Zulu-speaking people (Amazulu) belong to one of the largest cultural and linguistic groups in southern Africa. There are an estimated 12,5 million Zulu-speakers currently thriving in South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Malawi, Botswana and Mocambique with the largest concentration of people in South Africa (approximately 10,5 million). The word iZulu means 'heaven' and the word zulu means 'rain', if translated into English (Amazulu means 'rain people').
The Amazulu is not a homogenous group of people and consists of different clans who had settled in the mountainous and hilly rural areas of northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. This cultural and linguistic group is patrilineal and had migrated in a southerly direction along the eastern coast of Africa from the 9th century onward. According to notable archaeological finds, they initially came from an area in modern Cameroon. The largest of these clans was established by Zulu kaMalandela around 1709. The legend is that Zulu kaMalandela (1627 - 1709) had two sons, Qwabe and Zulu, who fought each other bitterly and thus it came about that young Zulu and his clans were banished by KaMalandela further north into the area now known as Mocambique while Qwabe's clans stayed where they were. Qwabe's would be the very same clans that gave birth to and saw the ascendancy of Shaka kaSenzangakhona or Shaka Zulu.
Zulu culture is rich, intricate and dynamic encompassing extensive and diverse anthologies of stories that were relayed from generation to generation in the oral tradition. The following is an example of a 'why' story explaining natural phenomena, in this case, the nocturnal behaviour of owls. It is also fitting to make an association in this story between the birds, beasts of heaven, and the spirit of the Amazulu, people of the skies above, for like the Zulu people, the birds are desirous of their own king.
One day, all the birds came together to decide who among them should be King of the Birds. They agreed to hold a contest and decided that the bird that flew the highest was to be crowned.
Shortly before the contest was to start, the smallest bird among them hid itself away underneath the huge wings of the eagle. The eagle was big and strong and when it soared high in the sky above the other birds, the little bird flew out from under the eagle's wings, shot up and flew higher.
All the birds were very angry at the little bird's trickery and decided to punish him for cheating. But, before they could catch him, the little bird dove into a hole in the ground so small, the other birds could not follow.
They appointed the owl to keep watch over the hole so that they could catch the little bird as soon he came out. After watching the hole for quite a while, though, the owl grew sleepy. First, he closed his left eye and watched with his right and then, he closed his right eye and watched with his left, and so on. Unfortunately, the owl closed one eye and forgot to open the other and the little bird escaped from the hole.
The other birds were very angry with the owl. He was disgraced, and this is why, until this very day, the owl hides away during the day and only comes out at night.
Adapted from Zulu Culture.
The Amazulu is not a homogenous group of people and consists of different clans who had settled in the mountainous and hilly rural areas of northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. This cultural and linguistic group is patrilineal and had migrated in a southerly direction along the eastern coast of Africa from the 9th century onward. According to notable archaeological finds, they initially came from an area in modern Cameroon. The largest of these clans was established by Zulu kaMalandela around 1709. The legend is that Zulu kaMalandela (1627 - 1709) had two sons, Qwabe and Zulu, who fought each other bitterly and thus it came about that young Zulu and his clans were banished by KaMalandela further north into the area now known as Mocambique while Qwabe's clans stayed where they were. Qwabe's would be the very same clans that gave birth to and saw the ascendancy of Shaka kaSenzangakhona or Shaka Zulu.
Zulu culture is rich, intricate and dynamic encompassing extensive and diverse anthologies of stories that were relayed from generation to generation in the oral tradition. The following is an example of a 'why' story explaining natural phenomena, in this case, the nocturnal behaviour of owls. It is also fitting to make an association in this story between the birds, beasts of heaven, and the spirit of the Amazulu, people of the skies above, for like the Zulu people, the birds are desirous of their own king.
One day, all the birds came together to decide who among them should be King of the Birds. They agreed to hold a contest and decided that the bird that flew the highest was to be crowned.
Shortly before the contest was to start, the smallest bird among them hid itself away underneath the huge wings of the eagle. The eagle was big and strong and when it soared high in the sky above the other birds, the little bird flew out from under the eagle's wings, shot up and flew higher.
All the birds were very angry at the little bird's trickery and decided to punish him for cheating. But, before they could catch him, the little bird dove into a hole in the ground so small, the other birds could not follow.
They appointed the owl to keep watch over the hole so that they could catch the little bird as soon he came out. After watching the hole for quite a while, though, the owl grew sleepy. First, he closed his left eye and watched with his right and then, he closed his right eye and watched with his left, and so on. Unfortunately, the owl closed one eye and forgot to open the other and the little bird escaped from the hole.
The other birds were very angry with the owl. He was disgraced, and this is why, until this very day, the owl hides away during the day and only comes out at night.
Adapted from Zulu Culture.
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