Lieutenant Coghill having come to his aid. Both Melvill and Coghill were killed after crossing
14916-552: The sole income earners of the household. A woman's stages of life lead up to the goal of marriage. As a woman approaches puberty, she is known as a tshitshi . A tshitshi reveals her singleness by wearing less clothing. Single women typically do not wear clothing to cover their head, breasts, legs and shoulders. Engaged women wear hairnets to show their marital status to society and married women cover themselves in clothing and headdresses. Also, women are taught to defer to men and treat them with great respect. The women are always bound by
15048-479: The terrain and the weaknesses in the British formation, all combined to prove catastrophic for the troops at Isandlwana. In contrast, the Zulus responded to the unexpected discovery of their camp with an immediate and spontaneous advance. Even though the indunas lost control over the advance, the warriors' training allowed the Zulu troops to form their standard attack formation on the run, with their battle line deployed in reverse of its intended order. The Zulu Army
15180-407: The traditional assegai iron spears and cow-hide shields, but also had a number of muskets and antiquated rifles . The British and colonial troops were armed with the modern Martini–Henry breechloading rifle and two 7-pounder mountain guns deployed as field guns, as well as a Hale rocket battery. The Zulus had a vast disadvantage in weapons technology, but they greatly outnumbered
15312-575: The wagons) was formed. Chelmsford did not see the need for one, stating, "It would take a week to make." But the chief reason for the failure to take defensive precautions appears to have been that the British command severely underestimated the Zulus' capabilities. The experience of numerous colonial wars fought in Africa was that the massed firepower of relatively small bodies of professional European troops, armed with modern firearms and artillery and supplemented by local allies and levies, would march out to meet
15444-672: The war, initially planned a five-pronged invasion of Zululand consisting of over 16,500 troops in five columns and designed to encircle the Zulu army and force it to fight as he was concerned that the Zulus would avoid battle, slip around the British and over the Tugela, and strike at Natal. Lord Chelmsford settled on three invading columns with the main centre column, now consisting of some 7,800 men, under his direct command. The centre column comprised No. 3 Column, commanded by Colonel Richard Thomas Glyn , and Colonel Anthony Durnford 's No. 2 Column. Chelmsford moved his troops from Pietermaritzburg to
15576-426: Was Surgeon Major Peter Shepherd , a first-aid pioneer. The Natal Native Contingent lost some 400 men, and there were 240 lost from the group of 249 amaChunu African auxiliaries. Perhaps the last to die was Gabangaye, the portly chief of the amaChunu Natal Native Contingent, who was given over to be killed by the udibi (porter or carrier) boys. The captured Natal Native Contingent soldiers were regarded as traitors by
15708-729: Was a Bible translation that appeared in 1883. In 1901, John Dube (1871–1946), a Zulu from Natal, created the Ohlange Institute, the first native educational institution in South Africa. He was also the author of Insila kaShaka , the first novel written in Zulu (1930). Another pioneering Zulu writer was Reginald Dhlomo , author of several historical novels of the 19th-century leaders of the Zulu nation: U-Dingane (1936), U-Shaka (1937), U-Mpande (1938), U-Cetshwayo (1952) and U-Dinizulu (1968). Other notable contributors to Zulu literature include Benedict Wallet Vilakazi and, more recently, Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali . The written form of Zulu
15840-572: Was appointed as High Commissioner for Southern Africa to instigate the scheme. Some of the obstacles to such a plan were the presence of the independent states of the South African Republic and the Kingdom of Zululand , both of which the British Empire would attempt to overcome by force of arms. Bartle Frere, on his own initiative, without the approval of the British government and with
15972-452: Was commanded by Umtwana (Prince) Ntshingwayo kaMahole Khoza and Umtwana Mavumengwana kaNdlela Ntuli. The inDuna Dabulamanzi kaMpande , half brother of Cetshwayo, commanded the Undi Corps after Zibhebhu kaMaphitha , the regular inkhosi , or commander, was wounded. While Chelmsford was in the field seeking them, the entire Zulu army had outmanoeuvred him, moving behind his force with
16104-595: Was controlled by the Zulu Language Board of KwaZulu-Natal . This board has now been disbanded and superseded by the Pan South African Language Board which promotes the use of all eleven official languages of South Africa. English, Dutch and later Afrikaans had been the only official languages used by all South African governments before 1994. However, in the Kwazulu bantustan , the Zulu language
16236-586: Was during this period when Shaka deployed an army regiment for raiding nations in the North. The regiment which was under Mzilikazi disobeyed Shaka and crafted a plan to continue raiding up-North forming another dialect of Zulu language referred to as Northern Ndebele (now in Zimbabwe). Another group under Zwangendaba who was Shakas relative from the Gumbi Clan from Pongola and military commander trekked northwards crossing
16368-475: Was established in 1984 called the Umhlanga or Reed Dance. This event takes place at the royal capital near Nongoma . This traditional ceremony is performed by young women from all parts of the kingdom to perform in front of the monarch and his guests. The purpose of this event is to promote pride in virginity and to restrain sexual relationships. Beadwork is a prominent attire that is worn at the Umhlanga. The beadwork
16500-438: Was inextricably linked to the ownership of cattle. During that time, there was not a fixed number of cattle required for the wedding to happen; it could be paid before the marriage or during the marriage. The groom takes the cattle from his father's herd to perpetuate the family heritage. Nonetheless, this ritual changed during colonisation because in 1869, Theophilus Shepstone , then Natal Secretary for Native Affairs , formalized
16632-549: Was occupied by many large Nguni communities and clans (also called the isizwe people or nation, or called isibongo , referring to their clan or family name). Nguni communities had migrated down Africa's east coast over millennia, as part of the Bantu migrations . As the nation began to develop, the rulership of Shaka brought the clans together to build a cohesive identity for the Zulu. The Zulu nation's growth and strength were based on its military organization and skills during Shaka's reign and those of his successors. The military
16764-502: Was organized around the ukubuthwa ("to be enrolled") system, which did away with initiation ceremonies for the most part. Each age set, or group of young men of the same age, was assigned to the same regiment ( ibutho , singular; amabutho , plural), according to the system. Girls were also subject to ukubuthwa , but they were usually assigned to an age group rather than to a regiment. The amabutho were housed in military barracks (singular, ikhanda ; plural, amakhanda ) located throughout
16896-475: Was received by the general between 9:00 am and 10:00 am. The main Zulu force was discovered at around 11:00 am by men of Lt. Charles Raw's troop of scouts, who chased a number of Zulus into a valley, only then seeing most of the 20,000 men of the main enemy force sitting in total quiet. This valley has generally been thought to be the Ngwebeni some 7 miles (11 km) from the British camp but may have been closer in
17028-464: Was reinstated as king over Zululand . This still did not stop the fighting and the Zulu monarch was forced to flee his realm by Zibhebhu , one of the 13 kinglets, supported by Boer mercenaries. Cetshwayo died of a heart attack in February 1884, leaving his son, the 15-year-old Dinuzulu , to inherit the throne. In-fighting between the Zulu continued for years until in 1897 Zululand was absorbed fully into
17160-622: Was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom . Eleven days after the British invaded Zululand in Southern Africa , a Zulu force of some 20,000 warriors attacked a portion of the British main column consisting of approximately 1,800 British, colonial and native troops with approximately 350 civilians. The Zulus were equipped mainly with
17292-515: Was to indicate the implosive /ɓ/ using the special letter ɓ , while the digraph bh would then be simply written as b . Some references may also write h after letters to indicate that they are of the depressor variety, e.g. mh , nh , yh , a practice that is standard in Xhosa orthography. Very early texts, from the early 20th century or before, tend to omit the distinction between plain and aspirated voiceless consonants, writing
17424-585: Was widely used. All education in the country at the high school level was in English or Afrikaans. Since the fall of apartheid in 1994, Zulu has been enjoying a marked revival. Zulu-language television was introduced by the SABC in the early 1980s and it broadcasts news and many shows in Zulu. Zulu radio is very popular and newspapers such as isoLezwe , Ilanga and UmAfrika in the Zulu language are available in Kwazulu-Natal province and Johannesburg . In January 2005
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