Zulu Culture and living - Research Paper Example

? The Zulu Culture The Zulu People The Zulu people are the largest group of people in South Africa. They make up to 24% of the total country’s population. They are believed to have migrated from Congo area in the 16th century and picked up most of their cultural practices from the san of South Africa. The Zulu people are full of character and celebrate their cultural distinctiveness through cultural festivals. Currently the Zulu tribe is divided; some people have moved into urban centers while others are still in their native habitat (Kwazulu-Natal province). Zulu community has a little population in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. The Zulu people have exciting traditions and their daily lives incorporate both the traditional and modern practices in beliefs, music, rituals, arts and rites of passage. The Zulu tradition is rooted in the Nkulunkulu the creator. The Zulu people are agriculturalists practicing both farming and keeping of domesticated animals. The Zulu mode of subsistence played a critical role in shaping their economic organization. Division of labor was along gender lines and there was clear-cut distinction between male and female roles in the society. Men performed chores that were considered more cumbersome and required a lot of time out of the homestead. They include land cultivation with oxen-driven sledges, carrying logs, constructing food storage barns and tending the cattle. On the other hand, women performed household chores like child rearing, cooking, fetching water, collecting firewood, spreading seeds in the farms and hoeing. Their religious beliefs and values were influenced by their mode of subsistence (Gatsha, 1992). This is because they represent the peoples needs incase of crop failure, infestation of the firms by crops destroying insects and crop harvest. Religion was also used to deal with uncertainties and explain things that could not be explained by culture. The Zulu people had a centralized form of government. The king was the central ruler and was accorded maximum respect. The king delegated power to chiefs who were in charge of the districts. The family heads were obligated to maintain law and order in their homesteads. Mode of Subsistence Traditionally, the Zulu people were agriculturalists; they practiced mixed farming. A lot of significance was attached to cattle, goats and poultry. A man’s wealth was measured by the size of his cattle herd. Cattle were a source of meat and milk and hides. They were also used in paying bride price (lobola) and cattle sacrifice was the main way of appeasing the ancestors. Women took care of the agricultural activities and they grew crops like maize, pumpkins, sugar reeds and tubers. Economic organization In the 19th century, the Zulu people practiced mixed farming. They grew crops and raised livestock. Women collected grass that was used in thatching new and renewing thatches, making baskets, sitting mats, straws (beer sieves) and pot lids among other products. Women plastered and re-plastered houses belonging to their brothers, aunts, husbands and parents. Ploughing fields was a collective chore to both men and women. Men span the oxen and control the ploughs that were drawn by the oxen. Women and boys spread the seeds and finally, women did hoeing and harvesting. Men collected the harvest on sledges that were drawn by the oxen. Women were obligated to clean and polish the living huts. Men on the other hand carved wood utensils, walking sticks and milkpails. Men collected logs that were used in fencing, constructing and repairing kraals. They also built bans that were used for food storage and dug pits used for food storage in the kraals. Young men looked after cattle and slaughtered the animals for ceremonial festivals. Men also tanned the animal skin that was later used in making leather products (Zibani, 2002, p.138). The waves of change brought about by modernization have not spared the Zulu community. Division of labor is still gender based. Men are regarded as the primary providers and to establish themselves they have been forced to move to urban centers to look for employment. Women who are still in the rural areas still do the horticultural chores and perform household duties like cleaning, child rearing and fetching water. Women have also been forced to look for employment to supplement for the family’s income. Religious beliefs and values Beliefs and values are universal in all cultures. They aim at expressing what is natural and supernatural in a culture. It further expresses the relationship that exists between them. Religious beliefs and values provides a community with a sense of identity and belonging, they establish codes which set out what is expected of the individual members in the society, divine intervention relieves members of anxiety and it answers questions which are above mans knowledge. For instance, myths explain human origin and existence. The Zulu people believed that everything came from Umvelingqangi who is the ruler. Princess Nomkhubulwane who brings rain, food, female affairs and fertility assists him. The Zulu also believe in the existence of ancestral spirits who acts as the bridge between ancestors, their ruler (Umvelingqangi) and the living. The Zulu people believed that Umvelingqangi lived in heaven. Ordinary men could not communicate directly to the supreme deity and thus they had representatives’ like priest and ancestral spirits. According to the Zulu people, Ancestral spirits give life and show pleasure and anger to the living. Gatsha (1992, p.21) asserts that ancestral spirits provide safety and security to the living in the society. The ancestral spirits’ were believed to be closely watching the Zulu people’s actions. They were pleased by attention and honor given to them. On the other hand, they were irritated by neglect. Ancestral spirits promoted the peoples welfare through giving food fortunes like making crops grow, increasing fertility and crops harvest. Neglect of the spirits could lead to punishment inform of misfortunes, disasters, diseases and death. In the Zulu community, the family heads are obligated to make sure that ancestral spirits are not neglected and are respected accordingly. The Zulu people use religious beliefs to incorporate values that are critical towards the promotion of society’s survival through social solidarity. Belief in the power held by the supernatural helps in easing pain caused by death and dealing with anxieties brought about by the unknown. As per the religion, the Zulu are social beings who cannot control forces that bring about suffering and good fortune like good rains, bumper harvest, fertility, child bearing and dealing with demise of a close relative. The Zulu people believe in life after death. According to Gatsha (1992, p.82), the living honor and remember their ancestors, they sacrifice to the spirits of their parents and grand parents. The spirits of outstanding persons like kings deserve to be honored beyond the family circles of their descendants. According to Joel (2010, p.12), the Zulu people majorly worshipped ancestors who were believed to be unseen members in the society who continue to takeoff the living. The Zulus culture and the decisions they make on daily basis revolve around ancestors. There is constant communication between the two worlds before any action can be undertaken. Christianity has led to many changes in the Zulus religion. Majority of the Zulu people combine both Christianity and traditional beliefs. Others have been fully converted to Christianity. These churches also have practitioners who help their followers in communicating with the ancestors. Diviners in the traditional society diagnosed ill health and its causes. They also predicted on the possible causes of misfortunes that befell the society. The diagnosis was related to irritation of the ancestral spirits and witchcraft. Medicine in the Zulu community targeted either physical illness or psychological problems. The latter was magic intended to affect the person whom it was being directed to either positively or negatively. This medicine was more of a weapon intended for protection on the person whom it was used on. Color symbolism was a critical part in healing among the Zulu. Black and red symbolized both bad and good while White symbolized good. Treatment was given out with all these medicine to maintain a balance between the individual and the society. Currently, the Zulu people use western for m of medication. Choice on the type of medication to be used is influenced by perceptions on what could be the possible source of the predicament. Death can be caused by illness or by accident and murder. Death resulting from murder and accident is referred to as spill of blood. Rituals are performed to cleanse the community off the pollution considered to be brought about by death. Political Organization Political organization in the Zulu society was hierarchical, the king being the most powerful person on the land. The king had both judicial and legislative power in the community. The legislation was constituted through consultation with either the council or the old men who were considered knowledgeable. The council consisted of important family heads that were at times required to live with the king at the royal kraal to advise him. The council gave orders for marriage arrangements and campaign announcements. The king delegated authority to chiefs who were in charge of the districts. The chiefs delegated authority to homestead heads that were in charge of each household (Nowak & Laird, 2010). The homestead (umuzi) was the smallest unit of political organization. The Zulu settlements that were made up of extended families were patrilocal in nature. Practice of Polygyny allowed men to marry more than one woman. Wives were expected to be submissive to their husbands and this promoted men’s superiority in the society. Each kraal (village) represented the homestead of a male person in the society who built separate huts for each of his wives. The arrangement of the huts was according wife’s prestige around the kraal. The head of the homestead was obligated to maintain order in his vicinity. Disputes of special nature and those that could not be handled by the homestead head efficiently were taken care of by the district head. An intanga (a group of men of the same age group) lived at the king’s kraal, took care of the kings cattle and formed an army. As a way of showing respect to the king, the chiefs attend the council meetings and campaign for ceremonies organized by the king (Gatsha, 1992). The local elected government official ensures equal access to resources and services by the Zulu people (Joel, 2010). In conclusion, from the above discussion, it is evident that agriculture as a form of subsistence adopted by the Zulu people greatly influences the other facets of culture. The economic organization that was characterized by division of labor across gender lines and age is an attribute of developed societies that practice agriculture. Crop farming and cattle keeping are very involving and thus call for collective involvement of the entire community as evident in the Zulu community. Their religion represents community’s expectations and fears which are above the community’s control. The choice of animals to give as sacrifices in Ceremonies performed to appease spirits was influenced by the availability of livestock. Centralized political form of organization was dictated by need for social cohesion to foster economical production. The Zulu people have changed and the society is currently divided into halves. Some have moved to urban centers to seek employment and this has led to partial or complete change in lifestyle. However, women who are employed in the urban centers are obligated to perform their household chores or have a house help to do them on their behalf. The Zulu people are scattered in the entire South African nation and are thus governed by the national Government. However, family organisat6ions still exist among the population residing in the Kwazulu-Natal province. References Gatsha, B. (1992). Bring in the Zulus: Zulu. African people, 325(7779): 15-16 Joel, C. (2010). Politics and Preaching: Nazaretha church, obedient subjects and sermon performance in South Africa. Journal of African History, 51(1), 21-40 Nowak, B. & Laird, P. (2010). Cultural anthropology. San Diego, Bridge point Education, Inc. Zibani, A. (2002). Zulu cultural traditions: A draw card for tourism in Kwazulu-Natal, with special reference to the Lebombo initiative. Retrieved on 30 March 2012 from: http://uzspace.uzulu.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10530/228/Zulu%20cultural%20traditions%20-%20A%20Draw%20Card%20for%20Tourism%20in%20KZN%20-%20AN%20Zibani.pdf?sequence=1 Read More