{"id":5781,"date":"2016-09-08T13:29:33","date_gmt":"2016-09-08T13:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.isibindi.co.za\/?p=5781"},"modified":"2023-01-20T10:21:21","modified_gmt":"2023-01-20T08:21:21","slug":"zulu-kingdom-african-traces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isibindifoundation.org\/2016\/09\/08\/zulu-kingdom-african-traces\/","title":{"rendered":"Zulu Kingdom, African Traces"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A nostalgic Dulcie Pascoe reflects on her experience in Zululand from where she currently lives in Canada:<\/p>\n<p>The praying mantis flies down and settles on my shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThat is your gogo\u201d, Sphamandla says with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cShe has come to give you a message, you need to listen to your ancestors.\u201d A praying mantis is highly respected by the Zulu community we refer to it as Ugogo (female ancestral spirit), and believe it is a message from the ancestors.\u00a0 The Zulu\u2019s have a strong belief in ancestral spirits.\u00a0 The ancestral spirits (amadlozi) speak through a Sangoma or traditional healer, I went to see our traditional healer on a few occasions.\u00a0 On each occasion she gave me valuable insight into my question asked, always sound \u201celderly\u201d advice.<\/p>\n<p>In Zululand, uNkulunkulu is the supreme creator, he created everything as we know it, and was the first man to come to earth.\u00a0 I will never forget the day \u201cbaba\u201d (what we call an elder man out of respect) who had worked with my father for many years, was talking about all the amazing things in the world &#8211; the aeroplanes, cell phones etc.\u00a0 He pointed to his tin of sardines and said that the one thing that still amazed him to this day was how uNkulunkulu got the fish into the can and then closed it.\u00a0 That to him was the most amazing thing!<\/p>\n<p>There are a few special holidays that are still practiced in Zululand to this day, and are amazing to participate in.\u00a0 If you do have the opportunity to attend the Reed Dance (Umhlanga), held every year by countless generations on the first weekend in September, please do go.\u00a0 More than 10 000 maidens from various communities take part in the event that is presided over by the King.<\/p>\n<p>As the Reed Dance ceremony begins, the young women, dressed in full traditional attire, and singing, prepare to form a procession led by the chief princess as they go through this important rite of passage.\u00a0 Each maiden carries a reed which has been cut by the riverbed and it symbolizes the power that is vested in nature. The reeds reflect a deep mythical connection with origin of the Zulu people, where, tradition tells us, the original ancestor emerged from a reed bed.<\/p>\n<p>Zulu mythology has it that if a young woman who is not a virgin takes part in the Reed Dance ceremony, her reed will break.\u00a0 As the young woman approach the gate of the King\u2019s palace you can literally hear the crowd holding their breath in anticipation and excitement supporting the ladies to ensure that their reed makes the journey in one piece through the gates and into the arena where the King will be waiting.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5784\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5784\" class=\" wp-image-5784\" src=\"https:\/\/www.isibindi.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2016\/09\/Zulu-dancing-group-girls-3-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"Traditional Zulu dancing is still a much revered form of art\" width=\"660\" height=\"438\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5784\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Traditional Zulu dancing is still a much revered form of art<\/p><\/div>\n<p>If you are fortunate enough to visit my homeland KwaZulu (which means people from the heavens), you will be welcomed with huge smiles, and warm laughs that arise from the stomach and hospitality that you would never have experienced before. You would never have thought that the Zulu people initially were feared for their strong fighting spirit, short stabbing spears and beating of their spears against their shields. Renowned warriors in history include the likes of Shaka Zulu, who played a prominent role in various Zulu wars.\u00a0 Actually the Anglo Zulu war fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom has been called \u201cThe British army\u2019s worst defeat against an indigenous technologically vastly inferior foe\u201d by Wikipedia.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry though, many generations have passed since then.\u00a0 As a sign of respect many Zulus will appreciate it if you keep your hands in front of you.\u00a0 For previous generations if your hands were hidden, a weapon could be concealed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5783\" style=\"width: 559px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5783\" class=\" wp-image-5783\" src=\"https:\/\/www.isibindi.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2016\/09\/Zulu-warriors-300x129.jpg\" alt=\"Zulu warriors were feared opponents in war\" width=\"549\" height=\"236\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5783\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zulu warriors were feared opponents in war<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Our King of the Zulu\u2019s is King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, born 14 July 1948 at Nongoma. He is a proud man but kind and gentle at heart.\u00a0 Being blessed to work with him at his palace in Nongoma and engage in the traditions of the Zulu people and the protocols and customs that are so prevalent in this ethnic group, I observed some protocols that are interesting about the King\u00a0 The King is referred to as Isilo, Ingonyama.\u00a0 When hailing the King the sequence is WENA WENDLOVU, WENA WENDLOVU, BAYEDE.\u00a0 (Ndlovu is an Elephant)\u00a0 Bayede means \u201cHail the King\u201d.\u00a0 Black cloth is not allowed for any draping for the King, his colours are Royal blue and Royal maroon.\u00a0 When handing anything to the King it is crucial that both hands are shown, and the item should always be placed on something and not directly on your hand.\u00a0\u00a0 As a sign of respect as a woman it is preferred that you wear a skirt or dress.<\/p>\n<p>Blessed to have been born in Zululand and believing in all the customs of the Kingdom, most Zulu people are warm and very friendly.\u00a0 They are known for following a practice called Ubuntu \u2013 which means \u201cI am what I am because of who we all are\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 Currently there are about 11 million Zulu people in Southern Africa.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5786\" style=\"width: 429px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5786\" class=\" wp-image-5786\" src=\"https:\/\/www.isibindi.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2016\/09\/1Exp-2_0001-263x300.jpg\" alt=\"In traditional Zulu culture, the concept of extended family means that all children in your village are 'your' children\" width=\"419\" height=\"478\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5786\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In traditional Zulu culture, the concept of extended family means that all children in your village are &#8216;your&#8217; children<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Zulu family is very important to us.\u00a0 Today, if you ask a Zulu what it means to be Zulu, they will reply that they have a strong sense of coming from something; of belonging; of understanding their origins.\u00a0 They will express an abiding connection to and respect for their elders and ancestors \u2013 nourished by a clear identity, fervent pride and African passion.<\/p>\n<p>If you ever have the opportunity to visit this wonderful Kingdom of the Zulu\u2019s you will truly see how we have passionately held onto the values of the past, our families, our cultures, our King and our land and yet embraced a new South Africa.\u00a0 We are actively educating ourselves and preparing our Kingdom for positive changes.<\/p>\n<p>Shaka Z<em>ulu<\/em>\u00a0is reputed to have constantly\u00a0<em>pointed<\/em>\u00a0to the buffalo\u00a0<em>thorn<\/em>\u00a0(Zizphus mucronata) which has\u00a0<em>one thorn pointing<\/em> forward and\u00a0<em>one pointing<\/em>\u00a0backwards, to remind his people to look to the future but never forget their\u00a0<em>past<\/em>. In following this advice, I reflect that I am a proud \u201cZulu lander\u201d with African Traces.<\/p>\n<p><em>Hambani Kahle \u2013 Go Well<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-5785 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.isibindi.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2016\/09\/Dulcie-Pascoe-219x300.jpg\" alt=\"dulcie-pascoe\" width=\"368\" height=\"504\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A nostalgic Dulcie Pascoe reflects on her experience in Zululand from where she currently lives in Canada: The praying mantis flies down and settles on my shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThat is your gogo\u201d, Sphamandla says with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cShe has come to give you a message, you need to listen to your ancestors.\u201d A praying mantis is&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5782,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[29,31,60,36,38,52,195,53,41,75,516,319,520,320],"class_list":["post-5781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-experiences","tag-accommodation","tag-battlefields","tag-hluhluwe","tag-isibindi","tag-lodge","tag-rhino","tag-ridge","tag-safari","tag-zulu","tag-luxury","tag-northern-kwazulu-natal","tag-shaka","tag-traditional","tag-zululand"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - 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