The Zulus are the largest ethnic group in South Africa, with a population of nearly 11 million. They speak isiZulu and rely on agriculture for their economy. They have a rich history, including the rise of the Zulu Empire under Shaka Zulu. The Zulus have a distinct style of music and follow traditional forms of healing and religion. They have played an important role in South Africa’s politics.
The Zulus are a people of southeast Africa comprising the largest ethnic group in the country of South Africa. With a population of nearly 11 million, the Zulus are predominantly found in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and have played an important role in the history of South Africa. They are a member of the Bantu peoples of Africa who share a common history and language family and the smaller group of Nguni pastoralist peoples who have occupied southern Africa for over 2000 years. The Zulus are also prominent in Zimbabwe and Mozambique and have given Africa one of its most influential figures in the Shaka Zulu.
Speaking a language known as isiZulu, the Zulus have been an important clan in the area that is now South Africa for centuries, since at least the 1800s. As a non-industrialized society, the Zulus rely on agriculture and agriculture for their economy and their food. They adhere to traditional forms of clothing, often scanty and skimpy, featuring many beads, which are important to Zulu culture. They also follow traditional forms of healing and many familiar customs remain from the 9th century.
Like many primitive African religions, many Zulus today retain the teachings of the ancient Zulu clerics. They believe in the existence of a God and that people’s misfortunes are due to evil spirits, omens and actions. Many Zulus have accepted other religions, especially Christianity, although Traditionalism remains the most popular. The Zulu people, with their rise as a major African empire in the 19th century, also brought with them a distinct style of music, characterized by dominant harmonies known as isigubudu. Their music has permeated Western sounds and found a niche among American and British pop artists since the 1970s.
Zulu emerged as a major South African power in 1816 with the beginning of the Zulu Empire under the leader Shaka Zulu. Shaka united a mixed group of Zulu tribes into a powerful unified Zulu confederacy. With an empire of around 250,000 and an army of around 50,000, Shaka scored his first military victory at Gqokli Hill early in his rule and continued to gain power until he was assassinated in 1828. Fifty years after his death of Shaka, the Zulu people would be defeated by the British at the Battle of Ulundi and absorbed into the Cape Colony, thus ending their decades of power and independence. Under apartheid’s legal segregation, the Zulus would create for themselves a Zulu homeland called KwaZulu, where they remained until the first free national elections in 1994. Since 1994, the Zulu people have seen many notable members of their population prominent in South Africa’s politics.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
