In Zulu mythology

Zulu mythology

Zulu mythology contains numerous deities, commonly associated with animals or general classes of natural phenomena.Unkulunkulu is the highest God and is the creator of humanity. Unkulunkulu was created in Uhlanga , a huge swamp of reeds, before he came to Earth...

, Uhlanga is the marsh

Marsh

In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....

 from which humanity

Human Race

Human Race refers to the Human species.Human race may also refer to:*The Human Race, 79th episode of YuYu Hakusho* Human Race Theatre Company of Dayton Ohio* Human Race Machine, a computer graphics device...

 was born.

Hahn suggests that the amaZulu people borrowed this creation myth from the Khoikhoi

Khoikhoi

The Khoikhoi or Khoi, in standardised Khoekhoe/Nama orthography spelled Khoekhoe, are a historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group, the native people of southwestern Africa, closely related to the Bushmen . They had lived in southern Africa since the 5th century AD...

 from whom they appropriated their lands, but that they misunderstood the word hhhhh'uhlanga which in isiZulu means marsh reed, but which means "offshoot" in some Khoikhoi languages.

However, myths about people emerging from a marsh, a cave, or a hole in the ground are widespread in Bantu language speaking societies.

Unkulunkulu

Unkulunkulu

Unkulunkulu 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...

 is humanity's progenitor and was the offshoot of Umvelinqangi

Umvelinqangi

Umvelinqangi is the Sky God from the Zulu mythology. He has a voice like thunder and is known to send down lightning bolts. He descended from heaven to marry Uthlanga, and is said to have created the primeval reeds from which Unkulunkulu emerged. Separate but related histories attribute male and...

.