Saturday, 24 January 2015

History of South African Zulu Villages

Zulu villages, found all through the KwaZulu-Natal province, are an integral part of this fiercely proud people's traditional way of life.The Zulu, meaning ‘people of the heavens', were once a disparate group of clans and chieftainships that were melded into a mighty, feared kingdom by Shaka in the early 19th century.Because of the exploits of King Shaka, the Zulu are arguably the best known of Africa's tribes. Their language, tending to be idiomatic and proverbial in nature, is the most widely spoken in South Africa.

This South African Zulu village offers a comprehensive Zulu experience, from foot stomping tribal dancing by assegai-wielding warriors in traditional animal skins to consultations with a sangoma (spiritual leader believed to have the ability to communicate with the ancestors) and an inyanga (traditional herbalist).  

The Zulus are known to be one of the proudest peoples in southern Africa. They draw high self esteem from their history which to them is proof of their courage and fighting spirit in confrontation with other tribes and the colonial powers. They are proud of their rites and traditions, their dancing and singing, their team spirit and last, but not least they are proud of their king.In the Zulu Africa Cultural Villages most of them situated in southern Zululand between Eshowe and Empangeni visitors have the chance to catch a glimpse of the Zulus' traditional way of life as it used to be practiced for centuries.

The Zulu Cultural Village invites people from all over the world to get a taste of this ancient people and the customs and beliefs that have provided its foundation. Even the modern society has strong ties to this history, making it relevant even to the South African youth.

The Zulu are the largest ethnic group in South Africa. They are well known for their beautiful brightly colored beads and baskets as well as other small carvings.The Zulu believe that they are descendants from a chief from the Congo area, and in the 16th century migrated south picking up many of the most interesting traditions and customs of the San who also inhabited this South African area.Zulu people During the 17th and 18th centuries many of the most powerful chiefs made treaties and gave control of the Zulu villages to the British.This caused much conflict because the Zulu had strong patriarchal village government systems so they fought against the British but couldn'tZulu basket win because of the small strength they possessed.

The Zulu believe in a creator god known as Nkulunkulu, but this god does not interact with humans and has no interest in everyday life. Therefore, most Zulu's interact on a day to day level with the spirits. In order to interact with the spirits the Zulu must use divination to interact with the ancestors.

The Zulu people, who comprise the largest ethnic group in South Africa, have a wide variety of foods particular to their area of the world. Among them are fruits and vegetables not found elsewhere. Although colonization has influenced their diets by adding crops like maize (corn) and tomatoes, the Zulu people still have many traditional foods that they incorporate into their modern diets. Outside of Africa, few of these indigenous Zulu foods and dishes are available.

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