Bantu

The Bantu refer to over 400 different ethnic groups in Africa, from Cameroon to South Africa, united by a common language family, the Bantu languages, and in many cases common customs.

Bantu in South Africa

History

When Jan van Riebeeck went around the coast of South Africa in 1652, very few Bantu were found there, and the predominant indigenous population around the Cape of Good Hope was made up of Khoisan people. European settlers following Van Riebeeck, mostly from Holland, French Huguenots and German settlers, known in the past as Boers (but the most commonly accepted term today is Afrikaners), moved in over a period of 100 years, from the middle of the 1700s. Only around 1770 did the Boers discover the Bantu, although in 1700s they were the main inhabitants of Southern Africa. During the 1800s many battles were fought between these ethnic peoples and the white settlers, now including the British.

Related Topics:
Jan van Riebeeck - 1652 - Cape of Good Hope - Khoisan - Huguenot - German - Boer - Afrikaners - 1770 - Southern Africa

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By the time Great Zimbabwe had ceased being the capital of a large trading empire Bantu peoples had completed their colonization of southern Africa, with only the western and northern areas of the Cape not dominated by them. Two main groups developed, the Nguni (Xhosa, Zulu, Swazi), who occupied the eastern coastal plains, and the Sotho-Tswana who lived on the interior plateau.

Related Topics:
Great Zimbabwe - Bantu - Nguni - Xhosa - Zulu - Swazi - Sotho-Tswana

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In the late 18th and early 19th century two major events occurred. The Xhosa, the most southerly tribe, who had been gradually migrating south west made the first tentative contact with the Dutch Trekboers gradually trekking northeast from the Cape colony.

Related Topics:
Xhosa - Boer

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At the same time major events were taking place further north in modern day KwaZulu. At that time the area was populated by dozens of small clans, one of which was the Zulu, then a particularly small clan of no local distinction whatsoever.

Related Topics:
KwaZulu - Zulu

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In 1816 Shaka acceded to the Zulu throne. Within a year he had conquered the neighboring clans, and had made the Zulu into the most important ally of the large Mtetwa clan, which was in competition with the Ndwandwe clan for domination of the northern part of modern day KwaZulu-Natal.

Related Topics:
Shaka - Mtetwa - Ndwandwe - KwaZulu-Natal

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He also initiated many military, social, cultural and political reforms, creating a well organized centralized Zulu state. The most important of these were the transformation of the army, thanks to innovative tactics and weapons he conceived, and a showdown with the spiritual leadership, clipping the wings, claws and fangs of the witchdoctors, effectively ensuring the subservience of the "Zulu church" to the state.

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Another important reform was to integrate defeated clans into the Zulu, on a basis of full equality, with promotions in the army and civil service being a matter of merit rather than circumstance of birth.

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After the death of Mtetwa king Dingiswayo around 1818, at the hands of Zwide king of the Ndwandwe, Shaka assumed leadership of the entire Mtetwa alliance. The alliance under his leadership survived Zwide's first assault at the Battle of Gqokli Hill. Within two years he had defeated Zwide at the Battle of Mhlatuze River and broken up the Ndwandwe alliance, some of whom in turn began a murderous campaign against other Nguni tibes and clans, setting in motion what has come to be known as Defecane or Mfecane, a mass migration of tribes fleeing the Zulu. By 1825 he had conquered a huge empire covering a vast area from the sea in the east to the Drakensberg mountains in the west, and from the Pongola River in the north to the Bashee river in the south, not far from the modern day city of East London.

Related Topics:
Dingiswayo - Zwide - Battle of Gqokli Hill - Battle of Mhlatuze River - Mfecane - Pongola River

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An offshoot of the Zulu, the Kumalos, better known to history as the Matabele created under their king, Mzilikazi an even larger empire, including large parts of the highveld and modern day Zimbabwe.

Related Topics:
Matabele - Mzilikazi - Zimbabwe

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Shaka, who had had contacts with English explorers realized that the white man posed a threat to local populations, and had planned to begin an intensive program of education to enable the Nguni people to catch up with the Europeans. However in 1828 he was assassinated by his half brother Dingane, who succeeded him. A weak leader, Dingane was defeated by the Boers, however under his successors Mpande (another half-brother) and Mpande's son Cetshwayo the Zulu were able to rebuff Boer attempts to conquer them. He handed the British army the worst defeat it ever suffered at the hands of a non-European fighting force at the Battle of Isandlwana, at great cost to his impis, before succumbing to modern European military technology.

Related Topics:
Dingane - Mpande - Cetshwayo - Battle of Isandlwana - Impi

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Social organization

The Bantu were divided into different clans, not around national federations, but independent groups from some hundreds to thousands of individuals.

Related Topics:
Clan - National - Federation

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The smallest unit of the Bantu organisational structure formed the household, or Kraal, consisting of a man, woman or women, and their children, as well as other relatives living in the same household. The man was the head of the household and often had many wives; he had complete authority over the family. The household and close relations generally played an important role in the life of the Bantu. Households which resided in the same valley or on the same hill were also an organisational unit, managed by a sub-chief.

Related Topics:
Household - Kraal

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The chief was hereditary. With most clans the eldest son inherited the office of his father. With some clans the office was left to the oldest brother of the deceased chief, and after his death again the next oldest brother. This repeated until the last brother had deceased. Next was the eldest son of the original chieftain; then the oldest one of the brothers as the leader. The chief was surrounded with a number of trusted friends or advisors, usually relatives like uncles and brothers, rather than influential Headmen or personal friends. The degree of the democracy depended on the strength of the chieftain. The more powerful and more influential a chieftain was, the lesser the influence of his people. Although the leader had much power, he was not above the law. He could be criticized both by advisors as well as by his people, and compensation could be demanded.

Related Topics:
Hereditary - Democracy - Chieftain - Law

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Ethnic partitioning

The Bantu is divided into four main groups: Nguni, Sotho, Venda and Shangana Tsonga, with the Nguni representing the largest group. These are divided as follows:

Related Topics:
Nguni - Sotho - Venda - Shangana Tsonga

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• Nguni
• Northern Nguni
• Swazi
• Zulu
• Southern Nguni
• Mfengu
• Mpondo
• Mpondomise
• Thembu
• Xhosa
• Shangana Tsonga
• Sotho
• Basotho (also: Southern Sotho)
• Bakoena
• Bataung
• Batlokwa
• Northern Sotho
• Balobedu
• Pedi
• Tswana (also: Western Sotho)
• Venda
• Lemba

Common among the two powerful groups of the Nguni and the Sotho are patrilinear societies, with which the leaders formed the socio-political units. Similarly, food acquisition was by cultivation and hunting. The most important differences were the strongly deviating languages, although both are dialects of Bantu language, and the different settlement types and relationships. With the Nguni settlements were villages widely scattered, whereas with the Sotho settled in towns.

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Culture

The Bantu were not territorially minded like the Europeans, but rather group-related. As long as sufficient land was available, they had only very vague conceptions of borders. Borders were natural features such as rivers or mountains, which were not by any means fixed.

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Food acquisition

The food acquisition of the Bantu was primarily limited to agriculture and hunting, where generally the women were responsible for agriculture and the men drew for the hunt. Except with the Tsonga (and partially the Mpondo), fishing was surprisingly of little importance. The diet consisted of corn, meat (mostly beef), vegetables; and milk, water and grain beer (which contained very little alcohol compared with European beer).

Related Topics:
Food - Hunting - Tsonga - Mpondo - Beef - Milk - Water - Alcohol

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The Bantu had a number of taboos regarding the consumption of meat. No meat of dogs, apes, crocodiles and snakes could be eaten. Likewise taboo was the meat of some birds, like owls, crows and vultures.

Related Topics:
Taboo - Dog - Ape - Crocodile - Snake - Bird - Owl - Crow - Vulture

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All Bantu tribes commonly had clear separation between the tasks of the women and those of the men.

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House types

The Bantu lived in two different types of huts. The Nguni used the Beehive hut, a circular structure out of long poles, which was covered with grass. The huts of the Sotho, Venda and Shangana Tsonga used the Cone and Cylinder hut. A cylindrical wall was formed out of vertical posts, which was sealed with mud and cow dung. The roof was built from tied together poles. The floor of both types is compressed earth.

Related Topics:
Nguni - Beehive hut - Sotho - Venda - Shangana Tsonga

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Faith

Magic takes a major central role in Bantu belief, with good and bad influence. They often saw a manifestation of the souls of deceased ancestors in ceremonies. The Bantu believed the separation from body and spirit after death.

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