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The Religious System of the Amazulu
This is a rare book on the religious system of the AmaZulu. Edited by Faheem Judah-EL www.lulu.com/egipt
318 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1884
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Did Not Finish
June 24, 2023I began reading this out of curiosity, but did not finish it as it did not continue to hold my interest.
July 26, 2014
Fascinating stuff. Not only about the early customs, but also the diversity of thought patters, which dominated in the old Zululand and are told from memory by the narrators in isiZulu and translated by the author. I like the parallel text of Zulu/English, which makes the comparison easy and enables quick reference to the original. Very helpful indeed.
The chapter on uNkunlunkulu/oNkulunkulu (both male and female)makes it clear that before the arrival of monotheism, there was a broad spectrum of family/tribal deities. I presume that the influence of Christianity has caused the plural form oNkulunkulu to be dropped from the Grammars we're learning, but I wonder if it's gone from the frame of reference amongst the Zulu too. I presume that some of the narratives were guided by suggestive questions and not quite value-free discourse.
The Amatongo are both good and evil. There is a close relationship with snakes, lizards and other animals. This was very strange at first reading - especially as some of these are kept rather like pets and members of the household even. Snakes as deceased uncles/aunts staying in the stone walls of the cattle enclosure or in the rafters of the hut ... as members of the household.
The diviners are quite a diverse bunch too - not generalists, but specialists. Some working on lightning and hailstorms, others as diviners and soothsayers, others as herbalists, some as physicians and psychologists, some working more on warfare and political strategy, some as power-brokers etc The translation of Ngyanga is therefore also given by Callaway as "doctor" - interestingly more than 100 years before it was actually put into practice.
A thing that struck me, was the ready admission that diviners often get it wrong and that the circumstances sometimes just need more powerful medicine (muti) than could be provided. Sometimes even the ancestral spirits are not in the position to overcome the enemy, but are themselves overcome, injured, exiled or even destroyed. So it's not as if the world of the AmaZulu was without disappointment, failure and serious mishap.
Would love to know if there is a similar study on present day religious systems dominating in KwaZulu/Natal and the surroundings today. Any suggestions?
The chapter on uNkunlunkulu/oNkulunkulu (both male and female)makes it clear that before the arrival of monotheism, there was a broad spectrum of family/tribal deities. I presume that the influence of Christianity has caused the plural form oNkulunkulu to be dropped from the Grammars we're learning, but I wonder if it's gone from the frame of reference amongst the Zulu too. I presume that some of the narratives were guided by suggestive questions and not quite value-free discourse.
The Amatongo are both good and evil. There is a close relationship with snakes, lizards and other animals. This was very strange at first reading - especially as some of these are kept rather like pets and members of the household even. Snakes as deceased uncles/aunts staying in the stone walls of the cattle enclosure or in the rafters of the hut ... as members of the household.
The diviners are quite a diverse bunch too - not generalists, but specialists. Some working on lightning and hailstorms, others as diviners and soothsayers, others as herbalists, some as physicians and psychologists, some working more on warfare and political strategy, some as power-brokers etc The translation of Ngyanga is therefore also given by Callaway as "doctor" - interestingly more than 100 years before it was actually put into practice.
A thing that struck me, was the ready admission that diviners often get it wrong and that the circumstances sometimes just need more powerful medicine (muti) than could be provided. Sometimes even the ancestral spirits are not in the position to overcome the enemy, but are themselves overcome, injured, exiled or even destroyed. So it's not as if the world of the AmaZulu was without disappointment, failure and serious mishap.
Would love to know if there is a similar study on present day religious systems dominating in KwaZulu/Natal and the surroundings today. Any suggestions?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews