South Africa
The term “Zulu” comes from the name of a small human group originating from Natal who, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, federated several other southern African groups under the authority of a chief Chaka, nicknamed “the African Napoleon” by Westerners. Chaka organized the Zulu into a paramilitary state composed of “regiments”, its ranks filled with boys who received three years training. Each clan had its chief pledged to the king/priest, whose power was counterbalanced by the guild of magicians. The Zulu were defeated in 1884 by the English and the Boers, in a battle that remains celebrated. The art of the Zulu is employed in from tanning, metalwork and earthenware, to the making of arms, jewelry and other domestic objects. They also fabricate fecundity dolls. The large statuary is rare.
