A guide to zulu culture, traditions, and cuisine demand. To understand the role of a culture of gender equality as outlined in the constitution. The zulu clan reputation is well known for their proud, fierce, and barbaric behavior. Unkulunkulu the greatest one was created in uhlanga, a huge swamp of reeds, before he came to earth. Aug 27, 2018 zulu dances, a reflection of societal beliefs and warrior traditions drums are an essential part of zulu celebrations, usually accompanied by dancing and chanting. The main objective of this paper is to examine african culture and values. The introduction explores the social roles of the zulu, from childhood to old age. The zulu grandmother is the object of reverence and exerts considerable influence. Cattle have always been the primary form of subsistence for this. Jul 02, 20 the zulu dances are part of the tribes culture usually performed during a traditional zulu ceremony. Pdf the zulu identity south african ingenious tribes. According to the more traditional zulu belief all misfortune is. Pdf traditional zulu theories of illness in psychiatric. Impression management within the zulu culture scielo sa.
This website design by warthog web design the zulu people. In addition to the traditional western forms, there are numerous syncretist churches, and indigenous beliefs about the supernatural, particularly regarding ancestors, are still important. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Culture of swaziland history, people, women, beliefs, food. The royals and their children embody good morals, and lead their communities by example.
Zulu culture, traditions, food, religion and combat. The creator god is almighty, but has little to do with everyday affairs. Culture, religion, history, civilisation and african identity. Theres a venda proverb that says that if they lack values, they then have a bad. After nearly 150 years of missionary activity the majority of the some 5. Procreation is highly valued in african cultures and so in zulu culture, and involves lineage, ancestors, religion and the fulfilment of family and gender roles 7,8. Christianity was brought by the missionaries from america and europe and was not accepted easily by the zulus. According to ethnologies, in 1816 a new chief shaka zulu conquered and created a nation that was named after him. Allah,jehovah,yahweh, eloahim, jah, god, the most high, the creator, and he supreme one. According to zulu beliefs, human beings have a body umzimba and a spirit or soul idlozi.
Zulu customs vary region to region with the zulu kingdom but there are some generally constant customs in most parts of the zulu kingdom such as these. The nguni clans, which originated in east africa in the fifteenth century, moved into southern mozambique and then into presentday swaziland. Traditional zulu society has chiefs and a king who represent all the zulu culture. It is the duty of the wife to bring the children up and children are taught from an early age to respect elders and never speak unless spoken to. The zulu people have a strong belief in the potency of their ancestors. Taylor saw culture as that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs. Observing the values of a people informs one about what is important to a given people. The zulu are the largest ethnic group in south africa with an estimated 1012 million people living mainly in the province of kwazulunatal. The wisdom and understanding of the fifteen beliefs of the universal zulu nation we believe in one god, not in pagan gods like the god of the sun, wind, fire, earth, water, ice, or hundreds of gods but only in one god who is called by many names. However, in zulu culture women are not seen as lesser than their male counterpart. The king was responsible for all national magic and rainmaking. Zulu beliefs are formed around the presence of ancestral spirits, known as amadlozi and abaphansi.
In zulu culture, for both the traditionalist and christian zulu, honouring. In our tradition, when an animal is slaughtered, for any ritual, the horns are not thrown away. Nowadays, however, traditional beliefs and christianity are often combined. In discussing african culture and values, we are not presupposing that all african societies have the same. The zulu dances are part of the tribes culture usually performed during a traditional zulu ceremony. Traditional zulu religion was based on ancestor worship and on beliefs in a creator god, witches, and sorcerers. Religion and beliefs of the zulu people south africa. According to ethnologies, in 1816 a new chief shaka zulu conquered and created a nation that was named. Therefore, most zulus interact on a day to day level with the spirits. For many, however, the amadlozi ancestors or shades of dead kin who once dominated zulu religion are still a force to be reckoned with and propitiated.
The zulu believe in a creator god known as nkulunkulu, but this god does not interact with humans and has no interest in everyday life. The zulu are the descendants of ngunispeaking people. Meaning society is male dominated, or male focused. Unkulunkulu is sometimes conflated with the sky sun god umvelinqangi meaning he who was in the very. The first wife will initiate the acquisition of further wives as they are a help around the house. The zulu family structure, polygamy, sleeping and etiquette. Often, the zulu clan sacrifice of cattles to discover wishes of their late ancestors.
The word zulu means gods people or people of heaven. East and southern africa, speaks of anxiety in terms of i belief in the efficacy of. In addition, there is the inhliziyo heart or feelings, the ingqondo brain, mind, understanding and the isithunzi shadow, personality. Cooking is a long and honored tradition among the womenwives of zulu. Zulu traditional healing, afrikan worldview and the.
Many people consult tinyanga traditional healers, who employ natural medicine and ritual in. The ingungu drum finds use in every traditional ritual and celebration, be it the onset of womanhood or a marriage ceremony. The zulu believe that they are the direct descendants of the patriarch zulu, who was born to a nguni chief in the congo basin area. They are a branch of the southern bantu and have close ethnic, linguistic, and cultural ties with the swazi and xhosa.
He will come courting, and at the appropriate time ask the girl to explain the meaning of her letter. Masculinity has been the subject of human sciences for the past two hundred years. The practice of having several wives indicates a mans social standing, wealth and virility. Zulu beliefs are formed around the presence of ancestral spirits, known as. The sangoma diviner spiritual healer has to satisfy a demand for umuthi medicine, to prevent misfortune, lightning, to win the lottery, good luck when job hunting or finding a girlfriend the list is endless. Reevaluating zulu religion an afrocentric analysis ana maria monteiroferreira temple university through a brief overview of zulu history and traditions, this article, com mitted to reevaluating traditional zulu social patterns, questions the euro pean interpretations of zulu peoples system of beliefs and religious and spiritual concepts.
The word zulu means sky and according to oral history, zulu was the name of the ancestor who founded the zulu royal line in about 1670. The xhosa, also often called the red blanket people, are of nguni stock, like the zulu. Therefore, most zulu s interact on a day to day level with the spirits. Red and the orange of ochre were the traditional colours of the xhosa, tembu and bomvana the red ones.
Zulu culture, traditions, battles, history and superstitions. A a festival involving snakes, a reed dance with thousands of zulu dancers or a large religious gathering of the shembe are all cultural outings available to you when exploring eshowe in zululand at certain times of the year the cultural calendar in zululand has particular ceremonies of interest and you can attend one of these events as part of a guided tour. The girls were raised to acknowledge that men were in charge of life as. It may come in different sizes with different designs. History and ethnic relations emergence of the nation.
As the clans integrated together, the rulership of shaka brought. Zulu culture the zulus tribe is an independent clan and the largest ethnic group in south africa. Understanding zulu cultural ceremonies in zululand, kwazulu. Today it is estimated that there are more than 45 million south africans, and the zulu. A guide to zulu culture, traditions, and cuisine demand africa. The spirit world, on the other hand, is always present in traditional zulu religion.
Ancestors presence comes in the form of dreams, sickness and snakes. The zulu people believe in a higher power called unkulunkulu greatest of all great but they also share their world with the spirits of their ancestors. For many people, the zulu are the bestknown african people. Understanding zulu beliefs and customs in relation to hiv. The zulu language, of which there are variations, is part of the nguni language group. The name xhosa is a generalised term for a diversity of proud clans, the pondo, bomvana, thembu and the xhosa tribe itself.
Zulu people refer to themselves as the people of the heavens and they are the. The true values can be determined through examination of nomenclature, ritual, and traditions. During the dancing, it is customary for unmarried and young men to participate, alternating. Jun 22, 2010 for zulu women there is power inequity, as they are often financially dependent and expected to be tolerant of genderspecific sexual behaviours. Their military exploits led to the rise of a great kingdom that was feared for a long time over much of the african continent. To a certain extent they are praised because women are the source from which family is born.
These are made by girls of courting age, and sent by a friend to the favoured boy. Unkulunkulu is the highest god and is the creator of humanity. Zulu traditional religion contains numerous deities commonly associated with animals or general classes of natural phenomena. Red and the orange of ochre were the traditional colours of. Masculinity has been the subject of human sciences for. The zulu originated from nguni communities who took part in the bantu migrations. For women in patriarchal societies life may seemed shadowed by male dominance. Symbols and meanings the zulu community basically uses the beadwork as a way to communicate with each other, just like the old tradition of weddings, men give women engagement rings so others know that they are not available in the dating community no more, and the zulu community uses beadwork as a form of communication with each other. V v enda culture and traditions are rooted in the responsibilities of the royal leaders, who are referred to as mahosi or vhamusanda in the luvenda language, which means chiefs or traditional leaders who are royal leaders. The significance of marriage and death in zulu culture.
The zulu are a traditional huntergathering ethnic group in south africa. Zulus are the largest black group inside south africa. This event takes place at the royal capital near nongoma. Zulu dances, a reflection of societal beliefs and warrior traditions drums are an essential part of zulu celebrations, usually accompanied by dancing and chanting. Ebook zulu wedding as pdf download portable document format. If the zulu culture at that period was patriarchal and androcentric, it means that girls and women were at the lower end of these systems. Unfortunately, this respect for the ancestors has been misunderstood by many and labeled as worship or, more recently, as veneration. Today the zulu traditional structure clashes with the present central and democratic government of south africa. Zulu, a nation of ngunispeaking people in kwazulunatal province, south africa. It introduces the rites of passage through childhood, the tribal zulu child, bush lore, stickfighting, cattle culture, nyangas and sangomas. Today there are about 3 million zulus, who mostly live in the natal province of south africa.
Zulu people, tradition and culture african crafts market. Religion the zulu religion is based on the creator god unkulunkulu and the worship of ancestors. The zulu are the single largest ethnic group in south africa and numbered about nine million in the. Opportune times to communicate with ancestors are during birth, puberty, marriage and death. Culture of swaziland history, people, women, beliefs. Readers are given a historic overview, covering the british influence on the zulu, their military history and weaponry. There is a complete lack of familiarity between father and son. No men allowed childbirth among the zulu has always been the concern of women alone, and no men are allowed to be present at birth. Men play the dominate role in the zulu family, the zulu women are renowned for the bead craft, basket weaving, and pottery, the men are crafted in. In townships, you may still find a hut, outside the main house.
Whether one lives in a rural area or is an urban zulu to paraphrase the late renowned popstar busi mhlongo, zulus generally adhere to the beliefs of their forebears and live in many worlds in fact. It is said the fastest way to a mans heart is through is the stomach. For zulu women there is power inequity, as they are often financially dependent and expected to be tolerant of genderspecific sexual behaviours. Sobhuza i ruled during a period of chaos, resulting from the expansion of the zulu state under shaka. In zulu culture, for both the traditionalist and christian zulu, honouring parents, whether alive or dead, is to relate to them with great respect. In the 16th century the zulu migrated southward to their present location, incorporating many of the customs of the san, including the wellknown linguistic clicking sounds of the region. Understanding zulu cultural ceremonies in zululand. Nov 01, 2015 women in zulu culture traditionally do not work, they take care of the children, and do the household chores. In order to interact with the spirits the zulu must use divination to interact with the ancestors. The zulu people celebrate an annual event that was established in 1984 called the umhlanga or reed dance.