Zulu Tribe
Zulu Culture
Cynthia Jones
ANT 101 Intro to Cultural Anthropology
Instructor Shaun Sullivan
July 23 2012
The Zulu tribe of KwaZulu-Natal became historically important in the early 19th century by the founder Shaka of the Zulu nation. I will be discussing the history of who many consider the first king along with the variations of the beliefs and values of Zulu people. The kinship systems along with the rituals and healing processes that have been around for centuries will be detailed from traditional to modern views within this paper. Shaka of the Zulu nation was a notorious warrior king from 1816 until 1828, he was often considered the first Zulu king because Shaka continued Zulu overrule to other chiefdoms in KwaZulu-Natal bringing dozens of people from clans and chieftainships and ultimately changing the Zulu tribe from a small clan into a nation that occupied a large portion of Southern Africa. Shaka was a fierce and militaristic king, some might say he was a monster, but he ruled fairly and compassionately to those who were loyal to him and his kingdom. “Shaka rewarded those who submitted to him and punished those who did not. If the Zulu state was more draconian than most states in its style of punishment, this reflected the character of the ruler perhaps, but also the weakness and insecurity of this newborn political order”. (Mahoney, 2003) His military accomplishments and new tactics of destroying his enemies marked him as one of the greatest Zulu chieftains. Shaka grew up in Mtetwa district; he and his mother where exiled from the Zulu Chiefdom after a dispute between her and Shaka’s father Senzangakona the Zulu chief. He became a remarkable warrior for the Mthethwa; and chief Dingiswayo was one of several chiefdoms that Shaka and his mother lived during their exile. Before Dingiswayo passed he helped Shaka become chief of the Zulu’s and having resentment for the way he was treated by others he invaded those neighboring chiefdoms, the
Cynthia Jones
ANT 101 Intro to Cultural Anthropology
Instructor Shaun Sullivan
July 23 2012
The Zulu tribe of KwaZulu-Natal became historically important in the early 19th century by the founder Shaka of the Zulu nation. I will be discussing the history of who many consider the first king along with the variations of the beliefs and values of Zulu people. The kinship systems along with the rituals and healing processes that have been around for centuries will be detailed from traditional to modern views within this paper. Shaka of the Zulu nation was a notorious warrior king from 1816 until 1828, he was often considered the first Zulu king because Shaka continued Zulu overrule to other chiefdoms in KwaZulu-Natal bringing dozens of people from clans and chieftainships and ultimately changing the Zulu tribe from a small clan into a nation that occupied a large portion of Southern Africa. Shaka was a fierce and militaristic king, some might say he was a monster, but he ruled fairly and compassionately to those who were loyal to him and his kingdom. “Shaka rewarded those who submitted to him and punished those who did not. If the Zulu state was more draconian than most states in its style of punishment, this reflected the character of the ruler perhaps, but also the weakness and insecurity of this newborn political order”. (Mahoney, 2003) His military accomplishments and new tactics of destroying his enemies marked him as one of the greatest Zulu chieftains. Shaka grew up in Mtetwa district; he and his mother where exiled from the Zulu Chiefdom after a dispute between her and Shaka’s father Senzangakona the Zulu chief. He became a remarkable warrior for the Mthethwa; and chief Dingiswayo was one of several chiefdoms that Shaka and his mother lived during their exile. Before Dingiswayo passed he helped Shaka become chief of the Zulu’s and having resentment for the way he was treated by others he invaded those neighboring chiefdoms, the
References: Crawford, T. A., & Lipsedge, M. (2004). Seeking help for psychological distress: The interface of Zulu traditional healing and Western biomedicine. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 7(2), 131-148. doi:10.1080/13674670310001602463 Mahoney, M. R. (2003). The Zulu kingdom as a genocidal and post-genocidal society, c. 1810 to the present 1. Journal Of Genocide Research, 5(2), 251. Marschall, S. (2008). Zulu Heritage between Institutionalized Commemoration and Tourist Attraction. Visual Anthropology, 21(3), 245-265. doi:10.1080/08949460801986236 Porterfield, A. (1997). The impact of early New England missionaries on women 's roles in Zulu culture. Church History, 66(1), 67. The Zulu People, Their Culture & History Retrieved from: http://www.zulu-culture-history.com/zulu_tribe_people.htm