Zulu legislature.
I might face some backlash here for writing this in English but I feel some things are better expressed in certain languages for a particular effect & should you wish to translate it into your language whether it be Zulu, Swahili, Ndebele, Portuguese or French - there's a Google translate tool somewhere on this blog.
N. B.: This is not the legislature of the KwaZulu Bantustan but rather some laws of precolonial Zululand.
As we all know, the Zulu Empire came into fame in the 19th century when the "relatively insignificant" Zulu tribe expanded it's influence to over six times it's area through conquest & assimilation.
Villagers & children would spend their days herding livestock, planting crops, preparing firewood & fetching water. Boys would usually herd livestock, occasionally hunt & prepare to join the regional amabutho. Before the wars of what is now called "Mfecane", the boys would be circumcised** by elder men much like how the Gauteng Ndebele & Swazi do. But because of the constant conflicts, King Shaka outlawed the practice of circumcision (ukusoka) because he needed men to fight who weren't busy recovering from being circumcised. It's said he (King Shaka) further would not allow a man to marry if he did not serve in the regiments. It is only in the recent last few years that former Zulu king Zwelithini brought back the practice of circumcision. Women would go to their own event called Umkhosi wohlanga where elder women would check for virginity among younger ladies. In this event, the king/emperor would often pick a bride. I believe that arranged marriages were common in this region because, for example, when a childless lady would reach maturity, it's said the elders would negotiate marriage with surrounding tribes in an attempt to build alliances or gain some livestock. This was the law of the land. Ilobolo (dowry) was negotiated by the families marrying off their children, it is only when Theoliphus Shepstone arrived as an administrator for the British Empire that he put into Natal law that the dowry price should be eleven cows.
From my knowledge, there are three festivals/holidays in the Zulu calendar:
• Umukhosi weLembe is around the beginning of the Zulu year to commemorate the founder/unifier of the nation, King Shaka.
• Umukhosi wokweshwama is around the southern hemisphere summer solstice & can be called the "First fruits festival" or "Zulu Christmas".
• Umukhosi wohlanga / reed dance is for virgin maidens.
The return of the young men from ukusoka would usually be met with a celebration, so may be called an umkhosi in itself. The king has authority to create more imikhosi should he wish.
- Only married men would wear umqhele (a ring made from leather) on their head & only married women would wear isicholo woven into their hair. Marriage rings did not exist in Zulu society & only came after the Zulu kingdom became Christian. Once a maiden is married, she wouldn't bare her breasts.
- Leopard skins were reserved for royalty & not just anyone.
- A man who impregnates a lady illigitimately would be required to pay a price for "trespassing on another man's kraal" before paying lobola should he wish to marry the girl, he would be required to pay the price even if he doesn't marry the girl. A man who raped a woman would be impaled or speared.
- A man or woman who would defy accepted laws of the land would also be impaled, speared or burned or simply flee the land & be a fugitive risking hunger & being killed by wild animals.
- I assume thieves would either be required to return what they have stolen or simply be killed.
I might face some backlash here for writing this in English but I feel some things are better expressed in certain languages for a particular effect & should you wish to translate it into your language whether it be Zulu, Swahili, Ndebele, Portuguese or French - there's a Google translate tool somewhere on this blog.
N. B.: This is not the legislature of the KwaZulu Bantustan but rather some laws of precolonial Zululand.
As we all know, the Zulu Empire came into fame in the 19th century when the "relatively insignificant" Zulu tribe expanded it's influence to over six times it's area through conquest & assimilation.
Villagers & children would spend their days herding livestock, planting crops, preparing firewood & fetching water. Boys would usually herd livestock, occasionally hunt & prepare to join the regional amabutho. Before the wars of what is now called "Mfecane", the boys would be circumcised** by elder men much like how the Gauteng Ndebele & Swazi do. But because of the constant conflicts, King Shaka outlawed the practice of circumcision (ukusoka) because he needed men to fight who weren't busy recovering from being circumcised. It's said he (King Shaka) further would not allow a man to marry if he did not serve in the regiments. It is only in the recent last few years that former Zulu king Zwelithini brought back the practice of circumcision. Women would go to their own event called Umkhosi wohlanga where elder women would check for virginity among younger ladies. In this event, the king/emperor would often pick a bride. I believe that arranged marriages were common in this region because, for example, when a childless lady would reach maturity, it's said the elders would negotiate marriage with surrounding tribes in an attempt to build alliances or gain some livestock. This was the law of the land. Ilobolo (dowry) was negotiated by the families marrying off their children, it is only when Theoliphus Shepstone arrived as an administrator for the British Empire that he put into Natal law that the dowry price should be eleven cows.
**Discipline camp by I. Y. I. L. E.
From my knowledge, there are three festivals/holidays in the Zulu calendar:
• Umukhosi weLembe is around the beginning of the Zulu year to commemorate the founder/unifier of the nation, King Shaka.
• Umukhosi wokweshwama is around the southern hemisphere summer solstice & can be called the "First fruits festival" or "Zulu Christmas".
• Umukhosi wohlanga / reed dance is for virgin maidens.
The return of the young men from ukusoka would usually be met with a celebration, so may be called an umkhosi in itself. The king has authority to create more imikhosi should he wish.
- Only married men would wear umqhele (a ring made from leather) on their head & only married women would wear isicholo woven into their hair. Marriage rings did not exist in Zulu society & only came after the Zulu kingdom became Christian. Once a maiden is married, she wouldn't bare her breasts.
- Leopard skins were reserved for royalty & not just anyone.
- A man who impregnates a lady illigitimately would be required to pay a price for "trespassing on another man's kraal" before paying lobola should he wish to marry the girl, he would be required to pay the price even if he doesn't marry the girl. A man who raped a woman would be impaled or speared.
- A man or woman who would defy accepted laws of the land would also be impaled, speared or burned or simply flee the land & be a fugitive risking hunger & being killed by wild animals.
- I assume thieves would either be required to return what they have stolen or simply be killed.
- Legal disputes were settled by the local king or chief & his indunas & not by students of the land's laws. So the kings, chiefs & indunas had to be well-versed in their land's laws. They held the power of judgement on which punishment individuals should or should not receive.
Just for pure symbolism: The judge's gavel & scales of justice were not used in traditional Zulu courts or as symbols of justice in the precolonial Zulu world. The gavel is a Usonian creation used by many courts of justice around the world & the scales of justice are from ancient Rome.
These are just a few notes of Zulu law, I've heard or read of.
These are just a few notes of Zulu law, I've heard or read of.
I just wrote this because I felt like it & not because I want to be accepted into any group.
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