Zulu

Zulu, South African Bantu people who settled what is now Natal Province early in the 17th century. Under King Shaka (or Chaka), the Zulus conquered neighboring tribes and expanded their domain (1818–20). Shaka was friendly to Europeans, but his half-brother and successor, Dingaan, fought with Boer settlers (1838) in a cattle dispute. The British invaded Zulu territory (1879) and, after losing a battle at Isandhlwana, defeated the Zulus at Ulundi. There was political unrest until 1910 when the Union of South Africa absorbed the Zulu province. Traditionally cattle and grain farmers, the Zulus live in a patriarchal clan society and the clan chief is the genealogically senior male. They practice polygyny. Zulu religion was based on ancestor worship and the belief in a divine creator, though now many Zulus have adopted Christianity.