The Zulus
History and Tradition
 
It all began with Zulu, an ingenious and determined young man whose name meant „Heaven“. It was him who, after long journeys along the river Mkhumbane, founded a new tribe. At this place underneath the high Euphorbia trees KwaZulu came into existence - the Place of Heaven.
The first KwaZulu
Zulu devised his new familiy home according to tradition. This meant a central, circular compound for the livestock.
The tribespeopleís so-called „bee-hive huts“ built from reed and poles were to be located above on a sloping plot of land. The floors of these huts were a mixture of sand from anthills and cattle dung, which was compacted and polished until it had the look of a dark, green marble. Small fields for growing crop and vegetables were located nearby and protected from animals by bound together brambles.
Prosperity at the Place of Heaven
The central position of the livestock amidst the settlement shows the importance of the animals’ role within the community. Cattle had ritual significance, since only by its sacrifice could the ancestors’ spirits be appeased. The system of dowry (cattle for daugthers) led to an exponential development of prosperity. More cattle meant more wifes, who in turn could get more work done and thus increase productivity. Livestock was also the source for meat and milk, and skins were used for clothing and the warriors’ shields. All rituals and ceremonies were conducted inside the animals’ compound. Also, crop was stored during winter in dens burrowed underneath.
 
A Day in KwaZulu
At dawn the boys would drive the cattle to their pastures, while the women and girls fetched water and tended to their domestic and agricultural chores. In the late morning the cows would be brought back for milking, after which there would be breakfast for everybody. This first meal of the day was usually a lighter version of supper, which took place after sunset.
After breakfast the cows were brought back to their pastures. The women continued their work and the men returned to their duties. These included the construction and repair of their homes, burrowing of winter-storage, preparation of new fields, manufacturing of craftwork, reviewing their current situation and, if necessary, fighting rivalling clans. The aim of hunting was trophies rather than meat, since beef was preferred to anything else. The staple food of the time, however, was mush of varying consistency accompanied by diverse vegtables. The drinks were mainly sour milk and the nutritious, low-alcohol sorghum beer.
The People of Heaven
Oral tradition has it that the descendants of Zulu settled in the White Umfolozi Valley. By then under the regency of King Shaka the Zulu tribe was small and lived more or less peacefully. However, the Zulus were in the way of the Ndwandwesí - a rivalling tribeís - aspirations to absolute power in the entire region between the Phongolo and Thukela rivers.
Shaka Zuluís Appearance
Shaka was born 1787 as the illegitimate son of the acting chief and therefore had a hard start.

After Shaka came to power under rather dubious circumstances, he soon remained the only point of attack for the hostile plans of the Ndwandwes. Shaka needed a more permanent solution. He began to assemble his army and devise new and deadly tactics and weapons. He later earned the repuation of a ìblack Napoleonî, since he conquered and disinherited new countries in all directions. Shakas reign was not entirely sensitive and could only be kept upright by further fighting.

The British are coming
Support came unexpectedly from the colonial adventurer Henry Francis Fynn. He arrived at the royal dwelling in August 1824 in order to apply for the rights to trade in ivory and furs. Shakaís gratitude emanates from a document he signed, in which he leaves the sovereignty over Port Natal and its surroundings to the white traders. Those returned to their settlement, hoisted the union jack and thus, in the name of Great Britain, formally claimed ownership of their gift. This way, King Shaka unwillingly transferred his sovereignty to King George IV.
The End of an Era
Shakaís rule - and life - ended abruptly on September 24th 1828 by the spears of his half-brothers Mhlangana and Dingane. It was the latter who, having rid himself from all his adversaries, seized governance.
Settlers and Refugees
 
Dingane was very unhappy about the developments in Port Natal. On the one hand, because the white population was ever increasing. And on the other, because the British granted asylum to thousands of refugees from his domain. Additionally, the Boers arrived in the Zulu kingdom on their Great Trek away from the British tyranny in October 1837. As a precaution, Dingane had the Boersí leader and many of his followers eliminated.
The Battle at Blood River
The surviving Boers regrouped and after 10 months considered themselves strong enough for retaliation. On December 16th 1838 they beat the Zulu army in the Battle of Blood River. Over 3000 Zulus died. King Dingane fled north in order to re-establish his authority.
The Boers, however, captured the fleeing Zulu King and had him murdered. This was made possible by Dinganeís only half-brother who survived his earlier extinction orgies. He became the next king and had to face the difficult task of reuniting the devided nation.
Change of Power
1842 led to a confrontation between the Boers and Britisg in Port Natal. As a result King Mpande changed sides away from the Boers and to the British. He signed a document drafted by the British, which declared him ÑKing of the Zulu Nationì and made the Thukela River the official border between Natal and Zulu Nation. After Mpandeís natural death towards the end of 1872 his son Cetshwayo was crowned. Two times, that is. Firstly, by the Zulu People and, secondly, by Queen Victoria. This Ñcolonial coronationì was linked to Ñlawsì - allegedly with the new kingís approval - which gave Britain the power to unseat him any time. On December 11th 1878 British colonial delegates handed over an ultimatum to fourteen Zulu chiefs, deputies of King Cetshwayo, at the Thukela River. The document demanded the king to pay taxes, return stolen cattle and immediately put a stop to aggression against settlers. After Cetshwayo not unexpectedly failed to react, Britain advanced into Zululand immediately following the expiry of the ultimatum on the last day of 1878. Shocking news were to reach London: 1300 british soldiers were killed on January 22nd 1879 as 25000 spear-brandishing Zulus ran over the british camp near Isandlwana.
The Dissolution of the Kingdom
The king survived but was taken captive by the British. Zululand was devided into 13 autonomous regions with one chief each. These were left to themselves which eventually led to a civil war in Zululand. The British were so worried about the deteriorating situation in Zululand that they allowed King Cetshwayo to sail from his Cape Town prison to England. He returned to Zululand in 1883 after declaring that he would preserve peace and only Ñruleî in a very restricted buffer zone, called the Ñreservationî. Soon after he was poisened by his own people and his son Dinuzulu took over the regime. But he had rivals, too. And when a self-destructive stalemate situation emerged in Zululand, he strived for the Boersí support. They swore an oath to protect Dinuzulu from his enemies and to declare him King of Zululand. As a reward they received a plot of land large enough for an independent region with its own government.
For the British, however, he was only Ña nominal monarch in the hands of the Boer intrudersî. He got into an argument with the colonial authorities that promptly unseated him and imprisoned him for 10 years. On May 31st 1910, following another war, the Southafrican Union finally emerged.
 
Peace and Democracy
 
The pride and unity of the Zulus were reborn after the disastrous events in the history with the new, democratic South Africa. Through the first democratic election Nelson Mandela became president and ended Apartheid. The monarchy of the Post-Apartheid-KwaZulu-Natal - currently under His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini - is recognised and portected by the constitution.