The Zulu Culture - Research Paper Example

The Zulu Culture The Zulu Culture As an integrated pattern, different cultures vary distinctively in reference to human knowledge and their beliefs mainly impacted by their learning capacity. The Egypt people are accredited to most of the technological and agricultural breakthroughs seen in the whole region. The Egyptian state was the first in the continent to undertake agriculture with some form of wisdom. Other cultures in the region have continuously learned from the Egyptians (Patrick, 2008). The Zulu people were one of the cultures who greatly benefited from the Egyptians. They have a distinct culture that differentiates them from other ethnic communities. This paper seeks to focus on the Zulu people and analyze their culture in comparison to the western culture, particularly in areas concerning early forms of entertainment that have, over the years, developed to become film and literature. The Zulu culture is part of the Bantu society that hails from the south-west part of Africa. The Zulu have been evidenced to be in existence long before the advent of the 17th century. The culture is one of the major traditions of the South African region. The Zulu culture is intense and rich in tradition, and has been the focus of study to numerous schools of thought. The Zulu people intensely believe in three major factors of life. These factors include the importance of women in the society, the sovereignty of the ancestors, and the rituals of passage. These three factors deeply explain the Zulu culture, and their contribution to the cultural aspects of the modern world (Ferraro, 2009). To the Zulu, a woman’s way of life is completely different from that of the men. The woman’s special life starts right from birth and end at death. The newly born girl child is washed only with warm water only, until she attains three months of age. Female toddlers, according to the Zulu culture, are handled very gently, and with abundant love, affection, patience, and gentleness. In addition, the culture demands that the girl baby is paramount to any other thing or task. When she attains about 1 year of age, and can finally stand unaided, she is sung to by a circle of women dancers, while the elderly women clap for her. After reaching the age of three years, the women prick her ears to make six openings in her right ear, and seven in her left one (Patrick, 2008). During her child years, she is mandated to play two roles, both as a daughter, and as a sister. At the time, she is to share a less cordial relationship with her father than with her mother and the other family members. Though she does not get to have a great deal of contact with her father, she still upholds him in due respect as he will have the ultimate say on who will wed her. After her marriage, her father has to avoid her until she begets him grandchildren. However, with her mother, the relationship they share deepens after marriage, with her mother guiding her through her new life. On giving birth, she has to give her mother one of her daughters to help her out as she continuously advances in age (Dlamini, 2005). Her joyous times in life are usually just before puberty. During this stage, she gets to attend dances and interact with both married and youthful men. Here, she has the freedom to do anything, as the culture does not value virginity highly. The events grant the young girls to experiment before they finally marry. A girl in the Zulu culture has to maintain a very respectful relationship with her brothers. This is very crucial, as the brother takes over the control of their homestead in the event of the father’s demise. In addition, occasionally, the girl may have to relocate back home if she is divorced or widowed. However, once she reaches puberty, she has to sustain towards her brother a relationship similar to that she shares with her father. This usually proves hard, considering the cordial relation they shared while as small children (Drewett, 2006). The Zulu culture highly regards their ancestors. To them, the ancestors are behind the overall control of the world and everything that happens in it. Every tribe has a leader who is accountable for ensuring the smooth and harmonious intercession of his subjects with the ancestors who hailed from his village. The Zulu believe that ancestors have the power of controlling an individual’s destiny. Diviners, who are under the chief’s power, help in deciphering the ancestors’ wishes, which they learn of in dreams or visions (Wels, 2007). In addition, the diviners help the healers undertake their jobs (Ferraro, 2009). The Zulu culture proposes that the spiritual powers of the underworld can either help or destroy people. Towards this belief, they employ the help of the diviners in channeling the powers to heal or cause trouble. The Zulu have sorcerers who allegedly have the capability to influence death on those who dishonor the ancestors. The leader reveres the village ancestors, while the family heads adore those of families. According to the Zulu tradition, offerings happen due to two major things. They happen in the event when the whole tribe holds a festival honoring girls who have reached the puberty stage. In addition, they happen when an individual belonging to the tribe passes away, just before burial. The main reason behind the offerings is usually to appease the ancestors. In addition, offerings are also given after the successful undertaking of certain activities, including planting or harvesting. They also happen when the community wants to appreciate a sustained season of plenty and peace (Dlamini, 2005). The culture also considers the rites of passage as very important events. When women give birth, the infants must be washed, and doctored with traditional herbs. A boy child has to ingest a cow’s milk before he gets a chance to suckle. This is because, when he grows older, he will be accountable for the welfare of his family’s herd of cattle. Generally, in the Zulu tradition, any birth of a human being is a big event, warranting everyone’s attention. Puberty is another major rite in the community. Men must wash and don new clothing, which are the major signs depicting a young man. This rite exposes them to the hard warrior life ahead of them (Wels, 2007). In general, this rite changes boys to men. Marriage is another important passage of life in the community. They deem marriage as a haven allowing women to bear legitimate children (Patrick, 2008). The man gets to claim the children, and is thus sure of support in his later years. The couple’s parents choose their children’s partners. Unlike other African cultures, here, all families chip in to ensure the event’s success. After the event, the groom’s father offers a sacrifice to the gods in the form of an ox. The bride, on her initial entrance to her husband’s home, keeps her face hidden in respect for the village’s ancestors. Death is usually a big blow to all communities across the world. In the Zulu world, death is usually respected. A chief’s demise is widely felt, and thus the village members have to offer sacrifices before he is buried, usually under his hut. They then evacuate the place for a full week (Dlamini, 2005). The Zulu culture is renowned for its rich musical tradition. The Zulu music contains an assortment of different music styles that combine their current life situation in South Africa. The Zulu culture possesses music that directly identifies with their current daily life. In general, the Zulu music strives to join both black and white citizens in South Africa. The evidence of this gains significant support from the results of analysis on the Zulu war songs. These songs were so touching and moving that they influenced South Africa’s war against the white settlers and general apartheid. As with the majority of other African traditions, in the Zulu tradition, music is accomplished as a group undertaking. Frequently, all inhabitants of a certain Zulu village will take part in varying roles with the common goal of producing music, which usually consists of religious dancing moves. Other associates of the assembled band will collect all around the main singers, while the others play the relevant instruments (Drewett, 2006). The Zulu community utilizes a vast array of musical equipment, which is mostly universal with the African music. The Zulu lay claim to numerous types of drums. These include the ngoma drum, and the djembe drum. In addition, while performing their music, they exploit various accompaniments, including shakers, bells, rain sticks, and ankle rattles. The Zulu culture also encourages the radical use of body moves to lend meaning and emotion to their music effectively, including rhythmic vigorous dancing, slapping, and clapping. According to the Zulu people, music’s main purpose in the community is for traditional and celebratory (Wels, 2007). Every dance during an occasion usually precedes traditional music. For instance, Inlamu is a Zulu war song in which male associates of a band gather while donning full war attire. They the n proceed to dance to traditional Zulu music, while making accompaniment sounds with their war weapons, which include shields and spears. Ingoma, a women traditional Zulu dance, consists of women dancers donning full tribal regalia, and dance while producing additional rhythmic sounds with shakers and ankle rattles. The Zulu dialect is, basically, tonal in nature. This suggests that various sounds, produced at varying pitches, offer different translations to the issue at hand. This character is common across all Zulu music types. Zulu music matches harmoniously with the accompanying dance. In addition, each song and its accompanying dance style offer varying meaning in comparison to each other. Virtually all Zulu songs contain a hint regarding the history and origin of the Zulu culture (Ferraro, 2009). To the Zulus, maize is the major food item. However, the culture also encompasses about forty other food types. The traditional Zulu culture heavily adored meat. Nevertheless, as time went, meat became scarce and was only available during big events like passage events, weddings, or other major occasions. The major cultural dishes of the culture consist of variously processed maize. They also ingested tubers like sweet potatoes and yams. The Zulus use wooden bowls as eating equipment. The culture also advocated the washing of hands before a meal, and the rinsing out of the mouth after the meal is over (Dlamini, 2005). Beer is a major item in the Zulu tradition. The women are responsible for making the beer, a process that they manage through exploiting the qualities of the sorghum plant. The women undertake the process in an exceptional hut that is partially uncovered in order to aid the letting out of smoke. In addition, the openings bring in enough oxygen that fastens the fermentation process. The resultant brew is very acceptable across the age brackets. In addition, the brew contains much nutritious value, and has the powers to calm bothersome stomach ulcers. The beer process consists of cooking sorghum and maize together. The resultant porridge is then left for a day, after which the grains are added to boiled water. The urn is covered to catapult fermentation. Finally, the brew is ready after sieving takes place (Drewett, 2006). In conclusion, the Zulu tradition and culture is deep in content and value. This analysis exposes the Zulu as a people who are organized and religious in their own way. It depicts them as civilized people who value life and possess respect for ethical norms that are of crucial importance to the harmonious living of any community. Their mode of life is much different from the western mode in everything from beliefs to the normal life. Their songs are of particular interest, as they depict moral value. This is very different in comparison with the west. The west has no record of ardent traditional following and culture. In the west, the only people who are closely similar to the Zulus in all sectors are the Red Indians. References Dlamini, S. (2005). Youth And Identity Politics In South Africa, 1990-1994. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Drewett, M. (2006). Popular Music Censorship in Africa. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing. Ferraro, P. (2009). Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective. London: Cengage Learning. Patrick, S. (2008). Constructing Regionalism: Discourses of Spirituality and Cultural Poverty in the Popular Music of Uttarakhand, North India. Minnesota: ProQuest. Wels, A. (2007). Culture and Community: Tourism Studies in Eastern and Southern Africa. Amsterdam: Rozenberg Publishers. Read More