MARRIAGE IN ZULU HIGH LIFE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4210, 17 September 1874, Page 3

MARRIAGE IN ZULU HIGH LIFE.

(From the Glasgow Herald.) It may. he at least curious to read description of the marriage of Shiraayan, a highly respectable Amaswazi Zulu farmer”—to a daughter of his chief, yclept Qinilani. An eye-witness of the whole proceeding narrates the circumstances in the following letter. But it may here be mentioned, in passing, that the fortunate suitor’s matrimonial projects are not by any means to be considered as ended till tbe decease of this wife. His father-in-law has eleven wives. He himself had one, hut unfortunately she died some months previous to the date (June, 1873) of the event here narrated. After his second , marriage shortly, when a white man observed to him that it'was wrong to have, more than one wife at the same time, he regretted that he was too late in telling him, as he ivas going to have other two immediately; that they were both paid for (ten cows each), and that he expected them home soon. He Avas thqji engaged in a lawsuit to recover the price of" his first wife from her father, who declined to give it—viz., ten cows —but would be happy to give him another daughter, whom Shimayan would not accept; and hence, the litigation. A sad obstacle there to marriage is, that a man must pay-a tax of £5 to Govemmeut for each iviife. But this is not at all insurmountable. The young Zulu Avill go into the service of white men. Soon he acquires money to make up the £5 and buy ten cows. Ten cows will pay the father-in-law, and £5 will satisfy the conscientious scruples of the Government towards polygamy practised in Queen Victoria's dominions ; and presto ! the difficulty vanishes 1 And how ? Because the wife’s labor will both maintain the husband and buy another wife. And thus the matter goes on - - the ability for acquiring wives increasing in the ratio of the number he adds. Then his daughters become a source of wealth in—(l) their labor Avhen with liiii; and (2) -their value when they are married. These facts make the acquisition of a lot of wives not so serious- au item of consideration to the Zulu as it necessarily is to either the poor Mormon or the impecunious Turk. In actual truth, they are entirely ia the opposite direction—being a powerful inducement to polygamy rather than the reverse, for they enable a man to.get a large number of cows vastly more rapidly than by his own unaided ability; and then, in virtue of that species of ivealth, he ia a man of proportionate consideration. A rather singular mode, by whioh-frequently a native has- wealth dropping into him unawares (something like the uutaxed service of heritable property on change of owner, or like a legacy from some relative—time never known), is that jiy which he falls heir to the ownership of his deceased brother's widow and family. The nuptial ceremony narrated in the letter was a purely native one, conducted after ancient and primitive customs ; the only foreign and modem element in it was the appearance of one native, on behalf of the Government, to claim the marriage tax. The scene was a grassy holm right below the house of the writer of the letterr-a graduate of the University of Glasgow. Another section of this tribe rose in insurrection lately in the north-west' of Natal, and was, ■ however, re pressed ; and its chief, Langalibalela, has just received sentence of banishment for life. In this part—the extreme north-east —natives.— Amaswazi- Zulus—are the rule—whites the rare exception. Indeed, for five months on end, the lady of the writer of the letter saw not the face of one single white female ; and when at last she did have a visit from one, the difference of , language caused communication, except by signs and an interpreter, to be utterly impracticable. BETTER PROM NATAL JULY, 1873. We had a marriage here the other day—that of our nearest neighbor, Shimayan, to a daughter of Qinilani, the local petty chief here. Qinilani has eleven ivives, and above forty sons and daughters. He is most respectably connected, being a near relative of the king or chief of the -Amaswazi, a tribe, further north than the Zulus of Zulu Land, Avhere Ketchwayb is king. Here is his genealogical tree, ivhich he named to me to-day. It seems to run back about 300 years, beginning ivith Nombo, and coming doAra step by step from father to son" till it reaches Qinilani, my informant : —l. Nombo ; 2. Ngumawazi ; 3. Nkomo ; 4. Umlangeni ; 5. Mavuso ; 6. Ulangu ; 7. Lutonga ; 8. U-Chabalnla ; 9. U-Mechengo ; 10. Magela ; 11." Leloambo ; 12. Maqaqa ; 13. Qinilani. The second in the list NgmnßAvazi—gives his name to the nation AmasAvazi ; the singular form of the word being UmnsAvazi—a man of SAvazi Land. There is a peculiar resemblance betAveen the history of the rise of this nation and that of the Israelites in Egypt : Jacob goes down Avitlrsixty-aix souls, and, after a lapse of four centuries, the Israelites return to Palestine to the number of two or three millions. Three centuries, or three centuries and a half ago, there Avas Nombo alone ; and at the present time there is . a vast number tracing their descent from his son,- NgumsAvazi. There are several thousands of Amaswazi in Natal, not to speak of those elsewhere; and natural increase must have been greatly kept under, both by the fearful mortality among their infants, and also by -the incessant fighting that prevailed there, as in our own Highlands of Scotland in former days. For about three weeks past both bride and bridegroom’s people seemed to be celebrating the approaching event. Although Sliimayan’s kraal Avas merely 100 yards off, and the bride’s home was one and a-balf miles distant as the croAV flies, still Ave could hear, every afternoon early, the grunting and shouting and dancing. HoAvever, the affair reached a climax on Tuesday last, when about 150 men, women, and children assembled at Shamayan's kraal, and kept on dancing away like bricks all night through. They told us that next day (Wednesday) the bride would come ; so next morning, about seven, a lot of young women were about our waggon—she being there too, but as incog. About breakfast-time a goat was led from the kraal doAra past us into the flat heloAV, Avas killed, brought back to the kraal to he roasted, and then taken down again to be eaten by the bride and her “ intomhizans”— i.e., the young women who Avero along Avith her. The bride Avas then not in her “kaya” (hut), which Avas more than a mile off from Avhere she was. The lot were down by the side of the “ spruit” (or “burn”), doing I don't Icuoav Avhat, and Avithin half a mile of the bridegroom. We were all in the expectation, after breakfasting on the goat, she would speedily put in an appearance, and the marriage he consummated, without further delay. But her ladyship thought differently. Shiraayan had paid ten cows for her to her father, and he had been .so liberal as to kill a goat; but she demanded a cow to be killed also, and sent down to the spruit side for her and her intomhizans to oat._ Shimayan flatly declined to do any such thing. Ho Avouldnt give in—neither would she ; so off she marched to Her oAvn hut again, and the people Avero disappointed. But these Caffres have nothing to hurry them ; it makes no difference to them Avhatever whether in an affair of their oavu, they .wait a day or a month ! They hung about, and then by sundown made off for home. -

Next day (Thursday)' they again assembled in force— much more numerous than before, and very like a beehive on a casting day. Evidently, they fully expected her to come that day for certain; But'we got fresh news. Yesterday her demand was merely one cow. To-day her demand is—if he love her, he will show it by killing one cow, and giving her father one (Shimayan had given him ten cows for her already !). .Shimayan and his brother ■went over to remonstrafe, but Qinilani ordered him off, and threatened to break his head ! Rather hard laws ! - However, the matter was settled somehow, and the bride came once more to the brook, A cow was killed and consumed; one leg of it was sent to Qinilani’s kraal, and some beet came here in exchange for sugar ; and about three in the afternoon the excitement got up. The whole performance occurred in the flat in front and right below us, so that we saw it all at our ease. “ She is coming,” begins to be called 6ut. Down below, we see an irregular line of say twelve, all well accoutred with shields of buffalo hide and their dancing sticks, but no assegai (spears.) Their heads are decorated with bunches of waving feathers, stuck somehow in their hair, and standing right up like the plume of the Sioux. Some had a nob of feathers between the eyes and on the brow. On they came in Indian file, and singing gaily, with the monotonous hum of the Zulu melodies. Others are scattered about : here a bunch of abxvfazi (wives), there a bunch of iutoinbizans and of odd men. There, beyond, is old Qinilani, in all ithe glory of a magnificent costume and a supreme importance. Not far off is the bride, his daughter. But where is Shimayan ? Go to his kraal, and you will find him looking as cool as a cucumber, and as if this little affair was something entirely disconnected with him altogether ! . Qinilani came straight up to us, shook hands, and talked with, us. Truly, ■ he is a noble-looking savage ! His whole body was well greased and shining brightly in the sun. He looked as jolly, and fat, and sleek, and pleased as any person well could be. So we turned him round to inspect him thoroughly. I have partly forgotten his appearance already, although I told him I would like to have a photograph of him. This, however, will give a general idea of him. He had a bunch of magenta and black feathers depending ( gracefully from the crown of his head, and some twisted brass wire, as earrings, adorned his ears. ° He had a nice, large, respectable “mutya” (kilt) both before and behind; round his waist a piece of red calico wound, and the ends hanging down like a sash; below his knees, and round his elbows, stripes of the white fleece of the Angora goat; round his wrists brass and iron bracelets; something round his neck; and goats’ tails hanging about him, I don’t remember where. In point of fact, so complete was the get-up, that he really looked well-clothed ! In his hand he flourished the festive dancing-stick—a crooked ornamental affair. And so Qiuilaui’s “ get-up ” was “got-up.” The fair and blushing bride (if a Zxdu can ■ be said to be “ blushing ”) was alongside of him; but a Parisian modiste would not require to spend inaxxy'words describing her attire. All that was then to be seen-upon lier was a dirty cotton blanket. They all passed our house about a hundred yards, and assembled there ; the bridegroom’s party meanwhile sitting scattered, and' looking on quite unconcernedly. Then Qinilani’s party, in a body, after a brief halt, walked up, singing away (humming would be a more correct term), nearer the huts till they approached nigh the others, and .then they began to dance. The arrangement of the members of Qinilani’s party at this juncture was rather peculiar. The men, ranged side by side, formed the segment of a circle, in the shape of a slightly curved line—Qinilani in the centre. The young men and women made another line a few feet behind ; and behind these again were the remaining women, also in a. row. This last row hummed loudly, and clapped their hands in time ; and the dancers- danced, singing all the while. It is not easy catching the meaning of what they say as they are singing, but it is generally the repetition of some short sentence, as—“ Our kraal is above yours —we look down down upon you,” our kraal,” &c. Once they were busy singing, “ Shimayan is a fool, and she is a fool, and they are both fools together.” They seem to have arranged beforehand what to say, as they all sing the same thing. But their dancing ! It is no more like dancing in Scotland than like sleeping! I can best describe it thus. Imagine the three lines as before; the front row all men, and the whole company one time and one low, humming, monotonous tune, which, however, can be heard two or three miles away when there is a good company of them together. A Home dancer dances with his partner; and all the dancers have their respective duties to perform to the whole company, which, if executed incorrectly, soon create confusion. But it is not so with natives —they all do precisely the same thing. In fact, it is more like soldiers being drilled than our Home dancing. Seeing that all the dancers do the same thing, then, to 'describe one is to describe all. Take one, then. Watch his legs—the sine quit non of Home-dancing—and what-do you see but them being lifted up alternately a foot or so into the air, and then brought down with a thud that really 'shakes the ground. Sometimes it is only one foot that thuds, sometimes both come, the one after the other, arid sometimes both come suddenly and very firmly,-the one after the other. They don’t jump with both feet. Next take the eyes. They sometimes stare right before them, and sometimes they glare into the air, as if trying to, frighten some one at whom they were staring. What amuses one is, that if a person is dancing, and you pass before them, they don’t seem tq see you at all. Then, the ax-ms and hands. In the right hand they have a dancingstick, and in the other they have either a shield of buffalo hide or nothing. When they ■have the shield, they will, now and then, advance hastily half-a-dozen steps or -so, kicking the shield either with their toes oxknees (they'.do it so quickly you can’t tell which), and stx-iking it with their stick, and then retire as hastily, doing the same thing. When without the shield, they dance, they gesticulate greatly with the whole body. The stick must be held gx-acefully, according to Kaffir xxotions of gracefxxluess : one of the xvords of contempt is, “ He holds his dancing stick as if ho wex-e. milicing a c6w into his mouth !” All this dancing is performed with' so imxch energy that the sweat pours before long down their naked bi-easts. They will go on repeating the same sentences, and gesticulating away so in'dxxstriously, for a half or a whole hour at a time. They seem to have a vanity ip their dances. Qinilani is a considerably fat fellow, and it was most amusing to see him dancing bn as hard . as the beat of them, then sxxddenly stopping and looking about him, and then, after a pause, joining in with them as lustily as ever. I suppose the superior excellence of a Kaffir dancer to consist in gracefulness of carriage, and energy of gesticulation and “ thudding.” Well, after dancing, with most surprising vigor llnd assiduity, in this way for an hour and a-half or so, Qinilani demanded of the other party, “Whether they were going to dance, or if they were intending to leave all the dancing tbthem ?’’ They replied that by-and-bye they woxxld dance. The Marriage. —At one part, not marked by anything particular that I remember of, Qinilani narrated the whole story of the courtship—giving of cows, (10), &c., &c. Whcxx he had finished his tale, which was like all Kaffir stories —by no means short, but the revex-se—-another native stepped forward. This native was the one deputed to receive payment of the customary: £5 which has to be paid to Govex-n----ment on the occasion of each max-riage. He inquix-ed of Shimayan, who now foimed one of the company, whether ho still adhered to his wish to have this daughter of Qinilani, and whether ho loved her ? Shimayaxi answered in tho affirmative. . He next proceeded, very archly, to inquire “ If he loved her a great deal ?” but this being beyond tho custom usual the question was . greeted with shouts of laughter upon all sides, and so Shimayan fortunately escaped having .to reply.... The bride’s tocher was all there—viz., a cotton blanket, a mat to be used as a bed, and her wooden pillow, with a few other things. Her marx-iago trousseau was now to bo inspected, the dirty cotton blanket that had hitherto enveloped her dusky form having now

been discarded; and we observed that she was dressed with a shining black petticoat of skin, covering the loins, and extending down to the knees. On her head she wore the symbol of max-riage—a veil of small beads hanging down in strings over hex* face." . Rouxxd her neck, and on her shoulders she had the fat from the belly of the cow that had been killed for her that day by the bx*idegx*oom, and on her head the bladder of the goat that had been eaten the day befox-e. In Zulu language, she would be said “to carry the cow on her neck, and the goat on her head, that her intended husband had killed fox* hex-.” Roxxnd her shoulders axxd waist she had strings of beads, and round hexwrists and ankles the ox-dinax-y brass rings, like cui-tain x-iugs. . Tho bride’s nxode of dancing was peculiar, in respect that, like the other women, it was mostly perfox-xxxed ixx a stooping position. About half-a-dozen old hags, withered and wrinkled, wex-e posted at the -end of the dancing array, anti every now and then two of them would jog past, hobblixxg in the most ungraceful and x-idiculous manner conceivable, carrying a stick, and shrieking in the shrillest pitch of their voices, “Hi-a, hi-a, hi-a, hi-a.” They seemed to be the. merry-andrews of the party. At one time during the px-ogress of the ceremonies, a string of boys, tapering gradually down to a boy of five or six years of age, came oxxt dancing and winding about. These were all sons of the bride’s father, old Qinilani. After them came a file of his daughters, in similar order; but their style of dancing I cannot desex-ibe, beyond saying that they clapt their hands in time, and stept in time; thumping with the feet, but not lifting the feet high; twisting the body, now in this way, and now in that, but never straightening.