Zulu Religion Essay Research Paper Zulu Religion

Zulu Religion Essay, Research Paper

Zulu Religion

Religion in the broadest sense may be defined as man’s attitude towards the unseen, and the earliest forms of human thought furnish the clue from which must be traced the development of those great systems of religion that have at different time periods been professed by certain groups of people. The term religion must also include, not only beliefs in unseen spiritual agencies, but numerous customs, superstitions, and myths which have usually been regarded by the people of the specific society or community. As far as, Zulu religion goes, there are many different opinions about the origin and historical content. Since many of the beliefs and traditions were passed orally, there are no written records of the founders or early history of Zulu religion. However, because of the Zulu’s distinctive beliefs and unique customs, one can not deny the existence of the religious system of the Zulu people.

There have been numerous studies which present compelling evidence for the existence of a coherent Zulu religious system which involves the worship of a heavenly being, the Lord-of-the-Sky. There is, however, some uncertainty about the early Zulu’s belief in the Lord-of-the-Sky. “Reading studies by Callaway, one is given the impression that Zulu of his time made no clear distinction between sky divinity and the shades. However, modern Zulu are emphatic in expressing a very clear distinction between the

Lord-of-the-Sky and the shades”(Berglund 32). In this case the word “shades” is referring to ancestors. The reason “shade” is used in place of ancestor is because the word “ancestor” in the English language means “ascendants who are dead.” The Zulu people believe this word refers to a separation between the living and the dead. The Zulu people have close and intimate relationship with their departed relatives. “This is not descriptive of Zulu concepts which, as the study will be showing, assume a very close and intimate relationship and association with the lineage between the departed and their survivors”(29). Even though there are doubts about Zulu traditional religion, most studies appear to confirm the fact that belief in a sky deity is and always has been central to Zulu religious thought. “Unkulunkulu (the old, old one) is the Creator of First Cause. If a Zulu is asked about the origin of man and the world, he will say Unkulunkulu the Zulu people believe in a power which they call “Heaven” or “The Lord of Heaven”(Krige 282). Other researchers argue that “all the Bantu further have some conception, generally rather vague, of a supreme power. . . The Zulu have a sky god. . . the Lord of Heaven”(Shapera 262). Quite clearly the existence of a Zulu belief in a sky deity is well established in the literature on both the Zulu people in particular and African religions in general.

The earliest period of recorded contact between Zulu and European cultures gives some information about Zulu religious beliefs. This evidence, however, is culturally bias because of the European stereotypes and expectations. Nathaniel Isaacs, a European trader, visited Shaka, the Zulu king, and developed a strong friendship with him. In gratitude for assistance in a battle against his enemies Shake made him a minor chief,

eventually granting him a strip of land around the coast surrounding Port Natal, modern Durban. However, Isaacs reactions to the Zulu religion are somewhat bias because of his own beliefs and values. The language difference also serves as a barrier between Isaacs and Shaka. “Chaka, when we first held a conversation with him on the subject of the existence of a Supreme Being, at once evinced he had no idea of a deity, and that his people were equally ignorant on this subject”(Hexham 38). From Isaacs’s point of view, it seemed as if Shaka and the rest of the Zulu people did not understand the concept of religion. After living amongst the Zulu people for some time Isaacs was able to make the following observations: “Religions – They have none. The Zoolas have no idea of a Deity, no knowledge of a future state. They cannot comprehend the mystery of creation”(Isaacs 301). Soon after Isaacs had arrived in Natal, Shaka was assassinated and Dingane became the new Zulu king. Isaacs’ opinions of Shaka’s predecessor are much more positive and optimistic. “I am proud to say of his successor that a ray of light has been seen in him. He is greatly advancing into that state of mental improvement, which only now requires the more enlightened aid of missionaries to ripen into perfection”(Hexham 38). On the other hand, Captain Alan Gardinar, the first missionary to the Zulu people, had a difference of opinion about Dingane. “That my views were not in any degree connected with trade he could understand, but what was God, and God’s word, and the nature of the instruction I proposed, were subjects which he could not at all comprehend”(Isaacs 31). Gardinar was, however, convinced that all men have some natural knowledge of God. He was, therefore, able to conclude: “we seem to have

arrived here at a period when the traditional knowledge of a Supreme Being is rapidly passing into oblivion”(Gardinar 178). As a basis for this statement Gardinar repeats a Zulu legend which he takes as a creation account and in doing so makes the assumption that the Zulu originator of life is equivalent to God. This is, of course, highly unc