Cultural History: Swazi http://www.africanexplore.com

Cultural History: Swazi
http://www.africanexplore.com

South Africa's greatest treasure is the cultural diversity of its people. The contrasting influences of the African, European and Asian heritages create a mosaic of influences throughout the arts, crafts, dance, music, food and sports of South Africa. There are many indigenous people who have lived in South Africa for thousands of years. Three quarters of South Africa's 49 million people are Blacks whose ancestors. Many of them farmers and herders began arriving from Central Africa some 1,500 years ago.

For More Info on this Topic go to :http://www.africanexplore.com/pdfpages/pages/culture.html


Swazi:
Almost the whole of the country can be seen from the summit of its highest mountain, the 1 863 metre high Emlembe, (“the place of the spider”). Emlembe lies on Swaziland’s western border and is one of the peaks of the granite range known as the uKhahlamba, (“the barrier”). To the west of this range lies the basin of the South African central plateau with its numerous rivers snaking their way to the distant sea. These rivers make the tiny country of Swaziland one of the best-watered areas in Africa. According to tradition, the Swazi people were part of a mass of migrating people, the Nguni, who moved down the coastal belt of Mozambique from the north.

Political disturbances caused the mass to disintegrate and a small section of people led by their chief Ngwane wandered off on their own and stumbled into the area now known as the Kingdom of Swaziland. They named the country KaNgwane after their chief and called themselves the bantu baka Ngwane, the people of Ngwane. Most of the people settled in the southern areas of Swaziland. The settlers flourished in this beautiful land of rivers and rich alluvial soil surrounded by hills and mountains that were free of the pestilence of the tsetse fly that had caused so much illness and death in their former homeland.

When their chief died, they gave him a ceremonial burial in a forest known as emBilaneni (the hallowed place). His descendants thrived and as they increased in numbers, started spreading further north until they penetrated the fertile valley of the river they called uSuthu (dark brown). The small community of Tswana people were living on the banks of the river at the time, and was promptly dubbed the baSuthu (people of the dark brown river). This term later came to denote all related tribal groups scattered over the interior of South Africa who are collectively known today as the Sotho people.

The new settlers led by Ngwane’s grandson, Sobhuza, drove the original inhabitants away and made this area their new home. This was the time of the great leaders - Shaka in Zululand, Moshweshwe in Basotholand and Sobhuza in Swaziland. However, this was also the time of the devastating Mfecane/Difaqane Wars that would cause such turmoil and strife in southern Africa. Being a shrewd and ambitious leader, Sobhuza prudently shied away from the Zulus who were spreading death and destruction over the interior of the country. He married a Zulu woman and gave two of his daughters to Shaka as wives, thus avoiding confrontation with the Zulu king. In the meantime, he quietly set about building a nation of his own.

By the time of his death, he had subjected some 75 different clans to his rule. During the reign of his son, Mswazi, the first European traders and hunters began to filter into the country. They called the people Swazi after their chief. Mswazi’s son, Mbandzeni, was acknowledged and appointed king in 1875 by the ZAR, the Boer Transvaal Republic. In return, Mbandzeni ceded large portions of his territory to White immigrants. Partly for this reason, land became in short supply and some indigenous Swazi ended up living beyond the borders of their homeland in part of what is known today as the Province of Mpumalanga. Swaziland became an independent kingdom on 6 September 1968, after having been a British Protectorate for 66 years.

For More Info on this Topic
http://www.africanexplore.com/pdfpages/pages/Swazi.html