Shaka Zulu's Story - Case Study Example

SHAKA ZULU Table of contents Section Page Introduction………………………………………… 1 Brief History of the Zulus……………………………2 The Birth and life of Shaka Zulu……………………..3 Shaka and the rise of Zulu State……………………..6 Conclusion……………………………………………9 References……………………………………………10 1 Introduction This paper examines and clearly gives a brief background, the origin, migration and settlement of the Zulus to their present homeland as a people. It also gives accounts on the birth, infantry life, adolescent life as well as the adult life of the Shaka Zulu who later on emerged to be the strongest chief of the Zulus. It also provides suggestions for the factors that led to the growth and development of a stronger kingdom among the Zulus under their able rule Shaka Zulu. In addition, it provides the reasons as to why the leader was assassinated by his own half-brother who ended up assuming his leadership position as well as how he was also overthrown with Boer who got the British support. 2 Brief history of the Zulus The Zulu were believed to have descended from the Nguni, a racial group which established itself in southern Africa around seventeenth century. The Nguni were basically Bantu speakers who had been migrating down the eastern coast of Africa over the course of many countries, with most groups arriving perhaps as early as ninth century. After having settled in South Africa, they formed into several clans of which the Zulu was one of them. Oral tradition gives an account that, the original Zulu chiefdom was established in the 17th century by the founding patriarch, Malandala. Later on it was his son, Zulu, who offered his name to the people. According to their tradition, ‘Zulu’ means ‘heaven’, therefore, they were referred to as amaZulu, the people of heaven. They settled in a region that would eventually become known as KwaZulu-Natal, flanked to the west by the Drakensburg Mountains and in the east by Indian Ocean, a landscape of rolling hill, deep river gorges, and fertile grassland. In the early 17th century, Malandala died after being sick for a long time, this led to the division of the Nguni community between his two sons, which are Qwabe and Zulu. And according to the traditions of the Nguni, the brothers had to fight for the position of their father, and such is the scale of death wreaked by Zulu and his warriors that they are exiled from the Nguni lands(Hamilton,et al.1998:64). This therefore suggests that they are defeated, despite the high casualty rate inflicted on their opponents, and Zulu leads his followers to the north, where they later prosper after trading with the Portuguese. 3 The birth and life of Shaka Zulu By around 18th century, the Zulus were an obscure Nguni tribe of about 1,600 people, they were ruled by a petty chief by the name Senzangakhona. In 1786, chief Senzangakhona met Nandi, a woman of the eLangeni tribe, while traveling and the two engaged in the Nguni institution of uku-hlobonga, which traditionally was designed to release sexual tension among the young without conception resulting. As recorded by Francis Fynn “There was no penetration allowed, so this consisted of phallic and clitoral contact only, resulting in outside ejaculation. If the partners lost control and the pregnancy resulted then it was considered the man’s fault and a fine of three cattle was levied”. However, both the partners broke the rules. Later on it was discovered that Nandi was pregnant, immediately a messenger was dispatched, bearing a formal indictment against the young Zulu chief.As Kunene & Shaka (1979),the chief however replied insultingly that the pregnancy no doubt was false and due to iShaka, an intestinal parasite that was known to cause menstrual irregularity. The chief was expected by eLangeni leaders to go and collect Nandi and her ‘iShaka’ which he reluctantly did. She was brought in as the third wife of Senzangakhona, without any marriage ceremony. Fortunately, the young baby boy was born, and it is interesting that a corruption of the intestinal parasites’ name became the less-than-flattering name chief Senzangakhona gave his son-Shaka (Race, 2007:71). They lived in area that had been sparsely populated by farmers and herdsmen. The Zulu had been occasionally raiding and fighting over cattle-grazing rights, with a warfare that had been recreational and without much bloodshed. Historian Donald Morris stated the “Warriors on opposing sides squared off and shouted insults at each other while women watched from 4 sidelines and shouted encouragement”. At the time Shake was 6 years, he began to care for his father’s sheep with other herd of boys. He was trained to defend and take good care of the flock, when he allowed a dog to kill one of the sheep, his father became angry and this would earn him beatings; if he would be defended by his mother, both of them would be dismissed from chief Senzangakhona from his Kraal(Ross, 2008:54). The chief was harsh and brutal to both of them, as a result, Shaka and his mother Nandi spent miserable years wandering from one kraal to another, pursued by derision as well as abuse. Shaka was most unhappy during this time; he was further ridiculed by the fact that he had small genitals compared to his mates. He built up an abiding hate and resentment for the eLangeni people and this resulted in a fierce driving force within him to excel and to dominate in all activities. He becomes introverted and antisocial and this further aggravated the way people felt about him. When it became apparent that he was gaining sexual maturity he was sent back to the Zulu tribe to undergo the ceremony of attaining puberty and was presented with his umutsha, which was an apron of skins to cover his genitals. Nathaniel Isaacs gives a clear picture of the Zulu traditions, that “Before puberty all boys ran around necked. Unfortunately, Shaka rejected this umutsha because he now had attained normal genital development and wanted to show everybody that he was normal, after all the teasing he had been subjected to when he was still a young boy”. Public protocol eventually forced him to wear at least an umncedo, which was a woven cup-shaped object that was attached to the end of a man’s penis. Although nearly necked, a Zulu man was considered to be acceptably clothed if he wore only this. He was resented by the older boys because he far surpassed them in all sports and outdoor activities and his desire to lead was considered arrogant. 5 This continued up to around 1803, when Nandi together with her son finally found a haven in a kraal close to the center of dominant power group in the region-the Mthethwa hegemony. At this time Shaka was a courageous, intelligence, and had unconquerable spirit; at 16 years old, his distinguishable qualities made him to become the senior herd boy. Once the young man even stood his ground and single-handedly killed a leopard attacking the herd, earning him praise and a cow from the king (Ross, 2008:67). On another occasion he killed a Black Mamba, one of the most Africa’s dangerous snakes that had bitten and killed a bull under his care. Chief Mbengi of the eLangeni tribe called him up before the people of the tribe and congratulated him for this brave deed by giving him a goat. At 21-years old, Shaka stood 6 feet, 3 inches with a body that seemed to be all muscle, sinew and bone. He was given an oval shield, 5 feet 9 inches high and 3 feet wide, and three light throwing spears, or assegais. His uniform consisted of white oxtails at the wrists and ankles, a kilt of fur strips, a skin cape with black widow-bird plumes and cowhide sandals. In every battle, Shaka ensured that they won, and the whole regiment soon became aware of the young warrior’s skill in combat. At the military kraal, Shaka began shaping his 100-men command into an effective fighting machine. They young courageous commander divided his men into three separate groups; the largest was the central compact one, with two smaller ones on each flank. His tactical genius brought about the deployment of two enveloping ‘horns’-flanking forces from the ‘head’-main body and supported behind by the ‘loins’-reserve force. It was later destined to become the 6 common and traditional Zulu ‘buffalo’ battle formation. Shaka was able to successfully use his tactics against chief Zwide’s army, by transforming a traditional set-piece battle into one movement, permitting the defeat of the enemy in detail. He was generously rewarded by a share of the captured cattle, which he gave his men. In addition, king Dingiswayo also appointed Shaka as his commander-in-chief and maneuvered reconciliation with his father, Senzangakhona, who promised to make Shaka his heir. Shaka and the rise of Zulu state In 1816, Shaka became the chief of the Zulus; the tribe numbered fewer than 1,500 and was among the smaller of the hundreds of other tribes in the southern Africa. Nevertheless, Shaka proved brilliant military organizes, forming well commanded regiments and arming them with assegias, a new type of long-bladed, short spear that was easy to wield and deadly. The Zulus rapidly conquered neighboring tribes, incorporating the survivors into their ranks. Consequently, the Zulu conquest greatly destabilized the region and resulted in a great wave of migrations of the uprooted tribes as well as those who feared attacks (Vries, 2013:42). After several conquests and raids, the kingdom arose and the number tremendously increased as those who survived were made to be part of the community. The conquest and expansion known as mfecene, actually led to the incorporation of many other people. A courageous military leader put together an army of more than 40,000 rigorously trained soldiers. Shaka also introduced several important military innovations, such as the short stabbing spear, which gave Zulu troops a distinct advantage over their adversaries. In a period of only ten years, 7 Shaka had built a kingdom-Zululand- that encompassed most of the area presently known as the Natal Province. Shaka claimed absolute authority over his kingdom. Shaka promoted a new national identity by stressing the Zuluness of the state. All subjects of the state up to including those that were captured became Zulu and owed the king their personal allegiance. Zulu traditions of origin became the national traditions of the state. Traditional Nguni festivals, such as painting as well as harvest celebrations, became occasions on which Shaka gathered huge numbers of his people and extolled the virtues of the state. Through such means, Shaka developed a Zulu consciousness that went beyond the original identities and lineages of the various peoples who were his subjects; this eventually earned him respect and more powers as they worshiped him like one of their gods. His hierarchical leadership style was retained by subsequent Zulu rulers and later adopted by Inkatha, a 20th century political organization. In conquered territories, Shaka appointed his own officials; any subjects who refused Shaka rule could be killed immediately. In addition, Raugh, (2011) claims that conquered people were expected to serve in the army, herd the king’s cattle, and hunt elephants for ivory that could be exchanged for more goodies from the Portuguese. He was able to consolidate his authority by conducting frequent raids and wars on neighboring groups, such as the Mpondo. His army raided for food and cattle; they attacked any who challenged the authority of the Zulu monarch; and they extended the limits of Shaka realm north to the borders of the present-day Mozambique, west across the Drakensberg Mountains, and south to the margins of the area that would later become the Transkei homeland. A portion 8 of the cattle gotten from the raids was distributed to his chiefs and army officers to encourage their loyalty. By the mid-1820s, was composed of more than 100,000 people of different origin plus the native Zulus with a standing army of 40,000 men. He centralized power in the person of king and his court, collected tribute from regional chiefs, and placed regiments throughout his state to ensure compliance with his orders. The regiments also looked after the royal herds and carried out public works. Women too, were incorporated into their own regiments, which were paired with male regiments to provide food and other services to the soldiers. With all these preparations put into place, the kingdom remained strong for a long period of time. In 1827, Nandi, the mother died, and this is the time the Zulu leader lost his mind. In his grief, Shaka had hundreds of Zulus killed, and he outlawed the paintings of crops and use of milk for a year. All pregnant women were murdered alongside their husbands. He sent his military on an intensive operation, and when they returned exhausted he immediately ordered them out again. At this time when almost all the available Zulu manpower had been sent on yet another mass operation; Shaka the Zulu monarch was killed by three assassins in 1828. His half-brother assumed power, and embarked on an extensive purge of pro-Shaka elements for a long time in order to secure his position (Wells,2003:56). He also murdered the close allies whom he thought would protest against his actions, their bodies were buried secretly in unmarked graves. However, he only ruled for twelve years and was overthrown by Boer who got the British support and took over the leadership in 1840. At his death, he ruled over 250,000 subjects and could muster more than 50,000 worriers, whose iron discipline equaled that of Roman legions in 9 their prime. His 10-years tenure had resulted in close to or more than 2 million deaths by warfare alone excluding those that occurred during mass tribal migrations in escape of his brutal army. Later in the 19th century, the Zulus would be counted as one of the few African peoples who managed to defeat the British army. Conclusion In conclusion, the paper has clearly given a brief background of the origin, migration and settlement of the Zulus to their present homeland as a people. Based on the accounts on the birth, infantry life, adolescent life as well as the adult life of the Shaka Zulu, were are able to understand how Shaka Zulu’s intrinsic nature helped him to emerge to be the strongest chief of the Zulus. The paper examines and gives suggestions to the factors that led to the growth and development of a stronger kingdom among the Zulus under their able rule Shaka Zulu. In addition, it provides us with the downfall of the great Zulu leader after his assassination together with his close allies. 10 Reference Hamilton, C., & American Council of Learned Societies. (1998). Terrific majesty: The power of Shaka Zulu and the limits of historical invention. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. Kunene, M., & Shaka, K. Z. (1979). Emperor Shaka the Great. London: Heinemann. Race, W. W. (2007). The epic Anglo Zulu war on canvas. Blackpool: Talisman Prints. Raugh, H. E. (2011). Anglo-Zulu War, 1879: A selected bibliography. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press. Ross, R. (2008). A Concise History of South Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Vries, M. F. R. K. (2013). The leader on the couch: A clinical approach to changing people and organizations. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Wells, S. (2003). Shakespeare survey: Vol. 52. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More