Zulu Village near
Cape Town. Photo by Robert Eilets
South
Africa
(Official
Information courtesy of the South African
Consulate)
Throughout its history, South
Africa has been a geographic designation rather than a
reflection of a national reality. The result is that
today the Republic of South Africa has one of the most
complex and diversified population mixes in the world, a
rich mosaic of distinctive minorities. This is
underscored by the fact that not one of South Africa's
major languages is spoken by a majority of all the
people. Languages: There are 11 official languages
: Afrikaans, English, IsiNdebele, Sepedi, Sesotho,
SiSwati, Xitsonga, Setswana, Tshivenda, IsiXhosa, and
IsiZulu. A few phrases and words in three of the
languages:
English
....................Zulu
.........................Xhosa
Good morning
..........Sawubona
.................Molo
Yes
..........................Yebo
........................Ewe
Thank you
................Ngiyabonga
..............Enkosi
Goodbye ...................Hamba
kahle
............Hamba
kakuhle
My name is..
.............Igama lam
ngu..........
Igama lam ngu...
What is your name?
..Ubani
Igama lakho? ...Ungubani
igama lakho?
The four major ethnic divisions
among black people are the Nguni, Sotho, Shangaan-Tsonga
and Venda. Together the Nguni and Sotho account for the
largest percentage of the total Black population.
The Nguni language group comprises
three sub-groups within which a number of ramifications
and a large number of subramifications can be
distinguished:
The Zulus people comprise
about 300 tribes who live in Kwazulu/Natal and in some
urban areas. According to traditional Zulu religion,
Umvelinqangi is the creator of life. His daughter,
uNomkubulwana, is, however, closer to man. She is
associated with rain and thus economic prosperity depends
on her. Regular feasts are held in her honor and beer is
poured as a sacrifice. In times of drought a field has to
be planted specially for her. There is also a belief that
girls can persuade her to send rain by donning their
brother's clothes and taking over their jobs as herdsmen.
Ancestral spirits are very
important to the Zulu traditional religion. They are
believed to control everyday life and must be appeased
with sacrifices. Cattle are a link with the ancestral
spirits, while the medicine man has an important ritual
role.
The Xhosa speaking tribes
comprise of the Xhosa, Pondo, Pondomise, Hlangwini,
Xesibe, Bomvana, Hlubi, Mfengu and Bhaca . Within the
context of the Xhosa the "amagqirha" or traditional
healers and "amaxhwele" or herbalist are regarded as
chosen by the ancestors and they play an important role
in the treatment of disease and misfortune. Misfortune is
regarded as the work of witches and sorcerers.
Traditional or Tribal Xhosa dress
reflects unique customs, the uncovered breasts of young
maidens indicate that they are nubile. Men, women and
older boys wear tanned skins or blankets which are dyed
with red ochre. Long stemmed pipes - only for women whose
children have reached adulthood - and tobacco pouches
decorated with beads, are also characteristics of the
Xhosa. The South Ndebele is a smaller group who comprise
of Manala and Ndundza peoples and are commonly known as
the Mapoch. The Ndebele are well-known for their
decorative murals and beadwork. Beadwork is used on
women' s clothing, each garment reflecting a certain
status. A well dressed Ndebele girl can wear up to 25 kg
of copper, leather and beads.
Like the Nguni the Sotho group
comprises of three subgroups. The North Sotho includes
the Pedi, Pulana, Pai, Kutswe, Kgaga-Kone, Phalaborwa,
Nareng, Tlou, Gananwa, Hlaloga and the Kolobe. The South
Sotho comprise of the Fokeng, Tlokwa, Kwena, Phetla,
Phuti, and Pulana. The Tswana include tribes such as the
Thlaping and Koni. Characteristic of the North Sotho
tribes is veneration of Modjadji, the Rain Queen.
According to tradition she can create rain and was
formerly greatly feared and respected. The identity of
the respective tribes is indicated by totems or emblems.
The totems bear the emblem of an animal and within each
tribe that animal is sacred and may not be killed. The
South Sotho, mainly a mountain people are known as
excellent horsemen. They are easily identified by their
ponies as well as brightly-colored blankets and cone
shaped hats. The Tswana are known for their traditional
clay pots and large clay granaries.
The Tsonga are related to
the Tsonga of Mozambique and are also known as the
hangaan-Tsonga. As a language Tsonga is divided into
related dialects and it is the Nkuna dialect which is
primarily used as a written language. Overhanging roofs
forming a cool porch are characteristic of Tsonga
architecture. Women traditionally wear a short skirt,
completely covered with beads. The Tsonga are well known
for their mine dances, carried out to the beat of drums
and horns and wide variety of musical instruments such as
the mbila.
The Venda are a largely
homogenous people, although they include the
distinguishable Lemba, who evidently have a semitic
origin and regard themselves as nobility. The Venda are
known for their extensive use of stone walls, textured
leather and beadwork, for their grain vessels which are
actually "sculptures" for decorating their huts with
charcoal, white clay and ochre, for brightly colored
dolls and kudu-horn music.
White people trace their
origins to the Dutch East India Company settlement at the
Cape in 1652 and the British settlement of the 1700's.
The main language groups are English and Afrikaans.
English speakers are defendants of English, Irish, Scot,
Welsh, Australian, American and Canadians they
contributed to the establishment of exclusive clubs,
African paintings by artists such as Baines and Bowler,
Victorian and Edwardian architecture, Scottish music and
Welsh singing. The Afrikaans language was developed
locally and its speakers are known for their pioneering
spirit, desire for independence, adaptability and
hospitality. The Afrikaner community is unity-conscious,
strongly bound to its culture, nation, country, language,
religion, institutions and organizations.
The Griquas, largely of the
Khoi-Khoin-European ancestry, have developed a culture of
their own, characterised linguistically by a broken form
of Dutch-Afrikaans with a peculiar yet dignified power of
expression. Their religion, love of sacred song and
choirs are their chief cultural features.
The Cape Malays are
descedants of the early Muslim people brought to the Cape
by the Dutch East India Company. Despite bondage and
isolation they remained faithful to Islam. This is
manifest in all their traditional ceremonies at feasts,
weddings, funerals and pilgrimages to Mecca.
The first Indians came to
South Africa in 1860 as indentured laborers of the Natal
colonial government for Natal `s sugar plantations. For
many decades the idea was that the Indians should
eventually be repatriated. It was only in 1961, after
South Africa became a republic, that this notion was
abandoned and the Indian community was allowed to stay as
a permanent part of the South African population.
