Zulu victory at isandlwana but the 1879 war ended with the brutal crushing of the zulu nation. Shaka built a zulu nation that expanded over a hundred thousand square miles of land and created a military machine capable of inflicting heavy casualties on british troops and calvarymen armed with rifles, cannons, rockets and other advanced weapons. In the nguni languages, izulu means heaven, or weather. Early in the spring of 1846, a young man named nembula and a young woman called. This list of zulu kings gives a list of zulu chieftains and kings from their earliest known history up to the current monarchthe personal standard of king goodwill zwelithini kabhekuzulu adopted in 1999. This is a very involved and detailed history of the 1879 zulu war. The same year, swaziland established its first legislative body an advisory council of elected european representatives mandated to advise the british high commissioner on nonswazi affairs. Mpande then took over rulership of the zulu nation. An offshoot of the zulu, the amandebele, better known to history as the matabele created an even larger empire under their king mzilikazi, including large parts of the highveld and modernday zimbabwe. A brief history of the zulu nation 200 years on youtube. But, as adrian greaves reveals, this was by no means the end of the story.
The zulu were descended from the nguni, a group that established itself in southern africa in the seventeenth century. A history of the zulu and neighbouring tribes dashboard web cms. The zulu people were thus split along ideological lines, the dingane mpande conflict having broken the rope that holds the nation together. Sigidi kasenzangakhona commonly knows as shaka was a great zulu king and conqueror. The word zulu means sky and according to oral history, zulu was the name of. Map illustrating the rise of the zulu empire under shaka 18161828 in presentday south africa. Founded by afrika bambaataa the universal zulu nation, originally known simply as the organization, is an international hip hop awareness group, with over 400,000 members, which arose among reformed street gang members in the bronx in the.
The zulu were originally a major clan in what is today northern kwazulunatal, founded ca. To mpande fell the difficult task of plaiting the nation back together and healing the rift between his. After realizing that it would benefit the community more if the gangs unified to better the community and to better each other, zulu was formed. Zulu, a nation of ngunispeaking people in kwazulunatal province, south africa. On the one hand, napoleon, despite the wars he waged across europe, has been considered by. I again reiterate that i am not an historian but merely relate stories that i had heard as a child and stories i have heard and read about during the course of my life. For more than a century after the european landing at capetown in the c17th, the boers had advanced unopposed into the vast interior of africa. The zulu tribe is one of the most widely known tribes in africa, mainly because of the very vital part that it played in the continents history. The rise and fall of the zulu nation under shaka and its fall in the zulu war of 1879 touchstone books online books in format pdf. Jan 31, 2020 in 1921, after more than 20 years of rule by queen regent lobatsibeni, sobhuza ii became ngwenyama lion or head of the swazi nation. History school, who sought to counter the racist assumptions of the colonial and apartheid eras by portraying african history as dynamic, constructive and independent of european influence.
Sep 07, 2018 the zulu monarch shaka was a contemporary of the french emperor napoleon, and has even been dubbed the african napoleon by some. Jan 20, 2017 traditionally, stories about the zulu empire focus on its very demise. In this essay i hope to briefly discuss the zulu history, what makes them unique, the zulu religion, the interaction with the british colonial groups, how the zulu nation came to come into power, and where the present day zulu people stand in society today. To mpande fell the difficult task of plaiting the nation back together and healing the rift between his followers and those of the recently killed dingane. Le royaume zoulou, parfois designe sous le terme dempire zoulou ou assez imprecisement. Each of these areas contribute to culture that is a source of much pride for the zulu people. Shaka zulu was the illegitimate son of senzangakona, king of the zulus. This assemblage of beads by the warriors represented a symbol of bravery. History of shaka zulu natal, kzn early history about the. Zululand historical region, south africa britannica. He and his mother, nandi, were exiled by senzangakona, and found refuge with the mthethwa. Essence devoted a full halfhour segment of their weekly television series to zulus impact on carnival. Specifically the legendary anglo zulu war, and the two incredible battles of isandlwana and rorkes drift.
Among black people and white people, among lay people and among most academics, inside south africa and outside, shaka the mighty is counted as one of the most famous of africans. Christine riggio lent her photographic expertise and artistic eye to the preparation of all the photographs. Southern africas contribution to the cradle of mankind is borne out by several important archaeological sites. A history of the rise of the zulu nation under shaka and its fall in the zulu war of 1879 new york. At that time, the area was occupied by many large nguni communities and clans also called the isizwe people or nation, or were called isibongo, referring to their clan or. The zulu are the single largest ethnic group in south africa and numbered about nine million in the. My other primary objective is to explain why, twentyseven years later, many of those same natal africans, or their children or grandchildren, rebelled against the british in the name of the zulu king. Framed around queen victorias decision on englands political stance towards the zulu nation, the novel starts with shakas illegitimate birth, taking us through his difficult childhood, his obsessive attachment to his mother nandi, to. There was one zulu king who represented all the zulu. The profile and history of tshaka king of the zulu a. Part one john wright school of human and social studies university of kwazulunatal, pietermaritzburg october 2004 introduction shaka kasenzangakhona, who ruled the emerging zulu kingdom from the late 1810s until his assassination in 1828, has long featured in south african history making as a. The battle of isandlwana is one of the most historic events in the history of not just the zulu nation but that of southern africa. History of shaka zulu natal, kzn early history about the zulu.
Famous for the bloody battles of isandlwana and rorkes drift, the anglozulu war of 1879 saw over 15,000 british troops invade the independent nation of zululand in presentday south africa. Shaka, founder of the zulu kingdom of southern africa, is murdered by his two halfbrothers, dingane and mhlangana, after shakas mental illness threatened to. In 1921, after more than 20 years of rule by queen regent lobatsibeni, sobhuza ii became ngwenyama lion or head of the swazi nation. The history of the amazulu or the zulu kingdom begins with zulu, progenitor of the zulu tribe. The rise and fall of the zulu nation under shaka and its fall in the zulu war of 1879 touchstone books and read the washing of the spears. The zulu are the descendants of ngunispeaking people. Uzn was started in 1973 by afrika bambaataa who at the time was a gang leader.
This true story chronicles with mythic detail the life of shaka zulu, the greatest african leader in history. The first zulu christian booklet was produced by newton adams, george newton and aldin grout 18378 titled incwadi yokuqala yabafundayo which dealt with the spelling of zulu words and the history of the old testament. Apartheid apartness in the language of afrikaans was a system of legislation that upheld segregationist policies against nonwhite citizens of south. Shaka and its fall in the zulu war of 1879 new york. Shaka fought as a warrior under jobe, and then under jobes successor, dingiswayo, leader of the mthethwa paramountcy.
The history of the zulu people is rather short in comparison to other tribes in africa. History of the zulu nation natal, kzn early history about. The word zulu means sky and according to oral history, zulu was the name of the ancestor who founded the zulu royal line in about 1670. Zululand, traditional region in the northeastern section of presentday kwazulunatal formerly natal province, south africa. At that time, the area was occupied by many large nguni communities and clans also called the isizwe people or nation, or were called isibongo, referring to their clan or family name. Founded by king shaka in 1816, it began as a small tribe of only 1500 people. History of the zulu nation natal, kzn early history about the. Their military exploits led to the rise of a great kingdom that was feared for a long time over much of the african continent. When senzangakona died, dingiswayo helped shaka become chief of. The little known consequences of the division of zululand, the boer war, and the 1906 zulu rebellion are analyzed in fascinating detail. The spread of zulu ethnicity in colonial south africa the other zulus michael r. Yet british fortuneseekers of the 1820s found shakas zulus a dignified people whose martial qualities were tempered by generosity and hospitality. Originally, the zulu tribe emanated from the ngunis who inhabited the central and eastern africa and subsequently migrated to the southern africa in the bantu migration which occurred.
Traditionally, stories about the zulu empire focus on its very demise. The kingdom of zulu sometimes referred to as the zulu empire or the kingdom of zululand. Pdf applicability of shaka zulus leadership and strategies. Over the years, the zulus have survived wars, famine and. The effects from dutch pressure on the western african frontier by the end of the. Polygamy is still practiced, particularly in rural kwazulunatal. Our ancient arena southern africas contribution to the cradle of mankind is borne out by several. Several homesteads were traditionally run by one chief, who made the important decisions. King zulu 1949, louis armstrong, graced the pages of time magazine that year. He ruled at one of first recorded towns known as bulawayo.
The cover letter below was written by king yoda, of the universal zulu nation, as a call to all aboriginal and indigenous people, to all. Today it is estimated that there are more than 45 million south africans, and the zulu people make up about approximately 22% of this number. An excellent history which outlines the culture, the policies of both the zulu nation and the british empire, the rise of the zulu nation and the subsequent actions of the british government in the invasion and subjugation of the zulu nation. Shaka was portrayed neither as a superhuman hero, nor as a satanic monster,5 but as an innovative, albeit despotic state builder.
A history of the rise of the zulu nation under shaka, and its fall in the zulu war of 1879 in 1879, armed only with their spears, their rawhide shields, and their incredible courage, the zulus challenged the might of victorian england and, initially, inflicted on the british the worst defeat a modern army has. I count myself fortunate to have met the author of the book shaka zulu, mr e. The build up to the war started in 1877 when sir henry frere, a. Pdf the washing of the spears a history of the rise of the. The zulu of that time, and particularly the zulu who had been moulded by men like shaka and his successor dingane are vividly described by adulphe delegorgue,1 the french naturalist who visited natal in 1838 and subsequent years, as being born haughty, and possessing a feeling of nationality in a high degree.
One of the most significant events in zulu history was the arrival of europeans in natal. Practices of naming and the possibilities of home on american zulu mission stations in colonial natal. Their written history can be traced back to the fourteenth century. Pdf on jan 10, 2017, cyril malibongwe mbeje and others published. The division of labor within a household is mainly between men and women. Jul 27, 2019 shaka, founder of the zulu kingdom of southern africa, is murdered by his two halfbrothers, dingane and mhlangana, after shakas mental illness threatened to destroy the zulu tribe. We attended the conference in october 2008, and thought the questions were worthy of answering, and publishing for the benefit of all who were interested. Sep 24, 2016 the zulu nation is celebrating 200 years of existence. Pdf the zulu identity south african ingenious tribes. This is one of the best accounts of how the zulu nation become one of the most feared in africa under shaka and how it fell to ruin under cetshwayo during the war with england in 1879. These bards or story tellers were entrusted to tell the stories verbatim as they had heard them and not alter the tale in anyway whatsoever.
Zulu nation, as a call to all aboriginal and indigenous people, to all preachers, immams, rabbis, teachers, students, and other community leaders, socalled religious leaders and community activists. Hordes of feature stories and photo essays have been done by international publications. The nguni family of bantuspeaking people who later formed the zulu nation migrated into southeastern. Critical engagement with the notion of the mfecane was further stimulated by.
Often worn as a necklace, the beads were displayed in a crisscross formation across the shoulders. They are a branch of the southern bantu and have close ethnic, linguistic, and cultural ties with the swazi and xhosa. Between 1845 and 1883, the first translated version of the bible was produced in very old zulu orthography. The zulu nation is celebrating 200 years of existence. He played an important role in the politics of the zulu territory throughout history and has represented his people internationally. In the space of twelve years during the early nineteenth century, he transformed the small zulu chieftains into a large and powerful military force.
South african military history society journal the zulu. Founded by afrika bambaataa the universal zulu nation, originally known simply as the organization, is an international hip hop awareness group, with over 400,000 members, which arose among reformed street gang members in the bronx in the early 1970s. For many people, the zulu are the bestknown african people. One of my objectives is to explain why natal africans would do this. I merely relate stories that were told to me verbally, by zulu elders, chiefs and princes of the zulu royal family about the zulu history, including the history of shaka zulu, during the course of my life growing up and living in zululand. The word zulu means sky and according to oral history, zulu was the name of the. It is the home of the zulu people and site of their 19thcentury kingdom. Specifically the legendary anglozulu war, and the two incredible battles. This particular form of beadwork were known as iziqu, medallions of war. A history of the rise of the zulu nation under shaka and the fall in the zulu war of 1879.
However, apart from their reputation as great military leaders, history has remembered these two men quite differently. Zulu, in fact, was the name of the son of a sixteenth century chief who settled in the region of present day kwazulunatal on south africas east coast. Textbooks and literature agree that shaka zulu, king of the zulu nation, was a leading figure in the military history of the zulu kingdom of south africa during the early 19th century eldredge. Critical engagement with the notion of the mfecane was further stimulated by the publication. The nguni were bantu speakers who had been migrating down the eastern coast of africa over the course of many centuries, with some groups arriving perhaps as early as the ninth century. For their engaged participation in the becoming of, i dust of the zulu. The zulu, a nguni people, initially were a small chieftaincy situated near the white mfolozi.
The way they live, their beliefs, family and their levels of organization. Zulu history the history of the zulu nation tourism kzn. It is the home of the zulu people and site of their 19thcentury kingdom the zulu, a nguni people, initially were a small chieftaincy situated near the white mfolozi river, but they provided the nucleus for the amalgamations of regional chieftaincies. The zulu never regained their independence see anglozulu wars. The zulu people have a strong belief in the potency of their ancestors. Kingdoms of southern africa zulu nation the history files. Mnguni nkosinkulu mdlani luzumana malandela kaluzumana, son of luzumana ntombela kamalandela, son of malandela. The washing of the spears is the definitive account of a tragic and aweinspiring story. By the late 1800s, british troops had invaded zulu territory and divided zulu land into different chiefdoms. Represents the interwoven future of the zulu people. The history of the zulu nation zulu kingdom kwazulu natal south africa.
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