Zulu Traditional Religion
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Zulu traditional religion consists of the beliefs and spiritual practices of the
Zulu people Zulu people (; ) are a native people of Southern Africa of the Nguni people, Nguni. The Zulu people are the largest Ethnic groups in South Africa, ethnic group and nation in South Africa, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. They o ...
of
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. It contains numerous
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commonly associated with animals or general classes of natural phenomena. Unkulunkulu is known to be the Supreme Creator.


Beliefs


The Creator and the ancestors

Similar to other Bantu religions, adherents of Zulu traditional religion believe in honoring ancestors (Amadlozi) and in a multitude of gods. These beliefs are passed down orally through stories across generations. While the details of these stories may vary, they generally share the same themes, such as that the human world and the spirit world are interconnected, with divination practices used to bridge these realms. The roles and relationship of the sky god Umvelinqangi and Unkulunkulu, the highest god and creator of humanity, often change depending on the version of the story. UmkhuluwoMkhulu ("the greatest one") was created in Uhlanga, a huge swamp of reeds, before he came to
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. Individuals base their morality or behavior ethics on his judgment or “apprehension of the
Ultimate Reality Ultimate reality is "the supreme, final, and fundamental power in all reality". It refers to the most fundamental fact about reality, especially when it is seen as also being the most valuable fact. This may overlap with the concept of the Absolut ...
.” Unkulunkulu is sometimes conflated with the sky god Umvelinqangi (meaning "he who was in the very beginning"), the god of
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,
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whose other name is Unsondo, and is the son of Unkulunkulu, the Father, and Nomkhubulwane, the Mother. The word ''nomkhubulwane'' means the one who
shapeshift In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest exist ...
s into any form of an animal. Another name given for the supreme being Umkhuluwomkhulu is uSomandla, the ultimate source of all existence. European settlers used the word Unkulunkulu in order to try to explain their belief in the God of the bible to the people of Zululand. According to Irvin Hexham (1981), "there is no evidence of belief in a heavenly deity or sky god in Zulu religion before the advent of Europeans". However, other scholars such as Eileen Jensen Krige, Isaac Schapera, Axel-Ivar Berglund (1976), Hammond-Took, and John Mbiti disagree with Hexham's analysis. They argue that the "lord of heaven" or Zulu sky god has always existed in the traditional Zulu belief system, a deity who they argue is greater than the "archetypal ancestor and creator, Unkulunkulu".Chidester, David; Kwenda, Chirevo; Petty, Robert ; Tobler, Judy; and Wratten, Darrel; ''African Traditional Religion in South Africa: An Annotated Bibliography: An Annotated Bibliography'', ABC-CLIO (1997), p. 246,

(Retrieved 11 July 2019)


Other deities

* Nomhoyi/ Mamlambo, the
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of
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s * Nomkhubulwane, sometimes called the Zulu
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, who is a goddess of the
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,
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and
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(which she invented) * Inkosazana, another fertility goddess * uNgungi, the deity of the blacksmiths * iNyanga the Moon goddess is associated with healers who are called IziNyanga, the word ''nyanga'' is a Zulu word for the Moon * Sonzwaphi the deity of healing * Ukhulukhulwana (or UkhuluKhukwan) a star being ancestor who came from the stars and found the ancient Zulus living like animals and without laws. He taught them to build huts and taught them the high laws of isiNtu. The word ''unkulunkulu'' is suspected to be a corruption of the word ''umkhuluwomkhulu''.


See also

*
Bantu religion Bantu religion is a system of various spiritual beliefs and practices that relate to the Bantu people of Central, East, and Southern Africa. Although Bantu peoples account for several hundred different ethnic groups, there is a high degree of ...
* List of African deities *
Traditional African religions The beliefs and practices of Demographics of Africa, African people are highly diverse, and include various ethnic religions.Encyclopedia of African Religion (Sage, 2009) Molefi Kete Asante Generally, these traditions are oral tradition, oral rath ...
* Usiququmadevu


Notes and references

*


Further reading

*Hexham, Irvin, ((1981) ''Lord of the Sky-King of the earth: Zulu Traditional Religion and Belief in the Sky God'', Sciences Religieuses Studies in Religion, vol. 10: 273–78) *Berglund, Axel-Ivar, (1976) ''Zulu Thought-Patterns and Symbolism'', London: C. Hurst * John S. Mbiti, ''African Religions and Philosophy''.
African Writers Series The African Writers Series (AWS) is a collection of books written by African novelists, poets and politicians. Published by Heinemann (publisher), Heinemann, 359 books appeared in the series between 1962 and 2003. The series has provided an int ...
. Heinemann
969 Year 969 ( CMLXIX) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar, the 969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 1st millennium, the 69th year of the 10th century, and the 10th ...
(1990). *Werner, Alice, ''Myths and Legends of the Bantu'', Library of Alexandria (1968) {{Paganism Traditional African religions Religion in South Africa