he four major ethnic divisions among Black South Africans are the Nguni,

Sotho, Shangaan-Tsonga and Venda. The Nguni represent nearly two thirds of
South Africa's Black population and can be divided into 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. Archaeological evidence shows that the Bantu-speaking groups,
that were the ancestors of the Nguni, migrated down from East Africa as early
as the eleventh century - see South Africa's general history timeline.

Language, culture and beliefs:

The Zulu language, of which there are variations, is part of the Nguni
language group. The word Zulu means "Sky" and according to oral history,
Zulu was the name of the ancestor who founded the Zulu royal line in about
1670. Today it is estimated that there are more than 45 million South
Africans, and the Zulu people make up about approximately 22% of this
number. The largest urban concentration of Zulu people is in the Gauteng
Province, and in the corridor of Pietermaritzburg and Durban. The largest
rural concentration of Zulu people is in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

IsiZulu is South Africa's most widely spoken official language. It is a tonal

language understood by people from the Cape to Zimbabwe and is
characterized by many "clicks". In 2006 it was determined that approximately
9 million South Africans speak Xhosa as a home language.

The following overview of the language was written by B.P. Mngadi for
UNESCO's World Languages Report (2000):

"The writing of Zulu was started by missionaries in the then Natal. The names
J W Colenso, S B Stone, H Callaway and Lewis Grant are among the
prominent. They taught the first people with whom they made contact,
spreading the word of God, basic writing skills in Zulu. Magema Fuze, Ndiyane
and William were among the very first who were taught communicative
English and basic writing skills at about 1830-1841. The first Zulu Christian
booklet was produced by Newton Adams, George Newton and Aldin Grout
(1837-8) titled "Incwadi Yokuqala Yabafundayo" which dealt with spelling of

Zulu words and the history of the Old Testament. Between 1845 and 1883,
the first translated version of the Bible was produced in very old Zulu
orthography. In 1859 the first Zulu Grammar Book by L. Grout was produced".

Its oral tradition is very rich but its modern literature is still developing. J.L
Dube was the first Zulu writer (1832) though his first publication was a Zulu
story written in English titled "A Talk on my Native Land". In 1903 he
concentrated in editing the newspaper "Ilanga LaseNatali". His first Zulu
novel "Insila kaShaka" was published in 1930. We see a steady growth of
publications especially novels from 1930 onwards.

The clear-cut distinction made today between the Xhosa and the Zulu has no
basis in culture or history, but arises out of the colonial distinction between
the Cape and Natal colonies. Both speak very similar languages and share
similar customs, but the historical experiences at the northern end of the
Nguni culture area differed considerably from the historical experiences at
the southern end. The majority of northerners became part of the Zulu
kingdom, which abolished circumcision. The majority of southerners never
became part of any strongly centralised kingdom, intermarried with Khoikhoi
and retained circumcision.

Many Zulu people converted to Christianity under colonialism. However,

although there are many Christian converts, ancestral beliefs have not
disappeared. Instead, there has been a mixture of traditional beliefs and
Christianity. Ancestral spirits are important in Zulu religious life ,and offerings
and sacrifices are made to the ancestors for protection, good health, and
happiness. Ancestral spirits come back to the world in the form of dreams,
illnesses, and sometimes snakes. The Zulu also believe in the use of magic. Ill
fortune such as bad luck and illness is considered to be sent by an angry
spirit. When this happens, the help of a traditional healer is sought, and he or
she will communicate with the ancestors, or use natural herbs and prayers, to
get rid of the problem.