The first ancestor of all the tribes that now inhabit southern Africa was called Unkulunkulu, the

GreatGreat, who shook the reeds with a mighty wind, and a man and woman emerged from them who taught the people to work the ground, milk cows and brew beer. The Nguni peoples had, for over a thousand years, been slowly making the way south until about 1700, when they reached, what is now called, the White Umfolozi river where they split up. Some went off in various directions to form the Matabele, Xhosa and Swazi tribes whilst a fourth group under a chief called Malandela, stayed in the area.

The WAY OF LIFE prior to Shaka Zulu was one of peace and harmony, almost idyllic, among the various tribes. Sir Theophilus Shepstone describes it lived at peace with their neighbours until an occasional squabble arose which were settled by a periodical fight, by no means the serious matters as they afterwards became. The men of the rival tribes met on a day, fixed beforehand, and the result of that single encounter decided the quarrel. They did not fight to shed blood, or burn houses, or capture cattle, but to settle a quarrel and see who was the strongest. Any prisoners taken in battle were not killed but kept for ransom. Manlandela and his wife, called Nozinja, had three children, two sons Quabe and Zulu(heaven) and Ntombela. When Manlandela died Qwabe, the eldest, took over his fathers estate so Nozinja and Zulu moved away and formed their own tribe. When Zulu finally married and had children of his own, he had created the new tribe of Zulu which, over many years and generations, that included chiefs by the name of Phungu, Mageba, Mpangazitha, Ndaba, Jama, culminating in a King called Senzangakhona.

SEZANGAKHOMA, had an affair with Nandi, a daughter of a neighbouring chief resulting in the birth, in 1787, of a son, Shaka, named after the Ushaka beetle said to inhabit the stomach and cause bloating of the abdomen. Sezangakhona also had two other sons, Dingaan and Mpande, both legitimate.

About the same time as SHAKAS birth, the Mthethwa tribe was ruled by and old chief, Jobe. He had two sons Tana and Ngodongwana who plotted to kill him. However, the plot was discovered, Tana killed and Ngodongwana escaped, to return many years later as Dingiswayo (the Wanderer) and was claimed as the rightful chief of the Mthethwa tribe. The illegitimate son of Senzangakhona, Shaka, sought refuge with the Mthethwa tribe ruled by Dingiswayo, who took him in, trained him in tribal and military skills, eventually accepting him as one of his most trusted warriors. Although not the rightful heir, Shaka was chosen as chief of the Amazulu and, on Dingiswayos death, the Mthethwa tribe amalgamated with the Amazulu. Shaka, as history and historians have recorded, was a tyrant and despot of note, up there with the worst of historys dictators. However in spite of his rule by terror and his obvious disregard for human feelings his must be given credit for bringing the Zulu nation from an insignificant tribe to a dreaded power which no man could have built without outstanding ability. DINGAAN was the son of Chief Senzangakhona and his sixth and great wife, Mpikase. On 22 September 1828, Dingaan and another half-brother, Mhlangana, assassinated Shaka and, soon afterwards, Dingaan had Mhlangana murdered. Dingaan became the new Zulu ruler, and reigned until 1840 during which time he moved the royal homestead from to a new location, which he called Mgungundlovu, Place of the Great Elephant. Dingaan was the chief that the Voortrekkers, under Piet Retief, murdered at Bloukrans and act that was followed by months of confrontation, culminating in the battle of Blood, Ngome, River on 16 December 1838. In September 1839, another half-brother of Dingaan, Mpande, defected with many followers to Natal where the Voortrekkers recognised him as the Prince of the Emigrant Zulus. In February 1840, Mpandes forces decisively defeated Dingaan, fled north across the Phongolo River, where it is believed he met his death in the Lebombo Mountains at the hands of the his old enemy, the Swazi.

MPANDE, now King, took over the throne from Dingaan, because neither Shaka nor Dingaan had descendants. He ruled for over 30 years and he had 29 wives from which 29 Princes and 23 Princesses were born. When King Mpande heard the news that his wife, Ngqumbazi, had given birth to a son, he decided to name the young Prince, Shingana, a Zulu name meaning Fearless and Victorious One and so it was that the Prince lived the meaning of his name, excelling in fighting and hunting. Prince Shingana was victorious at Isandlwana as he withheld the might of the British Troops. The army carrying shields and spears surrounded the colonialist and started stabbing and killing them from behind. When they charged towards the English they were instructed to behave like sea waves, those in front will fall down to allow those coming from behind to charge forward and this would be repeated until they were close enough to annihilate the English invaders. The final attack on Ulundi by the English, in July 1879, saw Prince Shingana in action again defending his nation against foreigners. The British won but they suffered loses in terms of number of their soldiers who died that day. Shingana together with Prince Dinizulu, was charged with treason, at Mgungundlovana (Greytown) and was sent into exile at St. Hellena Island.

Cetshwayo was the son of king Mpande, a half-brother of Shaka and the king of the Zulu nation from 1872 to 1879 and their leader during the Anglo Zulu War. In 1856, he defeated and killed in battle his younger brother Mbuyazi and became the effective ruler of the Zulu people. However, he did not ascend to the throne, as his father was still alive. His other brother Umtonga was still a potential rival and in 1861, Umtonga fled to the Boers side of the border, and Cetshwayo had to make deals with the Boers to get him back. In 1865, Umtonga did the same thing, apparently making Cetshwayo believe that Umtonga would try to replace him in the same manner as his father replaced his predecessor Dingaan. Cetshwayo created a new capital for the nation, called Ulundi, the high place and expanded his army, readopting many methods of Shaka, equipping his impis with rifles. He banished European missionaries from his land. In 1878, Sir Henry Bartle Frere, British Commissioner for South Africa, demanded that Cetshwayo should disband his army and his refusal led to the Zulu War in 1879. Cetshwayos capital, Ulundi, fell on 4 July, the king was deposed and exiled to London. He returned in 1883, when the British tried to restore Cetshwayo to rule, but the attempt failed. The king moved to Eshowe where he died in February 1884, presumably from a heart attack, though possibly poisoned. His body was buried within sight of the forest, to the south, near Nkunzane River.

DINIZULU, was king of the Zulu nation from 20 May 1884 until his death in 1913 and was the last of the Zulu kings to be officially recognised by the British. After the Anglo Zulu war, Zululand was broken up into 13 smaller territories and Cetshwayo, and subsequently Dinizulu, administered one of them. This was found to be unworkable, so the British restored Cetshwayo, as paramount chief. In an attempt to be restored to the throne as the rightful king, Dinizulu appealed to the British and, when he received no response, he then negotiated with Boer farmers, offering land on which they could form a new independent republic, if they would fight with him to defeat the upstart Usibepu. Led by General Louis Botha Usibepu was defeated, thus leaving the way open for Dinizulu to assume overall rule of the Zulus. Problems arose Dinizulu could not meet the claim from the Boers, amounting to about half of Zululand. Britain intervened and the mercenaries were given a grant of land in the northern part of Zululand which they declared a republic, with the town of Vryheid, as its capital. In 1890, Dinizulu was exiled to the island of St.Helena for seven years for leading a Zulu army against the British.

SOLOMON, born on the island of St. Helena during the exile of his father Dinizulu, was the king of the Zulu nation from 1913 until his death. He was a founder of the original Inkatha or, Inkatha kaZulu, as it was known in the 1920s. One of his sisters was Princess Magogo who became famous as a singer of traditional Zulu songs as well as for being the mother of Mangosuthu Buthelezi, present leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party.

CYPRIAN, was the king of the Zulu nation from 1948 until his death at Nongoma, succeeding his father, king Solomon but only after lengthy succession dispute resolved in 1944.

KING ZWELITHINI GOODWILL is the reigning king and Paramount chief of the Zulu nation, under the Traditional Leadership clause, of South Africas Republic and constitution. He became king on the death of his father in 1968. CUSTOMS. The MAN of the house owns both the house, wives and whatever possessions the family has accrued and it is he, not the wives, that makes all the decisions, attends tribal functions. He would concentrate on keeping himself in condition and await a call to battle, from his chief. Bringing up children is the duty of the WIFE/WIVES, who would teach them to respect their elders and to speak, only when spoken to! The wife is subservient to her husband and would tend the fields which included dig, sow, cultivate and gather, they carried water, cooked the food and brought it to her husband in his living quarters, which he would eat leaving what remained, for the rest of the family. The building of the living quarters was also on her list of duties and included, gathering the necessary materials, such as wood poles, grass and mud etc. In her spare time, she would makes pots and brew beer. The Beer is normally drunk while seated, after which, the stomach is rubbed to give a compliment to the brewer and, it would be extremely bad manners to refuse to drink. When the drink, or for that matter anything, is given it would be held in the right hand whilst supporting with the left. This practice is to show that nothing is being concealed in the left hand and not, contrary to some beliefs, that the gift is heavy.

Giving children, particularly boys, first NAMES would begin when they are born, with a name that would often be descriptive of a happening that occurred at the time, lightning or patience, a pet name. When a boy had reached the age of seven, the father would give him a name, as would his friends who were usually herd boys. Finally, when he entered into a regiment, he would get a final first name. Almost from the time they can walk, young boys are given sticks and taught how to use them in selfdefence, progressing to the adult equivalent by the time they 15 or 16 years of age. Stick fighting with either a stick and shield or two sticks, was the manner in which two men resolved their differences, the fight stopping as soon as blood flows. Once the boy had mastered the sticks, they were swapped for a spear and shield then, he would be inducted into a regiment and the real game began. In the regiment he learned all about military life, how to use the spear and shield, the history of the tribe, its battle honours and, what would be expected of him during his military career, and in later life.

The TRIBAL CHIEF or, inkosi, has a great deal of importance and responsibility, for it is he who settles all problems within the tribe, usually through arbitrating on behalf of the aggrieved parties. In times of war with another tribe, he would need to have the backing of his indunas or headmen, to raise enough warriors to meet the opposition in battle and then lead them. If the chief failed in any way, the King would put him and his family to death. He was very aware that his sons would also be looking for a weakness in him that they could exploit and take over the tribe. So, being chief was not something to be taken lightly.

MARRIAGE. Polygamy was the norm. A man could have several wives because it indicated his social standing, and wealth within the tribe. The first wife would be keen for her husband to extend his family with more wives because it helped her to spread the load of the chores. She, along with the grandmother, had a strong influence over the family. Once a man selects a wife he would be required to seek permission to marry from her father and, part of the negotiation, would be the price, or lobola, that he was prepared to pay either in cattle or hard cash. Should the wife not turn out to be up to the mans expectations then, the lobola, would be returned. Full sex outside of marriage was definitely taboo and, should it happen then, the man, would be expected to pay the girls father, one or two cattle for her virginity. ETIQUETTE. On meeting, the one of higher standing would say Sawubona and offer his hand to which the reply would be the same, Sawubona, I see you. The handshake would be a normal one, followed by clasping of thumbs, followed by another conventional handshake. A wife would walk behind her husband and, on meeting someone, she would move to the left in order that each man could see whether the other was armed.