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The myth of the Zulu homestead: archaeology and ethnography1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2011

Extract

To those outside the anthropological disciplines, the Zulu are probably the best known chiefdom of southern Africa. Zulu military prowess acted as a sharp break on the process of colonial expansion in the nineteenth century and led to a series of battles which have been immortalized on celluloid and in the more popular historical accounts of the era. Despite this, the Zulu have prompted a comparatively sparse ethnography that is based largely on the work of nineteenth-century observers and is less comprehensive than the literature on some other southern African communities.

Résumé

Le mythe de la ferme Zoulou: archéologie et ethnographie

On présume généralement que le village Zoulou se conforme à un type standard défini par une série de cercles concentriques. On peut cependant soutenir, que ce modèle ne repose que sur une base d'observation étroite, spécifique dans le temps et dans l'espace, et que l'evidence archéologique suggère une variété considerable dans la forme d'installation de la région connue sous le nom vague de ‘Zululand’.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 1984

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