Before leaving the valley, we visited a Zulu homestead. Two of the most prominent groups of native Africans in the country are Khosa and Zulu, most of the leaders have been Khosa, like Mandela and Mbeki, but the current president is Zulu. Ngnu, one of the lodge employees, took us to his home, where we met his mother and most of his 12 siblings. The school aged ones walk 6 km over hills and grassy terrain to go to school every week day. To be at school by 8:45, they leave at 6 in the morning.
The homestead had 6 homes, two rectangular and 4 roundavels. His mother’s house, next to his father’s is where all the young ones sleep, but the other 4 houses are homes for the older boys, at least one of whom is married with his own children.
Polygamy is still legal among the Zulu, but not frequently practiced. Years ago it was more economical to have multiple wives and families because each wife provided for her own children by farming a plot of land, but now that is less frequent and the men are earning the living by working in the city and smaller families are becoming more economical; however, many Zulu (at least rural Zulus) still benefit from multiple wives.
John Turner, who also gave us some information about Zulu practices and beliefs, told us about two Zulu customs that are interesting, at least to me. The first was lebola, bride price. In the Zulu tradition, if a young man wants to marry a woman, his family offers a lebola, 2-3 heifers for a “regular” girl and as many as 12-15 for a chief’s daughter. Xolani, who is a Zulu, said that frequently Westernized Zulus make this offer as homage to the tradition, but don’t always practice it. For example, Xolani’s parents may offer a lebola when he decides to marry, but the expectation may be that it will be minimal, something small, or that the girl’s family may say it is not necessary. However, John pointed out that many females’ families are inclined to stick with the tradition because it brings them more wealth. However, modern lebolas can go beyond cattle. They can be big screen tvs, satellite dishes, cell phones, etc.
John told us a story about one Zulu man who did not pay off his wives’ lebola until their children were 16 years old. The lebola can be a large financial burden to a young man, a debt to start a new life with. I wonder what Xolani will do if he falls in love with a woman from a traditional family.
The second practice has to do with the Zulu belief in after life. Zulus are frequently buried where they die, which may or may not be their homeland, or land of their family. In this case, a family member would go to the burial spot with a buffalo thorn tree branch in which to capture the soul. The family member lays the branch on the grave, captures the spirit of the dead person in the branch, and then turns without talking and takes it home. This may be difficult today because of how far apart families have spread. Today, when a Zulu family member goes to bring the spirit back, he/she may have a travel escort who can speak and negotiate travel, accommodations, cab fares, etc. Another interesting fact, when traveling with the branch, you pay for the branch as a person because it is.
We arrived at Didima Camp in the Drakensburg mountains around 5 pm tonight. I washed my underclothes and a couple T-shirts, sent my jeans and a fleece to the laundry, had a sandwich, and read in my room in front of a fire. Tomorrow at 8 am, I have scheduled a hike up to see the cave paintings.
The homestead had 6 homes, two rectangular and 4 roundavels. His mother’s house, next to his father’s is where all the young ones sleep, but the other 4 houses are homes for the older boys, at least one of whom is married with his own children.
Polygamy is still legal among the Zulu, but not frequently practiced. Years ago it was more economical to have multiple wives and families because each wife provided for her own children by farming a plot of land, but now that is less frequent and the men are earning the living by working in the city and smaller families are becoming more economical; however, many Zulu (at least rural Zulus) still benefit from multiple wives.
John Turner, who also gave us some information about Zulu practices and beliefs, told us about two Zulu customs that are interesting, at least to me. The first was lebola, bride price. In the Zulu tradition, if a young man wants to marry a woman, his family offers a lebola, 2-3 heifers for a “regular” girl and as many as 12-15 for a chief’s daughter. Xolani, who is a Zulu, said that frequently Westernized Zulus make this offer as homage to the tradition, but don’t always practice it. For example, Xolani’s parents may offer a lebola when he decides to marry, but the expectation may be that it will be minimal, something small, or that the girl’s family may say it is not necessary. However, John pointed out that many females’ families are inclined to stick with the tradition because it brings them more wealth. However, modern lebolas can go beyond cattle. They can be big screen tvs, satellite dishes, cell phones, etc.
John told us a story about one Zulu man who did not pay off his wives’ lebola until their children were 16 years old. The lebola can be a large financial burden to a young man, a debt to start a new life with. I wonder what Xolani will do if he falls in love with a woman from a traditional family.
The second practice has to do with the Zulu belief in after life. Zulus are frequently buried where they die, which may or may not be their homeland, or land of their family. In this case, a family member would go to the burial spot with a buffalo thorn tree branch in which to capture the soul. The family member lays the branch on the grave, captures the spirit of the dead person in the branch, and then turns without talking and takes it home. This may be difficult today because of how far apart families have spread. Today, when a Zulu family member goes to bring the spirit back, he/she may have a travel escort who can speak and negotiate travel, accommodations, cab fares, etc. Another interesting fact, when traveling with the branch, you pay for the branch as a person because it is.
We arrived at Didima Camp in the Drakensburg mountains around 5 pm tonight. I washed my underclothes and a couple T-shirts, sent my jeans and a fleece to the laundry, had a sandwich, and read in my room in front of a fire. Tomorrow at 8 am, I have scheduled a hike up to see the cave paintings.
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