The Nguni peoples are classified into three large subgroups, the
Northern Nguni, the Southern Nguni, and the Ndebele. The Zulu
and the Swazi are among the Northern Nguni. The Xhosa are the
largest Southern Nguni society, but the neighboring Thembu and
Mpondo are also well known Southern Nguni societies, often
described as subgroups of the Xhosa. Each of these groups is a
heterogeneous grouping of smaller (also heterogeneous) ethnic
groups. Four of South Africa's official languages are Nguni
languages; isiZulu, isiXhosa, siSwati, and isiNdebele are spoken
primarily by the Zulu, the Xhosa, the Swazi, and the Ndebele
peoples, respectively. Each of these languages has regional
variants and dialects, which are often mutually intelligible.
Before the nineteenth century, the dominant Nguni settlement
pattern was that of dispersed households, as opposed to
villages. The typical household was centered on a patrilineage;
it also included other relatives through a variety of kinship
ties, and people who had attached the