Zulu tribe. Wild tribes of Africa. Customs, life of women, men and children. Video. They are distinguished from the Negroid race

The South African Zulu tribes are children of the sky. Talented and extraordinary. They know how to protect themselves and their families from diseases, using not the cunning medicines of a civilized society, but ordinary cow dung. Accordingly, they have a special relationship with the cow. For a Zulu, there is nothing better than watching a cow eat grass.
About two thousand years ago, somewhere in the east of Central Africa, the progenitors of most modern black South Africans, the Nguni, lived. No one knows exactly what made them leave their homes. But they left the mystical state of Embo and moved south. A fertile valley near the Tugela River on the coast of the Indian Ocean has become a new home for some Nguni. They ousted the indigenous Bushmen from there and set about arranging their own lives. In the family of one of the nomads, a boy was born, who was given the name Zulu, which means sky. When the boy grew up, his parents chose a suitable bride for him. Over time, the Zulu became the head of a new family clan, in which, according to tradition, all descendants bore the name, or rather, now the surname of their progenitor.
Today there are not many real Zulu settlements - "umuzi". They are, of course, in the historical homeland of the Zulus in the South African province of KwaZulu Natal. KwaZulu means the place where the Zulus live, and Natal in Dutch means Christmas. The fact is that Vasco de Gama landed on this coast of South Africa just before Christmas. Without thinking twice, he gave the newly discovered land the same name. And so the modern double name was formed. However, in memory of the former kingdom of Chaka, this land is also called Zululand. The village of Ekabasini, a classic example of a Zulu settlement, lies about forty kilometers from Durban inland. Now there are not as many inhabitants here as before, but in general this is the most natural example of the Zulu way of life.
Traditionally, the Zulu settlements "umuzi", or, as they are also called by Europeans, kraals, consist of several semicircular reed needle-shaped huts "ikukvane". True, such a structure can be called a hut very conditionally, since the dimensions of some allow twenty to thirty people to be accommodated in them without any problems. They are usually built from long thin rods, tall grass, reeds and some other natural materials. All this is twisted, fastened, intertwined and strengthened with ropes. The result is a unique building with a unique shape that fits perfectly into the surrounding landscape. At night, the entrance to the hut is closed with a special shield.

The Zulu village is the perfect little stronghold to repel a surprise attack from the enemy. The whole village is surrounded by a round-shaped wooden rampart with one or more watchtowers, on which there used to be guards, and around the clock.

The Zulus are an African people of about 10 million people living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Small groups of Zulus also live in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. The Zulu language belongs to the Nguni group of the Bantu family. Zulu kingdom played important role in the history of present-day South Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries. During the apartheid era, the Zulus in South Africa, being the largest ethnic group, were treated as second-class citizens. Zulu's own language, Zulu, is the language of the Bantu family, belonging to the Nguni group and close to the Xhosa and Swati languages. Zulu is the most spoken language in South Africa. However, many Zulus also speak English, Portuguese, Sesotho and other South African languages.
Among the Zulus there are Christians, many remain committed to traditional beliefs. The Zulu religion includes belief in a creator god (iNkulunkulu) who is above the daily affairs of man. The spirit world can only be accessed through ancestors (amadlozi), with whom soothsayers (almost always soothsayers) communicate. Everything bad, including death, is seen as the result of evil witchcraft or the actions of offended spirits. Another important aspect Zulu religion - ritual purity. Different utensils and utensils are often used for different foods, and ablution must be performed up to three times a day.
over 11 million Zulus make up the largest ethnic group southern Africa.
The Zulus made the South African city of Durban famous all over the world.
The Zulu have more than 300 tribes that live mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
The Zulus belong to the Nguni group of peoples, a linguistic subgroup of the Bantu language family. A millennial southward migration brought the Nguni to the basin of the White Umfolozi River in 1700 AD. Here the Zulus decided to settle for a long time - so says the legend, dated 1709. The Zulus got their name in honor of the Zulu Cantombel, the founder and leader of the tribe.
The Zulu tribes are one of the most powerful and hardened black cultures. All people of this tribe are subordinate to the king of the Zulus (at the moment it is Goodwill Zvelatini). They are divided into clans, each with its own leader. The clans are divided into even smaller divisions living in separate kraal villages. There is also a leader there. And the smallest part is the family, where the husband stands for the leader.
Translated from the Zulu language, "Zulu" is the sky, and the Zulus are "heavenly people." Despite the romantic name, the representatives of this African nation are quite down to earth people. They do not tend to hover in the clouds. They tend to strive for a cloudless life. That is why they lure spectacle-hungry tourists and arrange performances for them.

Flag of KwaZulu (1977-1985)

On the left is a crimson stripe depicting a Zulu shield. On the right are depicted, starting from the top, a white stripe ⅓ of the height of the flag, gold (yellow), green and black, each 1/9 of the height and another white stripe ⅓ of the height.

Flag of KwaZulu (1985-1994)

It has a white cloth, a wide red stripe near the shaft and three narrow stripes in the middle of the cloth: black, green and yellow.

Since KwaZulu was a state formation of the Zulus, the colors in the middle of the flag symbolize the people, the country and the future. White color symbolizes peace, red - shed blood. The red stripe depicts a white Zulu shield with crossed spears and the king's staff, which symbolizes the protection of the people by the king's warriors.

The same oval Zulu shield is the main figure of the coat of arms of the territory.

Coat of arms of KwaZulu

The arrow, located in the center of the shield and pointing upwards, symbolizes the authority of the king among the people. Kleinod - a silver head of an elephant full face. Shield holders - a golden leopard (on the right) and a lion (on the left) holding spears. The leopard symbolizes beauty and grace, the lion - courage and nobility, the elephant - intelligence and strength. On the green base there is a golden motto ribbon - "Together we triumph."

Assegai

A piercing spear for close combat with a wide blade, 0.5 m long

Collection and performance of a ritual dance by the Zulu army in the residence of Chaki, according to Europeans (1827)

Other chiefdoms of South Africa

Zulu Empire
Wene wa Zulu
Section is under development

Zulu country, or Zulu Empire, or KwaZulu, or Zululand- the territory of the union of the Zulus tribes, which developed in the first half of the 19th century in South Africa on the coast of the Indian Ocean (the territory of the modern province of South Africa KwaZulu-Natal). During its peak, it extended from the Pongola River in the north to the Umzimkuly River in the south.

Zulus: children of the sky

Many have heard about the existence of such a people as the Zulus, but few know that the Zulus were one of the most formidable warriors that the African continent knew.

The Zulus live in the southeast of South Africa, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, belong to the Bantu people and the Nguni group. Long before our era, the Bantu peoples began to spread to the south of the African continent. For the first time in the territory of present-day South Africa, they appeared in the VI century. It is difficult to establish the exact time of the penetration of the Bantu tribes into Natal, but it is known that by XVI century the territory of Natal was already inhabited by the Bantu, and not by the Khoisan peoples (Bushmen and Hottentots). Since Natal was the periphery of the vast Bantu world, the ancestors of the Zulus - the Eastern Ngunian tribes - borrowed many words from the language of the autochthonous population of South Africa - the Khoisan peoples. The Khoisan languages ​​also significantly influenced the phonetics of the Zulu language, although this influence was less than that of the western neighbors of the ancestors of the Zulus - the Xhosa tribes.

The Eastern Nguni were an extremely warlike people. In addition to military raids, they lived at the expense of crafts and cattle breeding. Until the 18th century, the Eastern Nguni lived in separate clans, formally recognizing the authority of the supreme leader.

The pagan beliefs of the Eastern Nguni included belief in the primordial ancestor and at the same time the demiurge named Unkulunkulu, who created the world, taught people how to make fire, cattle breeding, agriculture and crafts, but ceased to influence people's lives, now managing only natural elements, they also believed in magic and countless spirits. An important part of the Ngunian religious life was the so-called. "sniffing out" - the search for evil sorcerers among the people by priestesses. Those whom the priestesses declared to be sorcerers were subjected to a painful execution.

The very word "Zulus" (Zulu, amaZulu) came from the name of the leader of one of the Nguni clans, Zulu KaMalandela, who lived in the late 17th - early 18th centuries. Zulu means "sky" in the Eastern Nguni language. After his death in 1709, members of his clan began to call themselves amaZulu, that is, "children of the Zulu." By the beginning of the 18th century, population growth, the improvement of agricultural production and trade competition with Europeans led to the need for centralization and expansion of the power of the leaders. Two tribal alliances were particularly successful, one under the Ndwandwe north of the Umfololozi River and the other under the Mtetwa south of it. The Zulus became one of the clans in the union led by the Mthetwa.

In 1781 Senzangakona kaJama became king (inkosi) of the Zulus. By that time, there were about one and a half thousand people in the Zulu clan. In 1787, a son was born to an unmarried girl named Nandi from the king of Senzangakona, who was destined to glorify the name of the Zulus for centuries. His name was Shaka (also sometimes Chaka).

Since Shaka was illegitimate, from childhood he had to experience many humiliations and hardships. When Shaka was six years old, his father expelled him along with his mother due to the fact that, due to an oversight of the shepherd Shaka, a dog had bitten a sheep. He managed to find refuge in the lands of Mthetwa. Having reached the age of 21, Shaka entered the military service of the Mtetwa king, Dingiswayo, and was enrolled in a detachment of warriors (ibuto or impi) called Izi-tswe.

Shaka soon gained respect for his bravery and intelligence. His battle tactics were very different from how other Nguni fought. According to tradition, the nguni met for battle in a predetermined place and entered into a firefight with light throwing assegai (spears), defending themselves with large shields and picking up the assegai thrown by the enemies in order to throw them in response. The battle was accompanied by numerous fights of the bravest warriors one on one. The battle was watched by women and old men. As a rule, both sides suffered very modest losses, and at the end of the battle, one of the sides recognized itself as defeated and agreed to pay tribute.

Shaka considered this tactic to be foolish and cowardly.

He ordered for himself a long assegai with a wide tip, which was suitable for hand-to-hand combat. This type of assegai is called "iklva". He also gave up sandals to speed up his movement. During the war with the tribal alliance of the Ndwandwe, whose king was Zwide, Shaka showed himself perfectly. Soon he was in command of "Izi-tsve".

For all his subordinates, Shaka ordered to make the same assegai and introduced the custom for warriors to walk barefoot. In addition, the Knobkerry wooden club was adopted. He also began to use the new tactic "bull's head": the army was divided into three parts; on the left and right flanks (“bull’s horns”) were young warriors who embraced the enemy in battle, and in the center (“bull’s forehead”) were the most experienced warriors who did the main work to destroy the enemy. From now on, his soldiers did not take anyone prisoner, unless there was an order expressly prescribing the capture of prisoners.

In 1816, the Zulu king Senzangakona died, and his son, Sigujana, became his heir. Shaka, aided by the Mtetwa king Dingiswayo, killed Sigujana and became the Zulu king himself. Shaka's first priority was military reform. All able-bodied men from 20 to 40 years old were mobilized by Shaka for military service, and they could leave the service only for special merits by order of the king. Marriage for unmarried warriors was forbidden.

From these new warriors, new units (hereinafter referred to as impi) were formed. The commanders of the impi ("Hindu") were the closest associates of Shaka.

Girls were also called to the royal service - they did not fight, but were engaged in economic activities under centralized guidance. Long assegai and other technical and tactical inventions of Shaka were introduced everywhere. Any violations and disobedience were punished by death. The military training of boys began at the age of seven, regular exercises were conducted for teenagers and soldiers using training weapons. The Zulu army soon became the strongest native army in the region.

In 1817, Dingiswayo, the king of Mtetwa, died. He was captured by the Ndwandwe and executed on Zwide's orders. The resulting power vacuum was quickly filled by the energetic and determined Shaka. He subjugated the tribes of the Ndwandwe alliance, waging a war not for destruction, but for subjugation. In these wars, he was often merciful to his enemies - his plans included the creation of a politically united people. The system of conscription into the royal army extended to all conquered peoples, which contributed to the integration of disparate tribes into a single Zulu people. Some tribes (such as the Hlubi and Mfengu), not wanting to submit to the Shaka, were forced to migrate.

In addition to being drafted into the army, an important tool for strengthening Shaka's power over the tribes was the construction of military kraals (ikanda) on subject lands.

Shaka also severely limited the power of the priests. Now, during the "sniffing out" of the sorcerers, only the king finally determined the guilt of the suspect.

In addition to strengthening his power among the former tribes of the Mthetwa alliance, Shaka fought with the Ndwandwe king Zvide, wanting to avenge Dingiswayo. This war was extremely tense and bloody. At the Battle of Gokli Hill in 1817, the five thousandth Zulu army, thanks to quality advantage and the military talent of Shaka, piece by piece, 12,000 Ndwandwe were defeated. 7,500 Ndwandwe remained on the battlefield, but 2,000 Zulus also died.

The Ndwandwe borrowed their tactics, weaponry and military system from the Zulus. But Shaka still defeated them. Once he almost captured Zvide. Zvide escaped, but his mother was captured by Shaka. Shaka gave the food to the hyenas. Finally, in 1819, at the Mlatuz River, the Ndwandwe were finally defeated. Zwide fled and died in exile in 1825. Many tribes that were part of the Ndwandwe alliance fled, fearing the revenge of Shaka. The Shangans fled to the territory of the future Western Mozambique and Eastern Rhodesia, where they created their own state of Gaza. The Ngoni created their own state in the vicinity of Lake Nyasa.

In 1823, one of Shaka's Indians, Mzilikazi, who came from the Kumalo tribe, did not get along with the king. Rather than face a royal court and be executed, he rebelled and took his men north to Mozambique. In 1826, the Mzilikazi people (who formed a new tribe - Matabele or Ndebele) moved to the Transvaal. The carnage committed by the Matabelas there was so horrendous that the Boers, who began to arrive in the Transvaal in the 1830s, hardly met the indigenous population there. On the other hand, they met the warlike impi Matabels, with whom bloody battles began, and military success was more often accompanied by the Boers than the Matabels.

In 1838, Mzilikazi takes his people west to what is now Botswana, and then crosses the Zambezi and visits what is now Zambia. However, Zambia, which was part of the tsetse fly belt, which are carriers of sleeping sickness, was not suitable for cattle breeding, so the matabels go to the southeast, cross the Zambezi again, in 1840 conquer the Shona tribes and themselves settle in the southwest of the future Southern Rhodesia This area became known as Matabeleland. The Kingdom of Matabele fell in 1893 during the First Anglo-Matabel War.

In 1826, a friend of Shaka Mgobozi died. In 1827, his mother Nandi died. Shaka believed that the mother was a victim of witchcraft. He destroyed everyone who, in his opinion, did not mourn Nandi enough and introduced mourning for a year, during which people were put to death for even the most minor offenses.

On September 22, 1828, due to dissatisfaction with the tyranny, Shaki was killed in his own kraal. One of the conspirators became king - Shaka's brother, Dingane kaSenzangakona, also known as Dingaan.

Shaka forever remained in the memory of the Zulus as a great king who created their people, and a military genius who terrified all the tribes of South Africa. At the end of his reign, the Zulu army had a strength of about 50 thousand people.

Dingane did not live in the old capital of Shaka, Bulawayo kraal, but built his own kraal - Mgungundlova. He softened the discipline in the Zulu state: now young people were called up for only six months and could establish their families and households. The position of Hindu became hereditary. The power of the king became less despotic - now he made decisions only with the consent of the Indians.

During the reign of Dingane, the so-called Great Trek fell - the resettlement of the Boers (descendants of the Dutch colonists) to lands where English laws did not apply - the Boers moved east, into the territory of Natal. There were minor clashes between the Boers and the Zulus.

In November 1837, Dingane met with one of the leaders of the Boers, Piet Retief, and signed the act of transferring land to the Voortrekker Boers. On February 6, 1838, while Boer negotiators were in the Dingan kraal, Retief and his companions were killed by order of the king. On February 17, Retief's trekboers, left without guidance, were massacred by the Zulus. About 500 people died, including women and children.

At the end of the year, Dingane decided to destroy the trekboer party led by Andris Pretorius and Sarel Silliers. On December 16, a Zulu detachment led by the Indian Ndlela attacked the Boers at the Inkoma River. 470 brave Boers repelled the onslaught of the Zulu army, which numbered at least 12 thousand people. Three thousand Zulus died, the losses of the Boers - only three people were wounded. The battle was called the Battle of Bloody River. Then the Boers destroyed the capital of the Zulu kingdom.

On March 23, 1839, peace was concluded between the Vortrekkers and the Zulus. The Zulus abandoned all territories south of the Tugela River, and the Republic of Natal was founded on these lands, the capital of which was the city of Pietermaritzburg.

These battles influenced the military affairs of the Zulus: long-range weapons - throwing spears - returned to use. However, the assegai "iklwa" remained the main weapon of the Zulus.

In January 1840, Dingane's younger brother, Mpande, rebelled against him, enlisting the support of the Boers, led by Praetorius. In the Battle of Makongo on January 29, 1840, Dingane was defeated and fled to Swaziland, where he was soon killed. Mpande became king of the Zulus.

In 1843, the Republic of Natal was annexed by the British and became the British colony of Natal. Many Boers went north, where they founded the Boer republics - the Republic of South Africa (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State (Freistat). In October 1843, the boundaries between British Natal and the Zulu kingdom were defined.

In the early 1850s, Mpande decided to conquer Swaziland. Although the Swazis were technically vassals of the Zulus, Mpande wanted to achieve complete subjugation of Swaziland in order to have lands to which they could retreat in the event of an invasion by Voortrekkers or the British from Natal. In 1852, war broke out with the Swazis. Although the Zulus defeated the Swazis, Mpande had to leave Swaziland due to British pressure.

In this war, the eldest son of Mpande, Ketchwayo, showed himself well. Although he was the eldest, he was not considered the official heir, which was proclaimed by another son of Mpande - Mbuyazi. The Zulus split into supporters of Mbuyazi and supporters of Ketchwayo. In 1856, it came to an open clash - the people of Mbuyazi ravaged the lands of the supporters of Ketchwayo. On December 2, 1856, the parties met in a battle near the British border, on the Tugela River. Ketchwayo's troops outnumbered Mbuyazi's 7,000-strong force by almost three to one, but 35 British were on Mbuyazi's side. This did not help - Mbuyazi's soldiers were defeated, he himself was killed. Ketchwayo became the de facto ruler of the Zulus.

Only in 1861, with British mediation, was it possible to achieve reconciliation between father and son, but Mpande increasingly lost interest in state affairs: he became a beer alcoholic, it was difficult for him to walk.

Under Mpande, the Zulu kingdom became more open to foreign influences. If Shaka mocked white technology, religion and politics, Mpande contacted them. Missionaries worked under him, the first Zulu grammar was compiled, the Bible was translated into the Zulu language. At the end of 1872, Mpande died, and Ketchwayo became king of the Zulus, making Ulundi his capital.

Since 1873, the contradictions between British Natal and the Zulus gradually increased. The British felt threatened by the Zulus, and Ketchwayo was in conflict with Christian missionaries. In addition, the British were unhappy that the king was preventing the influx of workers into the country. Ketchwayo had a powerful thirty-thousandth army with a detachment of musketeers, planned to organize a cavalry.

In 1875, the British commander Wolseley decided that the South African problems of Britain were solved only by the annexation of Zululand, and in 1877 the Transvaal was annexed by the British (independence of the Boers would be restored only in 1881 after the Battle of Mayube). In the same year, Native Affairs Minister Natalya Shepard wrote to the British Colonial Secretary, Lord Carnarvon, that the Zulu state was the root of evil and should be destroyed.

On December 11, 1878, Ketchwayo was given an ultimatum to disband the army, abandon the Shaka military system, ensure the free admission of British missionaries to Zululand, and place a British commissioner in the Zulus. A month was given to fulfill the conditions, but Ketchwayo refused, and on January 11, 1879, the Anglo-Zulu War began.

On January 22, 1879, a British detachment of 1,700 people was defeated by a 20,000-strong Zulu army at Isandlwana Hill. The Zulu managed to capture the Martini-Henry rifles, but they lost 3,000 men in this battle.

On January 22-23, four thousand Zulus attacked the Rorke's Drift border post, which was defended by only 150 British. In the course of a heroic defense, three Zulus attacks were repelled, and they retreated. The Zulus lost about 1,000 men, the British 17 killed and 10 wounded. 11 white heroes received Victoria Crosses, five more - medals "For Valiant Conduct".

On January 28, the British column under the command of Colonel Pearson was surrounded in the Eschove kraal, the siege continued until April 4. Ketchwayo offered to make peace with the British, but they did not respond to his proposals. Ketchwayo had no plans to invade Natal, which gave the British a breather. On March 12, at Intomba, a Zulu detachment of 500-800 soldiers defeated a hundred British. 62 English soldiers were killed. On March 28, at Hloban, 25,000 Zulus attacked a British detachment of 675 people, and 225 British died, Zulu losses were minimal.

On March 29, at Kambul, two thousand British defeated 20,000 Zulus - 29 British and 758 Zulus died. April 2 at Gingindlovu 5670 British defeated 11 thousand Zulus; British losses amounted to only 11 killed, and the Zulus lost over a thousand people.

On June 1, the French prince, Eugene Napoleon, the nominal emperor of the French, was killed in reconnaissance by the Zulus, and on July 4, the last battle of this war took place near the capital of the Zulus, Ulundi.

British troops (six thousand people) methodically shot the Zulus, whose number was 24 thousand. After half an hour of shooting, the Zulu army ceased to exist as organized force. The British lost 13 people killed, the Zulus - about 500 people, but the moral blow was huge. Kraal Ulundi was burned, Ketchvayo fled, but was captured on July 28. On September 1, the Zulu chieftains surrendered.

Zululand became part of British Natal. The king was deprived of power, 13 leaders began to rule the Zulus under the British protectorate. The natives were soon mired in strife, and in order to put an end to them, the British allowed Ketchwayo to return, which he did in January 1883, agreeing to comply with all the demands of the British. This did not help: between Ketchwayo and the old opponent Zibebu, who did not want to recognize his supremacy, an internecine war began, in which Ketchwayo was defeated. A year later, on February 8, 1884, Ketchwayo died; after him, his son Dinuzulu became king of the Zulus under British rule, enlisting the help of the Boers to fight Zibebu and defeated him. For this, Dinuzulu granted part of his lands to the Boers, where they founded the Boer Republic Nieve Republic (later became part of the Transvaal).

In 1887 Zululand was annexed. To undermine Dinuzulu's power, the British instigated a rebellion by Zibebu. The uprising was crushed by him, Dinuzulu himself fled to the Transvaal. After extraditing him to the British in 1890, he was sentenced to 10 years in exile on the island of St. Helena, from where he returned only seven years later.

In the years following the Second Boer War, Natal's white employers experienced big problems with the hiring of black workers - they preferred to be hired in the mines of the Witwatersrand. To encourage blacks to work on white farms, at the end of 1905 the colonial authorities imposed a one-pound poll tax on all adult Aborigines.

Chief Bambat, who had 5,500 men under him, was one of those who resisted the introduction of the new tax. In February 1906, two policemen sent to collect taxes in recalcitrant areas were killed by Bambata's people, after which martial law was introduced. Bambata fled north with the tacit support of King Dinuzulu. Bambata gathered a small force of his supporters and began to carry out guerrilla attacks from the Nkandla forest. In April, an expedition was sent to put down the rebellion: at Mome George Hill, the Zulus were surrounded and defeated by the British due to their technical superiority; during the battle, Bambata was killed, and the uprising was crushed at the cost of the death of from 3,000 to 4,000 Zulus, with 7,000 arrested and 4,000 flogged. Thus ended the last Zulu war, after which the Zulu monarchy lost its influence.

Dinuzulu was also arrested; in March 1908 he was sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment. In 1910, the Union of South Africa became a British dominion, and its prime minister was appointed old friend Dinuzulu is General Louis Botha, who released him on the condition that he never return to Zululand. On October 18, 1913, Dinuzulu died in the Transvaal; the heir was his son, King Solomon kaDinuzulu, who reigned until 1933 without being formally recognized.

Bekuzulu kaSolomon was king from 1933 to 1968, and was formally restored to royal status in 1951. Under his rule in 1948, the National Party won in South Africa, and the apartheid regime was established - the separation and development of races. Racial segregation deepened and expanded. Some Zulus fought against this regime, more conservative advocated, first of all, for the improvement of the position of the Zulus themselves.

In 1968, Goodwill kaBekuzulu Zweletini became king of the Zulus. On June 9, 1970, in accordance with the law on Bantu self-government, a “tribal homeland” was created in part of the territory of the province of Natal - the self-governing autonomy of Zululand (such autonomies are often called bantustans). The Zulu bantustan was led by Prince Mangosutu Buthelezi, and his capital was located at Nongoma. All Zulus acquired Zululand citizenship and lost South African citizenship. Thousands of Zulus living on private lands outside of Zululand were resettled in bantustan. On April 1, 1972, Bantustan was renamed KwaZulu - in the Zulu way.

In 1975, the right-wing Zulu Inkata Party was created, which advocated the improvement of the life of the Zulus under the apartheid regime, but many Zulus supported the African National Congress, the Pan-African Congress and other organizations that wanted the complete destruction of the apartheid system and equality for all.

In 1980, the capital was moved from Nongoma to Ulundi. In 1981, bantustan received extended autonomy. In 1994, apartheid fell. Bantustan was re-merged with the province of Natal, and it became known as KwaZulu-Natal.

Now the Zulus are the largest ethnic group in South Africa, there are over 10 million people, or 38.5% of the population. In addition to KwaZulu-Natal, there are now many Zulus in Gauteng, the economic and political center of the country (the center of the former Transvaal province with the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria). The Inkata party participated and is participating in the elections, but year by year it is losing support. Since 2009 South Africa Zulu ruled by President Jacob Zuma.

The legendary leaders of one of the clans of the Eastern Nguni people

Chiefs (inkosi) of the Ama-Zulu clan, information about which has been preserved in oral tradition

Supreme chiefs (inkosi), "kings" of an independent power (chiefdom) of the Zulus

Chiefs (inkosi) of the country of the Zulus of the period of civil strife British Empire, British colony of Zululand formed

Period of "interregnum"

Chiefs (Inkosi) of the Zulus [1951 to present]

Notes:

Sources.

Africa is the cradle of humanity, a rhythm sparkling with exotic colors.
The magical arts and rich heritage of Africa have at all times attracted the eyes and hearts of all kinds of adventurers, adventurers and scientists.

Africa occupies one fifth of the entire land mass of the planet, its shores are washed by two oceans - the Atlantic and Indian, and two seas.

The most mysterious, mysterious and many-sided continent for a reason causes undying interest and admiration of any inquisitive person, because, according to scientists, all people on Earth - white, black, yellow - descended from a tiny African tribe.

Zulu
The Zulus are an African people of about 10 million people, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Small groups of Zulus also live in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. The Zulu language belongs to the Nguni group of the Bantu family. The Zulu kingdom played an important role in the history of present-day South Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries. During the apartheid era, the Zulus in South Africa, being the largest ethnic group, were treated as second-class citizens. Zulu's own language, Zulu, is the language of the Bantu family, belonging to the Nguni group and close to the Xhosa and Swati languages. Zulu is the most spoken language in South Africa. However, many Zulus also speak English, Portuguese, Sesotho and other South African languages.

Among the Zulus there are Christians, many remain committed to traditional beliefs. The Zulu religion includes belief in a creator god (iNkulunkulu) who is above the daily affairs of man. The spirit world can only be accessed through ancestors (amadlozi), with whom soothsayers (almost always soothsayers) communicate. Everything bad, including death, is seen as the result of evil witchcraft or the actions of offended spirits. Another important aspect of the Zulu religion is ritual purity. Different utensils and utensils are often used for different foods, and ablution must be performed up to three times a day.
Over 11 million Zulus make up the largest ethnic group in southern Africa.
The Zulus made the South African city of Durban famous all over the world.

The Zulu have more than 300 tribes that live mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
The Zulus belong to the Nguni group of peoples, a linguistic subgroup of the Bantu language family. A millennial southward migration brought the Nguni to the basin of the White Umfolozi River in 1700 AD. Here the Zulus decided to settle for a long time - so says the legend, dated 1709. The Zulus got their name in honor of the Zulu Cantombel, the founder and leader of the tribe.

The Zulu tribes are one of the most powerful and hardened black cultures. All people of this tribe are subordinate to the king of the Zulus (at the moment it is Goodwill Zvelatini). They are divided into clans, each with its own leader. The clans are divided into even smaller divisions living in separate kraal villages. There is also a leader there. And the smallest part is the family, where the husband stands for the leader.

Translated from the Zulu language, "Zulu" is the sky, and the Zulus are "heavenly people." Despite the romantic name, the representatives of this African nation are quite down to earth people. They do not tend to hover in the clouds. They tend to strive for a cloudless life. That is why they lure spectacle-hungry tourists and arrange performances for them.

The personal life of the Zulus is a whole economic science. Upon reaching the age of majority, every Zulu can marry. Everyone can, but not everyone wants to, since marriage for local suitors is an extremely costly business. By tradition, every Zulu who decides to enter into a legal marriage must pay a ransom to the parents of the bride. One hundred kilos of sugar, one hundred kilos of corn and eleven more cows! If you sell all this wealth, you can rent an apartment in the suburbs of Durban overlooking the ocean or buy a prestigious SUV.

The Zulus are one of the many wild peoples of Africa. They live in South Africa, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The land where the Zulus live is fabulously beautiful green oases. The name KwaZulu-Natal combined two cultures. For many centuries this province was called Natal, and only in 1994 they decided to perpetuate the memory of the first inhabitants of this region, the Zulus, and added “KwaZulu” to the name of the province. For most tourists, the land of the Zulus is beautiful mountains and a deep ocean, wild African animals, and also a unique opportunity to get to know typical African nature and the life of African wild peoples from the inside.

You can get acquainted with the culture and way of life of the Zulus in traditional villages, or you can look into the skans, an open-air museum created in the mid-80s of the last century for the filming of the television series Zulu Chaka. The entire Zulu village of Shakaland was built especially for filming. Everything here is like in a real village, only the Zulus come here as if to work. Tourists can come in and see a real Zulu house, tell fortunes from a local shaman, and if necessary, get medical treatment, look at the dancing zusuls, and, if desired, dance with them, and then, together with the zusuls, drink a glass of traditional corn beer.

However, the Zusul tribe, in addition to entertaining tourists, also leads a traditional way of life for the wild peoples of Africa, in which hunting and animal husbandry are of great importance. IN Lately an increasing role is assigned to the latter. Today, the social status of the Zusul is indicated not by the number of hunting trophies, but by the number of cows in his herd. The number of the herd speaks about the material possibilities of the Zusul. After all, even in order to marry, he needs to give eleven cows as a ransom for the bride. So that!

In order to dive deeper and understand the culture of the Zulus and discover the province of KwaZulu-Natal, you need to go to the Valley of a Thousand Hills, which is west of Dkrban. Here you can dive into everyday life this traditional African tribe. If your trip to South Africa falls at the end of September, be sure to check out Kwa Dukuzu, for the Chief Chaka Festival. You can even take part in it. According to ancient tradition, on the last Saturday of September, this wild people of Africa praises the king of the Zulus. It is worth seeing this very beautiful sight.

In Nongma, a week earlier, an even more exciting and exotic ritual takes place, called the Reed Dance. Thousands of Zulu girls participate in the festive procession, dancing in front of their king. The Reed Dance takes place in memory of an ancient tradition, when in this way the king, right during the ceremony, chose his beloved.

Zulus today make up 20% of the total population of South Africa. Some assimilated with the "white culture", while others live as their ancestors lived, do not accept the benefits of civilization and prefer their traditional way of life. The Zulus live in small round huts set in a circle that resemble beehives. In the center of such a circle, on a base made of manure, there is a fire pit.

When taking a trip to Africa, you need to remember that most of the wild peoples of Africa are wary of white people. The only tribe that is positively disposed towards whites is the Zulus. This was true even during apartheid. It so happened that they always saw white people as allies in the fight against another wild tribe - the Xhosa.

The word "Zulu" means "sky". The sky above the land of the Zulus is truly amazing. But no less admire the tourists who came and the sandy beaches, surrounded by picturesque hills. Coral reefs amaze with beauty and tenderness of shades. The coast of the Zusul land is popular with surfers and diving enthusiasts. The temperature of the ocean water allows you to enjoy these activities all year round.

KwaZulu-Natal is beautiful nature…

African nature has been preserved here. KwaZulu-Natal.