The Religious System of the Amazulu
Encyclopedia
The Religious System of the Amazulu is a book by the English
missionary
Henry Callaway
and was published in 1870. It is one of several books he wrote about the Zulu people and their beliefs.
The book is written in a question-answer format, in which Callaway questions various Zulu about topics which interested him. Generally, only the answers are given. The original publication of the book contained both the original Zulu
conversations, with the English translation
s printed alongside.
Nadine Gordimer
cites extracts of the book at the beginning of the chapters of her novel The Conservationist
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
Henry Callaway
Henry Callaway
Henry Callaway was a missionary for the Church of England and a bishop of St. John's, Kaffraria, in the Church of the Province of Southern Africa .- Pre-missionary life :Henry Callaway was the son of a bootmaker...
and was published in 1870. It is one of several books he wrote about the Zulu people and their beliefs.
The book is written in a question-answer format, in which Callaway questions various Zulu about topics which interested him. Generally, only the answers are given. The original publication of the book contained both the original Zulu
Zulu language
Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...
conversations, with the English translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
s printed alongside.
Nadine Gordimer
Nadine Gordimer
Nadine Gordimer is a South African writer and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature when she was recognised as a woman "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity".Her writing has long dealt...
cites extracts of the book at the beginning of the chapters of her novel The Conservationist
The Conservationist
The Conservationist is a 1974 novel by 1991 Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer. The book was a joint winner of the Man Booker Prize for fiction.-Plot summary:...
.
Contents
The book is divided into four parts:- Unkulunkulu, which concerns the creator UnkulunkuluUnkulunkuluUnkulunkulu is the creator god in the language of the Zulu people. Unkulunkulu is believed to be father of Jesus and the term "Nkulunkulu" simply means "God". Other names include uMdali "Creator", uMvelinqandi "Before everything" also is uMvelinqangi in isiXhosa language...
and the Zulu story of creation; - Amatonga, which concerns the Zulu traditions of ancestor worship;
- Izinyanga Zokubula, which concerns the traditions of divinersDivinationDivination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
among the Zulu; - and Abatakato, which concerns the Zulu customs of medicalMedicineMedicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
magicMagic (paranormal)Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
and witchcraftWitchcraftWitchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
.
External links
- The Religious System of the Amazulu (entire text)