Zululand
We are in Zululand, the traditional region in the northeastern section of present-day KwaZulu-Natal (formerly Natal) province, South Africa. It is the home of the Zulu people and site of their 19th-century kingdom. The Zulus have retained much of their cultural identity through their use of the Zulu language and through a rich heritage of folklore, ceremony, and customs.
Traditionally grain farmers, they also kept large herds of cattle on the lightly wooded grasslands, replenishing their herds mainly by raiding their neighbours. European settlers wrested grazing and water resources from the Zulu in prolonged warfare during the 19th century, and, with much of their wealth lost, modern Zulu depend largely on wage labour on farms owned by individuals of European descent or work in the cities of South Africa.
The reason we are here is to visit the battle sites of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. More about that later.
Zululand
We are in Zululand, the traditional region in the northeastern section of present-day KwaZulu-Natal (formerly Natal) province, South Africa. It is the home of the Zulu people and site of their 19th-century kingdom. The Zulus have retained much of their cultural identity through their use of the Zulu language and through a rich heritage of folklore, ceremony, and customs.
Traditionally grain farmers, they also kept large herds of cattle on the lightly wooded grasslands, replenishing their herds mainly by raiding their neighbours. European settlers wrested grazing and water resources from the Zulu in prolonged warfare during the 19th century, and, with much of their wealth lost, modern Zulu depend largely on wage labour on farms owned by individuals of European descent or work in the cities of South Africa.
The reason we are here is to visit the battle sites of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. More about that later.