Technology: Pottery

The Zulu are known for weaving and pottery in South Africa. They store their alcohol in clay pots using a coil method. They clay helps keep the alcohol fermented and holds a large amount of liquid. Pots with necks were called uphisi, which helped during transportation of the pot. The biggest events, which are usually weddings, require large amounts of beer and therefore used many pots.

 

Cited: http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Zulu.html
           http://www.ezakwantu.com/Gallery%20African%20Zulu%20Beer%20Pots.htm

Marriage and Family

The Zulu Tribe has about 3 million people. There are larger extended families that turn into smaller nuclear families living in separate houses. Due to such large extended families, it is sometimes hard for a girl to unite with her husband and live in the same house . A man usually does not marry until later in life because he most likely has served as a warrior prior to the unison. A combination of Lobola is given to whoever the bride is to be as a show of appreciation from the groom and his family. Zulu weddings are extravagant with color and detail. This includes monetary objects, land, and outfits. 

A significant part of marriage is the gift of cattle, from both sides of the families. Receiving and slaughtering a cattle together shows the effort to keep peace between villages. Throughout the day, food is being cooked for the occasion and dances are preformed in celebration. In one speech after the ceremony, the families of both parties meet and special attention is paid to the family elders. This is called a Ukulaya and here they stress the importance of keeping the family together. The last part of the wedding is Ukwaba, where the bride gifts her groom's family with baskets. 

              

 The Zulu tribe have a strong family based bond. The brother and sister have the strongest bond and look after one another the most. It also so happens that when you have sisters, you have to wait for all of them to get married before you can arrange a marriage for yourself. Spiritually, the grandfather and father figures hold an important place in family ancestry for reasons mentioned before while the women are always brought up to be subservient to them. The children of the tribe are taken care of by the women with father influences still present.

Cited:

http://www.spaweekblog.com/tag/red-wedding-dress/
http://library.thinkquest.org/27209/Homestead.htm

Globalization and Change

Globalization and Change

KwaZulu-Natal has had a long journey on the road to globalization. South Africa in general was first explored by the Portuguese in the late 15^th century. The British colonize South Africa during the 1800s and attempt to incorporate their culture by teaching and English and pushing their own religious beliefs upon the natives. The Shaka Zulu Empire is founded around the same time colonization begins in the early 1800s and the Zulu people make great strides to defend themselves and defeat the British and surprisingly put up a good fight against their significantly more advanced enemy. Unfortunately for Shaka Zulu his empire falls after being defeated in the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879 after more than 50 years of a conflicted relationship. The Anglo-Boer Wars break out at the turn into the 20^th century. During the early 1900s the National Party (NP) and the African National Congress (ANC) are founded. And in 1948 apartheid is set into law by the National Party and remains so for the next 46 years. The population is segregated by race and the ANC is consequently banned but Nelson Mandela leads the ANC into civil dispute. The presence of the Dutch and the British brings upon significant changes in globalization for the Zulu people whose culture is suffering due to previous colonization but they can also now take part in trade so advances in technology come with. The British originally wanted control over trade to India so South Africa would become a large place of transit for the world economy. But in 1964 Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison so cultural globalization in terms of race has made little progress in a world where racism is quickly dying trend. Nelson Mandela is released from prison in 1990 after about 27 years and the African National Party is no longer banned. Now despite apartheid being repealed at this time the ANC faces a new political enemy. The Zulu people create the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) as a means to preserve the traditional ways they still have left. The IFP felt they were not being represented enough by the government. Although the IFP has never taken control they still remain a strong political force in their country. It is nice to see the Zulu people and their customs still surviving aside from the endless barrage of war, conflict, and political struggle. Globalization has made its mark on present day KwaZulu-Natal through the diversity of its races and also the most common religion is now a mixture of Christianity and traditional practices. 

BBC News. N.p.. Web. 22 Jul 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14094918>.

Carton, Benedict. N.p.. Web. 22 Jul 2013. <http://www.globality-gmu.net/archives/1159>.

Zulu Religion

The modern Zulu people have the right to choose what religion they wish to practice. Christianity and the traditional Zulu religion are both widespread among the population. Since there is a freedom of religion, there are many independent churches with Zulu clergy. Like most Christianity, it can be broken down into denominations like Catholic, Methodist, etc. The traditional Zulu religion is based upon honoring their ancestors, which they believe have a supernatural power over their earthly lives. These beliefs also deal with traditional medicines of the region. The religious healers or “isangomas” treat patients with traditional medicine. (Megan Russell n.d.)

 

 

 

Roger's Power Point Slides state:

"Religion is a belief and ritual concerned with the supernatural."

• Beings
• Powers/Forces

Religion is a distinctive symbolic expression of human life that interprets man himself and his universe, providing motives for human action (Edward Norbeck).

The traditional Zulu religion is based upon honoring their ancestors, which they believe have a supernatural power over their earthly lives. The Zulu used their religious beliefs to explain natural events that occurred around them in their environment.  The changes in the clouds, the highness of the heavens, the overflowing rivers, the frightening lightnings and thunderstorms; and for all of these occasions the Zulu would have religious ceremonies. They believe that there is a creator of the universe and that he is inside all of these natural events.

The Roles of Religion

}  Explanatory (Cognitive needs)

}  Psychologically reassuring

◦      Helps people face death and endure life crises.

}  Socially supportive (Emotional needs):

◦      Provides validations for existence.

◦      Motives for human action.

◦      A sanction for orderly human action

These beliefs also deal with traditional medicines of the region. The religious healers or “isangomas” or herbalists, treat patients with traditional medicine. These “witch doctors” use medicines made from plants and animals. The isangoma is skilled in making contact with the ancestral spirits and prescribes medicine for the illness. These isangoma go through a long apprenticeship and must have been sacredly called by the creator to become one. These witch doctors do things such as throwing bones and interpreting these as a patients medical diagnosis and treatment plan. The transmental diagnosis is extremely interesting in that the isangoma goes into a trace, brought on by herbal drugs, that determines what is wrong with the patient.

◦      The use of ritual and paraphernalia to compel or manipulate the supernatural to act in desired ways.

◦      Supernatural techniques intended to accomplish specific aims.

Works Cited

Megan Russell, Tamlin Armstrong and Sarah Dawson. AmaZulu: The Life of the Zulu Nation. n.d. http://library.thinkquest.org/27209/Modern.htm.

http://origin.org/ucs/doc.cfm?e=1&fg=3176&fi=1024

Zulu Traditional Religion
ZULU TRADITIONAL RELIGION OF SOUTHERN AFRICA by Lizo Doda Jafta Lecturer at the Federal Theological Seminary of Southern Africa, Natal

Subsistence

In early Zulu history, foraging was the primary source of sustenance.

As we know from the Power Points, Foragers is another name for societies that use the hunter gatherer subsistence strategy.

 

Then the Bantu introduced “Mixed Farming” to the Zulu. “Mixed farming” is a term that is used to describe an agricultural system that includes domesticated animal and crop production as a source of sustenance. The use of domesticated animal manure is used to fertilize the soil, which in turn yields greater crops. This is also referred to as "Pastoralism." This is when people make their living by tending herds of large animals.

The Zulus have a wide variety of diet. Maize is a staple food for the Zulus and is ground into a meal, which is then cooked into a lumpy oatmeal kind of substance. Sour milk, or amasi, is a popular drink that is said to make men strong. Other meals include: beans, pumpkin, fried chicken feet, lamb soup and fish.  There is even a beer recipe made from fermented corn. (Megan Russell n.d.)

Works Cited

Megan Russell, Tamlin Armstrong and Sarah Dawson. AmaZulu: The Life of the Zulu Nation. n.d. http://library.thinkquest.org/27209/Modern.htm.

Zulu Kinship

     Zulu society has the basic lower, middle, and upper classes. The lower classes live in the rural areas and focus on their agriculture. Most rural areas have no electricity, transportation, clean water, or clinics. Urban areas make up the Zulu middle class, although it is not much better than rural lifestyle. Neither areas have effective education so the few that do migrate into cities are left in the poor parts of the city.

     Kinship in Zulu culture is referred to as Surname, which is the bloodline of a family. It is Zulu custom for a father have several wife's if chosen to do so. This means that children grew up with extremely large families. Families often share the same name and although they are not directly related, they are not available for marriage. Clans grow large in Africa and it is common for marriage to outsiders because of this limited personal. Zulu Chiefs had the highest place in Zulu society, but had they fail their constituents they were be put to death along with their people. Now the Zulu have a mixed cultural view and have typical African lives.

Cited: http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Zulu.html

LANGUAGE

 

The primary language of the Zulu Tribe is called isiZulu, the second would be English. IsiZulu involves series of proverbs, idioms, and the clicking of the tongue. It is part of the Nguni subgroup of the Bantu language and is widely spoken in South Africa. The Zulus are very intelligent group of people because they can speak about ten other languages including Afrikaans, Portuguese, Shangaan, Sesotho, etc.

WORK CITED:
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/zulu.htm

GENDER ISSUE

MEN: When born, boys are given several names from different people-one from their father when they turn seven, another from their friends and a final one when they enter one of the regiments. When they grow up into men, they are in charge of the entire house hold. They deal with house visitors, attend tribe meetings, and make all the decisions. A husband has several of responsibilities from carving wooden utensils for their wives to protecting their family.

WOMEN: Women in Africa are considered lower in class to men because women are viewed as inferior in status and value. Something interesting is that the clothes they wear can tell their marital status. Single women are only allowed to wear grass or beaded cotton stings skirts. With no top, their hair is kept short. However, women who are engaged have their hair grown out and their chests are covered by a unique top.

Like most women in Africa, the Zulu women most perform a ritual of purification. Named the “21 day purification”, the women must endure a series of task otherwise they are looked at to be unclean. When a women’s menstrual begins the purification begins with eating a mix of Rubia Cordifolia shrub roots for 7 days. During the 21 days, the women must stay in their mother’s house; if their mother happens to be deceased then another family women member can fill it. The women cannot be seen by anyone, however, the can have one friend in the hut with them that is there for support. After the 21 days have passed, the women emerge from the hut looking clean and pure.

WORK CITED:
http://www.feministpress.org/books/rebecca-hourwich-reyher/zulu-woman

Zulu and British War

In the 1800s, the British military inhabited much of the world, including many parts of Africa. Cetshwayo, King of the Zulu kingdom, was given an ultimatum by the British on December 11, 1878. These terms obliged him to surrender his army and accept British rule. Cetshwayo rejected and the war between the Zulu and the British began in 1879. The Zulus were victorious at the Battle of Isandlwanna on January 22, 1879. But on July 4, 1879, the British defeated the Zulus and won the war at the Battle of Ulundi.

Works Cited

Megan Russell, Tamlin Armstrong and Sarah Dawson. AmaZulu: The Life of the Zulu Nation. n.d. http://library.thinkquest.org/27209/Modern.htm.

Zulu Farming

The Zulu people rely on agriculture to meet there needs for food. They use the slash and burn technique to provide fertile land for crops, however this technique is less common today. The slash and burn technique involves cutting down the trees in a large area and burning them to provide fertile soil. The soil will only remain enriched for approximately 20 years, forcing them to move to a new area and repeat the process. The women do the planting and harvesting of crops while the men herd the cattle. The dominant type of cattle for the Zulu is called Nguni. These cows are more than just food and clothing; to the Zulu people they represent the intermediary between people and the spirit world. These cows are also exchanged during a marriage from the groom to the bride.

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>.