The Zulu
are the largest South African ethnic group. They are estimated to be between
ten and eleven million people that live in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in
South Africa. Their
military exploits led to the rise of a great kingdom. They were feared for a
long time in the African continent. KwaZulu-Natal is semi-fertile with a flat
coastal plain. The climate is subtropical and therefore there is lots of
sunshine and some intense rain showers.
Ancestral
spirits are important in Zulu religious life.In order
to appeal to the spirit world, a diviner called the sangoma invokes the
ancestors through a divination processes to determine the problem. Then the herbalist
called the inyanga makes a mixture that is consumed in order to appeal to the ancestors.
The diviners and herbalists play an
important part in the daily lives of the Zulu people and in particular their
culture.
As for a physical adaptation, the clothing of
choice is very much to do with the climate of South Africa where they live. Traditional male clothing is usually light and
has a two-part apron that covers the genitals and buttocks. There is a front
piece called the umutsha. The
rear piece called the ibheshu and is made
of cattle hide. The lenght symbolizes age and social position.
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As mentioned before the Zulu are the largest South African
ethnic group The Zulu are the descendents of the Nguni speaking people. They
have written history dating back to the 14th century.
The Andean Indians are considered to be “any indigenous inhabitant of the Andes range in South
America, stretching from Ecuador to Peru to Chile, and including both the coast
and the highlands”. The environment can vary based on latitude and altitude.
They typically have rainy and warm weather.
Culturally the Andean Indians had a different concept
about the meaning of slavery. During battles women that were taken kept as low
status wives their children not being slaves. They also believed in religious sacrifices,
such as the captive men that were sacrificed and used as human trophies or for
cannibalism.
The earliest pan-Andean civilization was the
Chavin. They were around 1200–300 BC At first the regions were dominated by the
Tiahuanaco when the Inca started to expand. They then made the Quechua the official
language. Now over ten million people speak the language.
These two cultures are very different from one another.
Both had beliefs and customs that are nontraditional in the western world, yet
are very relevant to the daily lives of the people within the populations. The physical
and cultural beliefs of these people come from the environment in which they
live as well as the history of the people. I think both the adapting to the
environment and the outward appearances reflect on the people of these
cultures. I think that anthropologists can use all the data in their research.
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Zulu.html
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I like the phrase you used Naeri that "adapting to the environment and the outward appearances reflect on the people of these cultures". You are right, through adaptation they identify themselves to which group they belong also environment is one of the factor to consider. Through adaptation each ethnic group preserve their culture however it can also be a subject to change depending on the circumstances and needs for them to survive.
ReplyDeleteYou included a lot of interesting information on both groups, but I'm missing specific physical adaptations for both groups. The physical adaptation you listed for the Zulu is actually a cultural practice. Physical traits are changes in the physical body of a human, such as skin color, hair color, metabolism, body shape, etc.
ReplyDeleteFor the Andeans, you talk about their attitude toward slavery, but what cultural adaptation do they have that helps them adapt to the high altitude?
What race would you identify with both populations? Can race be used reliably as "data"?
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