zululand - rovolunteers.com · journey to zululand. this is a short booklet to give you extra...

ZULULAND

A cultural guide to help you make the most of your trip.

It does not pretend to be comprehensive. It’s just an

introduction with a few useful links and some books

that you might want to check out.

If you have any additional questions feel free to contact

us and we will try our best to answer your question or

find someone who can!

If you haven’t already, join our ‘Reach Out Volunteers’

Facebook page. This way you can follow our progress,

contact us easily, and look out for other volunteers

who might be in your group when you join us in

South Africa!

We hope you enjoy this little Introduction.

Congratulations. You are about to embark on an amazing journey to Zululand. This is a short booklet to give you extra information about the culture you are entering, the people you meet with and the animals you may see while you are there.

A CULTURAL GUIDE TO HELP WITH your trip. www.rovolunteers.com

• ‘The Zulu’ – people of heaven

• Zulu people are the largest ethnic group in South Africa.

• When a Zulu person hands something to you or

shakes your hand they will use their right arm to

pass the object, then shake your hand and place the

palm of their left hand under their right forearm.

This is to signal no weapons and that they are

peaceful. At first it may seem unusual but it is just

“good manners” in Zululand.

• Dancing and singing is a big part of Zulu culture.

There is a dance or a song for almost anything that

occurs. The singing is one of the strong memories

you will take home with you and something that

makes Zulu culture so fantastic.

• Married women cover themselves fully to indicate

that they are not available. It is an idea not to

dress too provocatively as this is seen as a sign of

availability.

Culture

• Food: Meat is only eaten on special occasions or

by those with more wealth, as it is expensive. This

means a lot of the meals they eat are vegetarian.

Amazi is a favourite food amongst most Zulu

people and is considered a delicacy. This is mostly

made up of curdled milk. Each person will have

their own plate to eat from and correct behavior is

to wash your mouth after eating.

• Religion: A mixture of traditional beliefs

and Christianity.

Africa is in a subtropical location, moderated by ocean

on three sides of the country. This, together with the

altitude of the interior plateau, accounts for the warm

temperate conditions so typical of South Africa - and

so popular with foreign visitors.

South Africa is famous for its sunshine. It’s a relatively

dry country, with an average annual rainfall of about

464mm (compared to a world average of about 860mm).

While the Western Cape gets most of its rainfall in

winter, the KwaZulu-Natal coast is generally a summer

rainfall region with accompanying hot, humid days.

The KwaZulu-Natal coast offers fantastic winter weather with sunny, warm days and virtually no wind or rain. You should expect day time temperatures of around 23 degrees Celsius with little chance of rain.

Beadwork is a popular craft and is often purchased by

tourists. The colors in these beads can tell different stories:

White - is the color of purity.

Black - indicates the colours of the rafters of

the hut, to which color the maiden has turned

in pining for her loved one.

Blue - if I were a dove, I would fly to your home

and pick up food at your door.

Yellow - I shall never eat if we marry because

you own no beast you can slaughter.

Pink - You should work harder to gain your

lobola and not gamble your money away.

Green - I have become thin like the sweet cane

and green as the first shoots of a tree because

of my love for you.

Red - My heart bleeds and is full of love


Location

Bead Guide

Greeting

Hello Sawubona (First person singular)

Sanibona (First person plural)

How are you? Unjani?

I am well Ngisaphila.

I am fine, thank you Ngisaphila ngiyabonga.

Goodbye Hamba kahle (go well)

Sala kahle (stay well)

Expressions yes yebo

no cha

please ngiyakucela

thank you ngiyabonga

help siza

Excuse me Uxolo

I am sorry Ngiyaxolisa.

Numbers1 - one kunye

2 - two kubili

3 - three kuthathu

4 - four kune

5 - five kuhlanu


The lion is an extraordinary hunter with a roar that can be detected up to eight kilometres away. It is a night hunter with powerful dark vision.

LionsLions are the only member of the cat family that live

socially. The females form the basis of the social structure.

Related females form prides that combine to increase

their success in hunting. The males compete in lethal

battles to have or hold ownership over these prides.

When a younger male (or male coalition) defeats

the current male head of the pride the victory is

commonly followed by infanticide by the victorious

male(s) despite the attempts of the pride to defend

their young. The lion is a powerful cultural symbol

to many African tribes and has a powerful impact on

tourist on first sighting the creature in the wild.

When a kill has been made the males eat first and can

consume up to 30kg of meat each. For comparison, a

wildebeest weighs about 200kg. • It has been estimated

that a lion will copulate 3,000 times for every young

that reaches one year old. •

LeopardsThe leopard is an elusive and shrewd cat. It is a strong

climber and often uses this skill to move its kill away

from competitors like lions and hyenas. When not

hunting, it can move through herds of antelopes

without unduly disturbing them by flipping its tail

over its back to reveal the white underside, a sign that

it is not seeking prey.

Leopards are not social cats at all and go out of their

way to avoid one another. Each leopard has a home

range that overlaps with its neighbors; the male’s

range is much larger and generally overlaps with

those of several females. They are fiercely protective

of their range and will battle to defend their patch.

Leopards growl and spit with a screaming roar of fury

when angry and they purr when content.

With marking and calling, leopards usually know one

another’s whereabouts.

Animal FactsLanguage

BuffaloThis is an unpredictable and can be a dangerous

species. The herd will rush to the defense of

endangered young offspring that signal their distress.

The herd form a circle around the young if attacked.

By lowering their heads and presenting a solid barrier

of sharp horns, it is difficult for predators to seize a

calf. This effective group defense even allows blind

and crippled members of the herd to survive. Take

a moment to watch Battle at Kruger on YouTube at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM if

you have not seen it. You will see exactly what we are

talking about.

The females and their offspring make up the bulk of

the herd while the males tend to spend much of their

time in bachelor groups. It is the old, solitary-living

males that are most likely to be taken by lions.

RhinoTwo types, black and white. The white rhino, which

is actually gray, has a pronounced hump on the neck

and a long face. The white rhino’s name derives from

the Dutch “weit,” meaning wide, a reference to its

wide, square muzzle adapted for grazing.

White rhino live in the more open spaces and graze on

grass, their young tend to walk in front of the mother.

They have larger heads and longer horns and are

generally more placid than the black rhino.

Black rhino have smaller heads and shorter horns,

they live and graze in bushy areas and are therefore

sighted more rarely.

The black, or hooked-lipped, rhino, along with all other

rhino species, is an odd-toed ungulate (three toes on

each foot). It has a thick, hairless, gray hide. Both the

black and white rhino have two horns, the longer of

which sits at the front of the nose. While their eyesight

is poor, which is probably why they will sometimes

charge without apparent reason, their sense of smell

and hearing are very good.

The black rhino declined drastically in the 1970s and

1980s due to poaching. To prevent extinction, many

rhinos were relocated to fenced sanctuaries in the

early 1990s. This effort appears to be succeeding, as

1994 was the first time in 20 years that rhino numbers

did not decline.

The rhino is prized for its horn. Not a true horn, it is

made of thickly matted hair that grows from the skull

without skeletal support. The major demand for horn

is in Asia, where it is used in traditional medicine and

in ornamental carvings.

Another little fact; you may notice while in Zululand, the animals with little hair e.g. warthogs, buffalo, hippo etc, all wallow in mud. The reason for this is not just for sun protection and because it feels nice, it’s also because the mud can suffocate the parasites that are on their skin. When it dries they can rub it off on a tree and so remove the parasites.

ElephantsA fully grown male African elephant is usually

about 10-13 feet and weighs about 15,400 pounds.

They can live up to about 70 years, they can swim for

long distances, they live in breeding herds run by a

matriarch and males leave this herd at around 12-15

years old.


Books to buy to learn Zuluhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=learn+z ulu&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=6716156221&ref =pd_sl_9dt9fdcc07_

Learn zuluhttp://www.eshowe.com/article/articlestatic/56/1/13/ http://www.linguanaut.com/english_zulu.htm•

South African history http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology/chronology. htm

BBC fact file on South Africahttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_pro- files/1071886.stm

Amazon, South Africa lonely planet bookhttp://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search- alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lonely+planet+South+Africa &x=0&y=0

Bus service (buy a bus pass) http://www.bazbus.com/

Animalshttp://www.outtoafrica.nl/animals/engrhino.htm l:/zenden=2&subsoort_id=1&bestemming_id=1

Culturehttp://www.warthog.co.za/dedt/tourism/culture

Reach Out Volunteers

acknowledges the work of Sarah

Frew in the development and

design of this brochure. Without

her energy, ideas, enthusiasm and

love of South Africa it would not

have happened.

READ ON...


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