Harrison Malec

Mr. Mongirdas
African Studies
3 March 2015

I began my journey to South Africa with limited knowledge of the Zulu people. I
was familiar with their history, but I was certainly prepared to learn a lot about their
way of life. The Zulu people have an interesting history which includes some very rocky
relations with the Europeans, but that could be said of almost any African ethnic group.
They believe they are direct descendants of the patriarch Zulu who was born to a Nguni
chief. The Nguni people were migratory people who travelled from sub-equatorial
central Africa with their large herds of cattle to modern South Africa. The Zulu people
became the mightiest forces in southern Africa under the reign of King Shaka. After
King Shaka, Dingaan followed. With Dingaan came the arrival of the British. He did not
seek to attack the British and often entered into treaties with them. Mpande followed
Dingaan and he allowed the British to have extensive control of his people. Following his
death the Zulu people would no longer accept the British controlling them. The Zulus
new leader Cetewayo tried to avoid war for six years, but in 1879 a large conflict erupted
between the competing peoples. It only took six months for the British to subdue the
entirety of the Zulu people. Cetewayo was exiled to England, and the Zulu lands were
divided to the advantages of Britain. The last Zulu uprising against European powers
was fought in 1906. In recent years they have been fighting against apartheid and
demanding a voice for their people.
I finally arrived in a small Zulu community in a rural mountainside village. It was
South Africas poorest region, but among the most arid. The families lived in circular

huts and were spending their time, creating beautiful ethnic jewelry from traditional
Zulu beads and copper wire. No men were to be found in the huts, and as I found out,
the men do not practice the craft of beadwork. It is skill which is traditionally passed
down from the older sister to the younger sister. From what I had
learned this family was preparing to sell their beads to tourists,
and this is an important part of their income. For tourists the
beads are beautiful trinkets, but to the Zulu people they are
another form of communication. The design can indicate a
females relationship status or sexual intent.
I had imagined that clothing was also a very important
part of the Zulu peoples culture, but their clothing was very similar to any other
civilians. I asked them if this was traditional of their people. They had informed me that
traditional clothing was reserved to be
worn during special occasions such as
Shaka's Day and cultural gatherings.
They began to detail a traditional Zulu
outfit. They described cow tails being
worn on the upper arms and below the
knees to give an appearance of greater
bulk. In the front and rear there would
be aprons resembling something of a
loincloth. The members of the Zulus who are of high positions are allowed to wear the
leopards skin. The leopard is revered as the toughest of all predators, so it is worn with
exclusivity.

We leave the village and travel out of the rural mountainside community to a
more urban environment. The reason for our journey, a visit to the Muthi market. This
is a place to find traditional Zulu medicine. Plants and dried animals are what youll find
at every vendors booth. They all play an important role, and are used for their magical
qualities to cope with the supernatural world around us. Any piece of dried bark can be
used for a wide variety of things: soothing babies, ridding yourself of your evils, helping
a struggling business. To find the correct ingredients for your ailments one must
consult the inyanga and sangoma on what to take from the Muthi market. The people
selling at the Muthi market are neither inyanga and sangoma, but are here to fill
orders.
This is a brief description of what I had learned from my travels to South Africa.
It was an incredible experience, and something which will remain well a part of my
memory.

Sources:

http://interesting-africa-facts.com/African-Jewelry/Zulu-Bead-Jewelry.shtml
http://www.zulu-culture.co.za/zulu_clothing.php#.VPZdO7NE6Hw
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulu_people
http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/zulu.htm
http://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/peoples/show/Zulu
http://digitalnomad.nationalgeographic.com/2012/05/04/zulu-muthi-market/