For a long time the Zulu were a rather insignificant tribe among the Nguni peoples who had migrated into southern Africa. Their rise can be attributed to a rather cunning and ruthless individual named Shaka, who is an icon in South African history. Shaka grew up as a rather isolated child who was ostracized by virtually all of his peers. While learning the means of contemporary warfare he observed that long shafted spears were of limited value since they were cumbersome at short range and not easily re-used. He devised something called an assegai which is a short spear that can be used in close encounters. The application of this new weapon in hand-to-hand combat would, of course, require a high degree of bravery - something that Shaka had developed though years of having to defend himself. Below is an artist's rendition of Shaka taken at a waterfront warehouse in Durban.
By the early nineteenth century the Zulus began to overwhelm their adversaries. Shaka took few prisoners - defeated opponents were either absorbed into his battalions or killed. It time he assembled a standing army of forty thousand fighters into a military state akin to the Greek city of Sparta. Those who displeased him were either thrown into a crocodile pit or off a cliff north of Durban that is still called Shaka's Rock. After his mother (Nandi) died Shaka executed hundreds of women and children who in any trivial way offended the memory of his mother. In time Shaka was murdered by his half-brother, Dingane, who more or less continued his policies. The Zulus were eventually defeated by the Boers and British but not before they had scored some convincing victories.When we arrived at the entrance to a cultural village we were greeted by a fearsome warrior. His ability to remain in role was very impressive - no smiles (even though it may appear so in the photo), just lots of clicks of the tongue, forceful gestures, intimidation tactics, and impatience with our seemingly slow mastery of the basic Zulu words and greetings that he expected us to learn. Zulu rondavels are very sturdy and built in the shape of beehives. The entrance doors were intentionally kept low to force any visitor to bow while entering.
Unlike the exposed kraals of the Xhosans, the Zulus had more highly organized villages that were surrounded by fences. 
Our tour of a traditional Zulu village included a number of interesting exhibitions of skill and ingenuity. The most impressive was the performance of a wedding ceremony that lasted just under half an hour! 
The Zulus' fascination with coloured beads dates to their earliest contact with European explorers. Their clothing and crafts use these to great effect. 
Hluhluwe (shla-shloo-wee)-Umfolzi National Park is one of South Africa's best game reserves. It was once kept as Shaka's exclusive hunting ground. The wildlife we saw during our day safari was a real thrill. Most numerous were the antelopes, of which South Africa has a wide variety. Each has different markings and a unique diet so that they're not all trying to eat the same plants! This is a female nyala, easily identified by its red coat and vertical white stripes. 
The kudu, though also vertically striped, is darker and larger. The male has a very impressive set of horns. 
The park is most famous for its population of white rhino, which have thankfully been rescued from the brink of extinction. The park also has black rhino which are not only more irritable and dangerous but less easily spotted since they're not at all sociable except during mating season. The white rhino, though more docile, is actually much larger, a massive animal! This fellow made quite an effort to uproot a fence (using it as a scratching post) that had been built to protect a plant research site. 
Although the African buffalo made appear fairly harmless, it is one of South Africa's "Big Five" animals that are categorized not on the basis of size but degree of danger. The bulls are especially aggressive when they get older and are forced away from the heard by the younger males. 
There were many elephant, giraffe and zebra in the park. Often you don't have to look very far - the animals appear on the road and are fully accustomed to seeing vehicles and don't perceive them as a threat, as long as nobody gets out! 
I've often thought how exciting it would be to run into a wild boar so warthogs were fun to observe and very prevalent. The males have much bigger warts and horns than the females. They use a variety of techniques for digging up roots, grubs and whatever else they might fancy to eat. Sometimes they collapse their front legs and drill through the soil like a plough! 
We haven't really said much about South African birds, but believe me, there are plenty and they are really quite amazing. We'll post some photos in a later blog. I have to mention though that there's apparently no greater love in the world than that of the yellow weaver. At the outset of the mating season, the male builds a nest for the female. She's rather fussy: too small, too big, too round, not round enough, etc. By the end of the process this must be one tired bird!
While in the area we visited Cape Vidal which is part of the St. Lucia Wetlands, a World Heritage Site. It has fabulous beaches (though now damaged and littered by the recent storms) and one of the most highly regarded sport fisheries in South Africa. The recent high seas and flooding have provided a real bonanza for those who like to fish! 
Finally, we spent a very entertaining afternoon in the area on a river boat cruise along the St. Lucia estuary. The mangrove swamps are beautiful and play a vital role in marine ecology. There were some very large crocodiles! Didn't see any crocodile tears but I think that this is as close as it gets to a crocodile smile. It happened as Nancy was relating to another tourist the story about Stephen Harper shaking hands with his children in the school yard!
Nancy was in her glory with all of the hippopotamus sightings. We had an extraordinary and lengthy visit with a colony of these amazing beasts which actually kill more people than any other animal in Africa! They're not too aggressive in the water. 
The animal has an entirely different demeanour on land - so don't mess with a hippo! How's this for a teacher look? Our guide provided us with many interesting facts. The quality of a hippo tusk is considered to be the best in the world. That of a walrus is second, the elephant third, the sperm whale fourth. The rhino doesn't have an ivory tusk- its horn is made out of matted hair. I'm sure that Nancy will shared lots of interesting hippo news with everyone when we get home. 
Instead of dreaming about life in Canada tonight our minds may be full of Zulu visions and things that go bump in the water. May your nights be more restful! Thanks for reading!
