South Africa, Zulu Stick Fighting,1872

South Africa, Zulu Stick Fighting,1872

In Zulu culture boys are given a pet name when they are born, another name from his father when he is seven, another nickname from his herd-boy friends and finally another name should he enter one of the amabutho (regiments). The boys are expected to look after the family's herds, leaving home each morning, returning for the daily milking and breakfast before taking the herd out again for the afternoon. One of their pastimes is stick fighting as preparation for entering military service. The fighting is done either with a shield in one hand and a stick in the other or with a stick in each hand. Such sticks are of hardwood and and can land a painful blow. At the age of fifteen, young boys will receive their very own spear from their fathers before the next step, which is carrying their elder brothers' accoutrements to military camps. Image taken from page 163: Die Eingeborenen Su¨d-Afrika's ethnographisch und anatomisch beschrieben by Gustav Fritsch, 1872.

ZULU (19th century)

Album / Science Source / British Library

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3015 x 4650 px | 40.1 MB

25.5 x 39.4 cm | 10.1 x 15.5 in (300 dpi)