Pastoralism: the Zulu Kingdom - Report Example

Zulu Kingdom Zulu clan is believed to have migrated in the 16th century from Congo basin. Zulu kingdom emerged in the 18th century following an amalgamation of smaller communities into to bigger communities. This was achieved though Shaka’s protracted wars, the wars resulted into violent killings of women and children. Shaka was an illegitimate son of king Senzangakhona and he was responsible for allegiance that resulted into massive wars with the neighboring communities. As a young man, he joined the army of Dingiswayo and soon became a high-ranking commander. With the Dingiswayo army behind his back, he led aggressive missions that resulted in the expansion of the Zulu kingdom. The rural Zulu community adopted different modes of subsistence for their survival. This paper will therefore, discuss the effects of Pastoralism, Kinship, Sickness, and healing, Beliefs and Values of the Zulu community. The Zulu community relied on the natural vegetation to feed their animals. The vast grasslands provided good grounds for these activities. Men and boys were supposed to graze the cattle in open field while women tilled land to produce crops. This means that transhumance Pastoralism was practiced in the Zulu land. The community mainly depended on their animals that were supplemented with the food grown by their women. A herder was considered mature and able to make serious decisions on where to graze without any consultation. He was also expected increase his herd aggressively through all possible means. Men from the same locality grazed together in small groups that were based on mutual relationship. In the Zulu community, Large Herds of cattle were not only considered as a source of income but also prestige, power, and respect. This is because the bigger the herd the more one was considered brave. Pastoralist conquests were frequent and in most cases, herders emerged gained victory over the farming communities. This increased their respect in the community. For example, Mongols, who were horse herders, were given great tribute for centuries after winning such battles. According to O’Neil (2011), the Zulu community gained a lot of fame from such battles in the 1830s before the British army defeated them in 1879. A very unstable economy characterized Zulu community. Herds of cattle are biological assets that are prone to change making it difficult to determine their future value. They can only be measured using the fair value method of measurement with many underlying assumptions. A biological asset undergoes the process of growth, reproduction, ageing, and procreation. In this case, there is no clear market set for such assets and there are no guidelines to determine how long this should be reviewed. According to Hlaciuc, et al (2008), “The measurement of biological assets is less reliable than the fair value method since sometimes the coupled products and coupled costs can generate situations where inputs and outputs are not correctly defined.” With these limitations in the measurement of a biological asset’s value, it was difficult for a Zulu person to define the value of their assets at a particular time. During the dry season, the Zulu’s economy suffered great losses due to animal deaths resulting from lack of water and feeding foliage (Leeuwis, 2000). Some contagious diseases like yellow fever and anthrax could wipe out an entire flock. This means that their economy, which was based on herds of cattle a major source of income, was unstable. Movements in search of pasture too contributed to the unstable economic status experienced by the Zulu community. Pastoralist’s communities did not build permanent residence since they relied on temporally seasonal shelters, which implied that the community realized little developments. A brave soldier from the Zulu community had to increase their cattle to gain power and prestige over the other community. This resulted into endless battles that caused political instability in the region stagnating economic developments. The first qualification of a herder was commanding the herds and making appropriate and efficient decisions independently on matters concerning the grazing of their animals. He also needed to be an aggressive leader who could aggressively defended and expand his herd through any possible measure. This aspect enhanced Kinship or blood relation within the Zulu community that was made up of closely related people. A father was responsible for imparting his children with the community’s religion, political and social values. They were also supposed to inherit their property to their children. By practicing herding men were constantly prepared to take future leadership in the community after their relatives and fathers. Kinship was also enhanced through marriages, which occurred as herders interacted with different communities during their movements. Women married from such engagements became the property of the community and their children became the children of the community. Children used the term father to refer to their own fathers, their uncles. The wives of such fathers were called mothers, therefore all children of the same fathers, and mothers were brothers and sisters. Pastoralism dictated great accumulation of wealth as a sign of power and fame, men in the community did not question kinship contributing to its sustainability. Zulu Pastoralists were not spared from diseases and infections due to their nature of occupation. They grazed in unused grazing fields that harbored wild animals. To make the matters worse, most of them would walk bare foot. Snakes would bite most of them and on their way; some would attacks from the roaming wild animals. Bad terrain encountered along the way would cause fatigue resulting into sickness. Seasonal migrations that made the pastoralists to move from lowland areas to highland areas in different seasons were also major cause sicknesses. Herders had to look for a way to survive in the forests after snakebites, wounds, and flu resulting from cold nights. They would mix different herbs to heal different kinds of aches, pains, and wounds. Men often left women behind as they went out to look for pasture. Because women had more time in their disposure than men, they would diagnose diseases and search for possible cures. Such women were called Insangoma. They were also considered to have some supernatural powers that connected them with the spiritual world. Sicknesses were also believed to be caused by supernatural, natural causes, inheritance, and misconducts that grieved the spiritual world and caused them to remove their blessing and protection. Zulu community believed in a god (Nkulunkulu) who was believed to be in control of people’s daily affairs. They believed that all bad things including sicknesses and death were because of displeasing the spirits. A diviner who was always a woman would appease the spirits who would reverse the situation. Due to the movements involved in pastoralism, the Zulu people could not observe all their beliefs and religious values. Men and herd boys were taught to fight and to accumulate wealth to bring fame to their community. With time, this led to discriminations that were based on gender, races, and tribe. This discrimination became an important factor that shaped the Zulu community’s history alongside their fight for dominance and wealth accumulation. Conclusion The Zulu community practiced pastrolism as the major source of income. The community mainly depended on their animals that were supplemented with the food grown by their women. Their biological assets were subject to death and diseases making them to have a fluctuating value and this characterized the Zulu economic status. During their search for pasture, Zulu men had to look for a ways to survive sicknesses and diseases leading to the emergence of herbalists and Insangoma. Kinship, religious beliefs, and political values of Zulu people were also greatly affected by Pastoralism. References Hlaciuc et al. (2008). Recognition of the Biological Assets According to IAS 41_Agriculture. 186-191. Leeuwis, C. (2000). Reconceptualising participation for sustainable rural development: towards a negotiation approach. Development and change, vol. 31, p. 931-959. O’Neil, D. (2011). Pastoralism. Retrieved from http://anthro.palomar.edu/subsistence/sub_3.htm Read More