



Produced by the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net. This file was produced from images
generously made available by The Internet Archive
(http://archive.org).









                    SOME ZULU CUSTOMS AND FOLK-LORE


                                   BY

                            L. H. SAMUELSON
                               (NOMLETI)




                                 LONDON
                      THE CHURCH PRINTING COMPANY
                     BURLEIGH STREET, STRAND, W.C.




                                PREFACE


It is hoped that the following short stories, which the writer has
endeavoured to tell in the simplest language, will give some idea of
the inner feelings and belief of a people whose individuality is,
despite the number of years we have been in contact with them, little
known to the large majority of us. Even among those well versed in the
language and the practical or legal customs of the natives, there are
few who are acquainted with the undercurrents of thought, and the many
traditions and superstitions, which are accepted without question by
the Zulus, and which form an essential part of the mental life of all
among them who have not had their ideas modified to some extent by
European teaching, and which continue to have a strong hold upon the
larger number even of those who have had the advantages of some kind of
education at the hands of the missionaries and other teachers. The
common estimate of the African native is that he is a being with no
ideas above his cattle and his physical wants; but a more intimate
acquaintance with their life, such as the writer had from being amongst
them for many years at her father's mission station in Zululand, will
reveal that the native has an ideal life of his own. This, it is true,
is in many instances of a crude and savage character; yet it rises a
little, if only a little, above what is "of the earth, earthly," and,
though it may possibly provoke a smile on account of its crudeness or
simplicity, it will at times strike a chord of sympathy as a touch of
nature--as an aspiration, however feeble, to penetrate beyond the veil
which hides the unseen world from human eyes.

Those who have made the folklore of savage or half-civilized peoples
their study cannot fail to be struck with the strange analogy between
some of the superstitions of the Zulus and those of many other nations.
Vague and undefined as some of their native ideas are, there is still a
belief in the existence of a spirit world around them by which their
lives are affected, and a groping after a knowledge of influences
beyond human power, which direct the destinies of mortal man, and of
mysterious forces which can be brought into play by men peculiarly
gifted. In their custom of sacrificing to the spirits, to induce them
to restore the health of a patient, and their belief in the powers of
wizards, we find them under the thraldom of the same superstitions
which have become familiar to us in so many and such diverse
directions--from the ancient Greeks to the modern spiritualists--and
which have at times played so great a part in the history of the world.
Their belief in the "spirits of their fathers" watching over them is
similar to the idea underlying Chinese ancestral worship, and the
wizard's powers of killing or injuring do not differ in essentials from
the so-called spirit healing of enlightened America or the working of
the "evil eye" still believed in by the ignorant among the peasantry of
Italy. If, therefore, in reading of the Zulu superstitions we are
provoked at times to smile, it must be rather at the form than at the
substance. The superstitions are the same that have ever existed, and
that, despite all our advancement, still find adherents among civilized
communities, though among these they are expressed in more delicate
language and acted upon in less savage ways. With the large mass of
Europeans such superstitions, thanks to modern enlightenment, are taken
at their true value; but so long as there are among ourselves people
who believe in planchettes, we cannot quite afford to look with
supercilious contempt upon the African who believes in wizards. And
there is one point of view in which a knowledge of what he believes is
of material importance. To him, these superstitions are realities. He
accepts them as facts of which he has to take account, and which will
be acted upon by the society in which his lot is cast. To estimate his
true character, and form any accurate idea of the manner in which his
mind will work, some knowledge not only of his customs but also of his
social habits and beliefs is thus essential.

The author therefore trusts that the present small work may prove not
only of some scholastic value, but may also be of practical use to the
missionary, the administrator, and, indeed, to all who come into
contact with the little understood "Native," or who are interested in
his progress and well-being.


_The Author of these sketches is deeply indebted to Miss A. Werner for
the pains she took to introduce a few of them, through the "Journal of
the African Society," to the notice of many of those gentlemen who,
having held the highest positions in South Africa, or been in supreme
power over the Zulu Nation, know how important it is that those who
hold the destinies of this interesting people in their hands should
understand as much as possible of the bias of their minds and the
springs of their conduct. But for their generous expression of this
opinion, it is doubtful whether this little volume would ever have
struggled to the light. To them she is profoundly grateful, as she is
also to those whose ready support has enabled her to bring her venture
to a successful issue. She wishes also to acknowledge the valuable
assistance received from the ex-President of the Folk-lore Society and
the Secretaries of the Royal Colonial Institute and the African
Society._




                                CONTENTS


                                                    PAGE

                A Zulu Wedding                         1

                How Twins were Treated                 7

                "Sending Home," I.                    11

                "Sending Home," II.                   13

                Departed Spirits                      18

                Sacrificing to Spirits                20

                The Death of a Chief                  24

                Inkata                                27

                The Zulu Annual Feast                 30

                The Doctoring of an Army              39

                Finding out Wizards                   44

                A Fire Extinguisher                   47

                Rain Doctors                          48

                Rainbow, Lightning, and Eclipses      50

                Praying for the Corn                  53

                Old Wives' Tales                      56

                King Mpande's Snake Charmer           62

                How Death came into the World         66

                The Zulu's Choicest Bit of Meat       68

                A Friendly Way of Obtaining Food      69

                Peacemaking over a Pinch of Snuff     71

                Rules of a Zulu Hunt                  75

                Bongoza's Smartness                   77

                Zulu Labyrinths and War Game          81


  _NOTE._--The valuable footnotes signed "ED." are taken by
  permission from Miss Werner's Paper in the "Journal of the African
  Society."




                    SOME ZULU CUSTOMS AND FOLK-LORE




                                UMTIMBA
                            (A ZULU WEDDING)


There is much ceremony connected with a heathen Zulu wedding. A month
or more before the time the bridegroom-elect has to compose a song to
be sung by him and his party. Then he invites all the young men in the
neighbourhood to come and learn it; he also composes a tune to suit it,
which they all have to practise singing together, whilst dancing and
manoeuvring about, beating time with their feet. All his sisters, with
their friends, join in as well. The song is generally made up of a very
few words, something like a round in three or four parts. Here is one,
for example:--

  "Kusiqingile. Sesipiwe amabosho." (We are in a fix. We are now
  supplied with cartridges.)

I was once present at a wedding where the following was sung: "Wen
'obem' ugwai, Kauseikuza ini?" (You who take snuff. Will you never
die?) This was the bridegroom's song. He had managed to set it to quite
a nice tune, and it went with a swing, the men keeping time beautifully
with their feet, and flourishing their sticks in the air.

The bride-elect, too, has to go through the same preparations a month
beforehand. She composes her song, and makes a tune for it, then all
her friends have to come and learn it. The afternoons are generally set
apart for this, and nice moonlight nights, when they can keep it up
till the small hours of the morning. The words of the song may be:
"Yek' ubugontshi! Ngashiy' umame." (What trouble! I left mother.) Or,
"Kuya ngotando. Ngishiy'abakwetu." (It is my choice. I left my people.)
After the day has been fixed for the Umtimba and everything is ready
for it, the father sends two cows on ahead the day before, to be put
for the bride in the cattle kraal of her future home. This is a sign
that she will be leaving her home in the afternoon with her "udwendwe"
(bridesmaids and party); and a hut is then prepared at once to receive
them when they arrive in the evening--the eve of her wedding day. When
the udwendwe reaches the kraal, a great noise of singing and clapping
of hands is heard, this being the signal of their arrival. Most girls
carry small stones in their hands so as to make a louder noise.
Clapping at the gate, they are met by someone who invites them to
enter, and leads the way to the hut prepared for them. In this hut they
sit up all night, singing and talking, until about dawn, when they make
a move towards a bush, chosen in the neighbourhood, where they settle
down to breakfast. In this place they spend the greater part of the
forenoon, cooking and feasting, Meat and beer is sent to them from the
bride's future home. At about 8 in the morning the first messenger is
sent by the bridegroom to invite the bride to come up; but he doesn't
return, nor is he expected to do otherwise than remain there, for this
is a part of the marriage ceremony. The bridegroom again sends another
messenger with the same message; he also remains, and others are sent
again soon after. This goes on till there are about forty or fifty men
sent off to fetch the bride and party. Lastly a beast is sent down, and
that makes the bride think it is about time she prepared to move. She
then begins to put on her bridal ornaments which consist chiefly of a
new skin skirt, made of an ox-hide, well greased and perfumed with
"amaka," white ox tails on her arms and wrists, white and green beads
(buma) round her neck, waist and ankles, sakabula feathers (Umnyakanya)
on her head--a veil of beads (Invakaza) over her face, and a knife or
an assagai in her hand, to flourish about whilst dancing. When the
bridesmaids have finished assisting her they put on their finery; then
they surround the bride and screen her with mats, so that no one can
possibly see her before she appears before her future husband, whose
part it is to see her first. She is thus carefully hidden all the way,
but now and then she puts up her knife just to show whereabouts in the
crowd she is. The bridegroom is generally found seated with some of his
best friends on the ground in the cattle kraal or outside it, and the
bride is brought before him in this fashion. When very near, the crowd
falls back and the maids are allowed to come forward with their
screened-up treasure, which is unveiled before him by drawing aside the
mats. She kneels down and whispers the usual few words into his
ears, which are: "Sengifikile. Ungipate kahle. Ungilahle nami
sengiyakukulahla." (I have now come. You'll treat me well. You'll bury
me and I'll bury you.) To which he answers: "Kulungile pelanawe
ungipate kahle." (Agreed. You treat me well too.) After this the maids
have their say (pela nawe), warning him to treat her kindly and
lovingly or he may live to suffer for it, &c. They may say anything to
him at this time. Then the old women come forward dancing in and out
amongst the girls. They carry a mealie cob stuck on the point of an
assagai. This they flourish about in the air for luck and prosperity.
While this is going on the bridegroom and party hurry off to deck
themselves out in their finery. This is always done after the bride has
arrived. He wears a grand umutsha (kilt), made of cowhide and skin of
an intsimangu (monkey), also white ox tails round his legs and arms,
isaka (head ornament) of sakabula (long-tailed finch) feathers on his
head, and he carries a knobkerrie and courting shield in his hand. If
he is an ikehla (man with ring on his head) he has to wear a neat
little isiqova (tuft) on his forehead, made of pretty feathers, and a
longer one at the back of his head.

When the bridegroom comes forward again with all his escort the dancing
begins in earnest. His song is then rendered for the admiration of the
bridal party and visitors. They go on dancing and singing it till they
are fairly exhausted; then they sit down and rest, while the bride,
assisted by her maids, goes through her song in all its charming
variations, the old women manoeuvring in and out of the crowd with the
most graceful movements imaginable. When the bride has finished her
part, the bridegroom comes in again with his, and they sing and dance
together until dusk, when all the people return to their homes. Beer
only is provided on that day--nothing else.

The next day the wedding feast takes place; this is called "Ukuqolisca"
(breakfast or reception). Only relations and invited guests join in
this. The bride on this day gives away all her girlish ornaments of
beads, &c., to her sisters and her husband's sisters. She puts all the
necklaces in a vessel and pours water over them, then takes them out,
one by one, and throws them on the girls. This is the way she gives
them away.

On the third day the final part of the ceremony takes place. The bride
has to try to run back to her home, with a child on her back belonging
to her new home, for there are often several families in one kraal. If
she is a good runner and manages to get there without being caught she
wins a cow; but this is a very difficult thing to do, for she is
carefully watched, and the weight of the child on her back is a great
hindrance. If she is lucky enough to win the prize her husband has to
give it, to bring her back again, and that adds to the number of the
lobola (dowry) cattle.




                         HOW TWINS WERE TREATED


Zulus used to consider it unlucky to have twins, and worse still to
have triplets. The latter were always thought to be monkeys, and killed
as soon as they were born. Only one of the former was allowed to live.
Sometimes parents found it difficult to decide which one to keep,
although the rule was to kill the younger of the two. The greatest
difficulty arose when the youngest one happened to be a girl; for by
killing her a fortune was lost--it meant losing ten or twenty head of
cattle.

Once a Zulu woman was in a difficulty of this kind. She had two lovely
black babes, and loved both dearly, so she made up her mind to break
the rule and keep them. But she and her husband suffered severely for
it. They were continually reminded of having dared to break the rule of
their country, and at last, when the twins were ten years old, and
looked handsome and promising, their superstitious and envious
neighbours threatened to report it to King Mpande. The parents' hearts
sank within them, so they decided to take the boy to a mission station
near, and offer him to "The Great-great-one," meaning God. He was
accepted and taught. In time he became a Christian. His parents often
went to see him, and his sister brought him presents of mealies and
sweet potatoes. Five or six years went by, but still the fact that the
old man had spared his son was not forgotten. At last the threat was
carried out. He was reported at headquarters, and accused of being a
wizard as well, because he was lucky in whatever he undertook. He and
his five wives were very industrious; they always planted large patches
of mealies, <DW5> corn (mabele), pumpkins, and sweet potatoes, so that
they often had plenty of food and to spare when others were hard up.
They were given to hospitality, and always pleased to help those in
need, so it seemed rather strange that they had enemies. They had ten
nice young daughters who could sing and dance well, and about the same
number of sons, who were good hunters and kept them supplied with game.
The chief men of that district were very jealous of this wealthy old
farmer, and advised the king to do away with him and take his property.
The king gave his consent, and almost immediately a band of men were
told off to go and kill him, and to bring back his cattle and
daughters. A company of the famous old "Ndhlondhlo" regiment set off,
well armed with assagais, knobkerries, and shields. As they went along
they flourished their weapons in the air with great pride. It was a
good two days' journey they had to take, to this place in the thorn
country. They arrived there about the middle of the second night and
halting a few yards away, surrounded