1'IIK YMAZULl NATION 
2S 
a village, no milk is drunk, nor are the cattle milked on that day; the immediate relatives of the deceased relinquish 
their usual food, and subsist upon wild roots till the next new moon. 
Every Zulu pays the greatest reverence to a serpent, should he meet one, as he imagines that in it he beholds the 
spirit of one of his ancestors, who has appeared to him under that form: should the serpent be found in a hut, though 
of the most venomous species, it is either driven out with the greatest gentleness, or food is presented to it by way of 
an oblation. 
The Zulus believe in an fncosi pezitla , or great Induna* above, who influences the actions of men. They also believe 
in the transmigration of souls,— the body being annihilated by death, but the breath, or spirit, they conceive, passes into 
a snake ( issitata ), or it animates a buffalo or hippopotamus. They also have the following tradition,—that a spirit 
called “ Villenangi” or “first appearer," created another great power called “ hulukuhvana, who once visited this earth 
to “ publish the news,” and to separate the colours and sexes of the human race. During the visit ot Kulukulwana two 
messages were sent by Villenangi; the first by a chameleon, announcing that men were not to die; the second by a lizard, 
with a contrary decision. The sequel of the story is. that the lizard ran fastest, and the fatal message was delivered 
first: on the negligent and sluggish chameleon they heap all manner of odium. 
At their marriage ceremonies there is a great deal of dancing and beer-drinking; an ox is slaughtered, and the in¬ 
habitants from the surrounding kraals hasten in their dancing dresses to partake of the festivity. Then comes the ingaz'm , 
or washing with beads. The bride and bridegroom assemble with their friends around a calabash ot water, and a basket 
of beads is set before them; the beads are then put into the calabash and presented to the bride, who pours a little of 
the water on the bridegroom’s hand, and also on those of her friends around, who extend them for the purpose : when 
all the water is gone, a similar ceremony having been performed by the bridegroom, the bride throws the beads at the feet 
of her lord, and the party scramble for them. Then comes the payment in cattle, which averages from four to ten cows; 
the daughters of some of the great indnnas will at times realise as many as fifty or one hundred head of cattle. Polygamy 
is constant amongst all the Kafir tribes, and the number of a man’s wives generally depends upon the means he has of 
obtaining them. The monarch boasts of his three hundred wives, besides concubines and dancing-girls; whilst the poor 
herdsman toils long before Vie is able to purchase his partner for life. There is a custom among the frontier Kafirs of 
presenting a broom, a grinding-stone, and a wooden bowl to the bride-elect; and to the bridegroom some assagais mid an 
axe, each significant of their calling: they are exhorted by the old people, when the presentation takes place, to habits of 
industry and good order. 
* Induna is the term for “a chief:" incosi means “ king' 
