AmaZulu: People of Heaven

The ancestry of Zululand stems far back to the 13^th century. The Nguni people were exploring southern Africa and resulted in separate clans being created due to lack of any kind of law. Estimated to take place in the 17^th century, one of these clans was led by a man named Malandela who found his own valley during a time of exploration and started a new life with his people. Malandela’s sons ventured out to create new clans and bloodlines and among his sons was a man named Zulu. In their language, Zulu means Heaven. They called this tribe KwaZulu which means Place of Heaven and it is made up of AmaZulu which is the People of Heaven. Fast forward after many years of peace to the 1800s and the Zulu people are on the verge of losing a war to a rival tribe. The illegitimate son, Shaka, of the Zulu people’s current leader, kills his half-brother, the true heir to the throne, and makes himself king. Shaka’s war strategies save his people and he unites various clans and tribes under him and becomes a threat to anyone who does not join him. This seemed to be a trend in the power exchange. Nearly all leaders’ reign ended in betrayal and murder. Despite this trend, the Zulu nation remained powerful among its rival tribes and enemies. This power and the Shaka Dynasty ended with British Imperialism and the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. After many years of apartheid that ended in the early 1990s, the Zulu homeland is returned and KwaZulu Natal is now the second largest province of the nine provinces of South Africa. The Zulu culture is dominant by far in the region of their homeland today and the people live on to preserve it.

Countries and Their Cultures. N.p.. Web. 22 Jul 2013. <http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Zulu.html>.

Zululand: The History of the Zulu Nation n. page. <http://www.zulu.org.za/index.php?districthome 29 56980>.

Armstrong, T.. N.p.. Web. 22 Jul 2013. <http://library.thinkquest.org/27209/Modern.htm>.