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The four major ethnic divisions among South Africans are:
The Nguni represent nearly two-thirds of South Africa's population which include four distinct groups:; the Northern and Central Nguni (the Zulu-speaking peoples), the Southern Nguni (the Xhosa-speaking peoples), the Swazi people from Swaziland and adjacent areas, and the Ndebele people of the Northern Province and Mpumalanga.
The Zulu-speaking people
The Zulu-speaking people are descendants of the Iron Age communities of Southern Africa who cultivated the soil and kept livestock. This last one has taken a vital role in the Zulu community, which established a system of patronage known as ukusisa. In this system, a wealthy Zulu man (umnumzane) loaned a few cattle to a poor person without owning his herd. The Zulu man had to be responsible for their care and could keep some of their offspring.
The Tswana tribe that lives in the surrounding area of Zulu-speaking people adopted the same ukusisa system. It helped them to entrench social differentiation and establish large chiefdoms. The ukusisa system refers to it as evidence of the existence of ubuntu, a real sign of humaneness.
Cattle were of symbolic and material importance to the Zulu kings, and they became essential to Zulu art, above all white calf.
White is associated with purity, harmony, coolness, and the absence of pollution. White is the color of the ancestors, diviners, and protection against lightning. Zulu uses colors and beading to express feelings and communicate gender and marital status messages. They use colors to write authentic Love Letters!
The Love Letter consists of a beaded rectangular flap, colored according to the message:
WHITE
Positive : Purity, Virginity, Faithfulness, True Love. No negative meaning.
BLACK
Positive : Marriage, regeneration
Negative : Sorrow, despair, death
RED
Positive : Intense Love
Negative : Anger, heartache.
BLUE
Positive : Fidelity
Negative : Loneliness – (I would fly the skies to be with you)
GREEN
Positive : Contentment
Negative : Love Sick (I have become as thin as a blade of grass pining for you)
YELLOW
Positive : Wealth, Fertility
Negative : Jealousy, withering away.
Combining specific colors and their order can make the message positive or negative.
For example:
Meaning of the Triangle symbol
Triangles represents the Father, Mother, and Child. There are feelings of a broken heart and concern that their love is being unfaithful. There are certain types of accessories only to express an emotion to someone. The wife uses a necklace called ‘ibheqe’ to communicate to his husband to show her feelings towards him. Another well-known token is the ‘Ucu’; this necklace is effortless. It is a 5-meter beaded string that a woman wears around her neck. This token is equivalent to an engagement ring but is a necklace. Another form of art craft in Zulu art is baskets. They go from dried grass to old telephone wires! They are used to store, transport, and used as drinking vessels, but also to store ceremonial beer.
The most common patterns on baskets are: Checkerboards, Whirls, or Circles - good news, new baby, good rains Triangle - masculine symbol Diamond - feminine Zig-Zag - represents the spear of Shaka Series of Diamonds - shields of Shaka Diamond with triangle points - Wedding baskets Check out The Teeris deigns to communicate your love to your loved one.
Colorful Zulu Pillow: 18x18, 20x12, 22x22
A strategically placed accent can bring the whole room to life, and this pillow is just what you need to do that. Moreover, the soft, machine-washable case with the shape-retaining insert is a joy to have long afternoon naps on.
