Zulu Tartan

[figheadair]

He's a interesting picture showing Chief Cetshweyo, Zulu leader at the time of Isandwana and Rouke's Drift, wearing a tartan plaid/cloak.



In A.T. Bryant’s Olden Times in Zululand and Natal (1929) he claimed that "Anangwe and the Amahlubi affected the same tartan because they were of the same stock, and close cousins...". His Zululand was the standard reference on Northern Nguni oral historical tradition until the late 1970s. Interestingly no-one else mentions the wearing of tartan by Zulus, including David Rattray whom grew up at Rorke’s Drift and was a friend, champion of and expert on the Zulu culture.

I don’t place must credence in the claim of Zulu tartans as opposed to ‘tartans worn by Zulus’ in the same way that there are images of Native Americans around the same time wearing (imported) tartans. Cheap, hard wearing and brightly coloured, they would have been prized and I think the same would have been true in Africa.

[CamelCody]

That's and interesting picture, when i visited Kenya few years ago I was struck by how similar the cloaks the Masaai wear were to a belted plaid, and indeed how similar the Masaai culture, customs and traditions are to Highland Clans in their tendancies to follow strong leaders, their ability to produce strong and effective warriors, and the imprtance they place on family and clan values. I recently bought a book entitled "White people, Indians, and Highlanders" that details the similarity between Native American tribes and highland tribes, and how these tribes recognised certain traits in each other when they first met in the mountains and hollows of the New World. And of course if the belted plaid or kilt was a usefuly peice of clothing for Highland Scots, I'm sure it would've been found useful by highland tribes the world over and bought, sold, or traded whereever Scots ended up.

[macwilkin]

That's and interesting picture, when i visited Kenya few years ago I was struck by how similar the cloaks the Masaai wear were to a belted plaid, and indeed how similar the Masaai culture, customs and traditions are to Highland Clans in their tendancies to follow strong leaders, their ability to produce strong and effective warriors, and the imprtance they place on family and clan values. I recently bought a book entitled "White people, Indians, and Highlanders" that details the similarity between Native American tribes and highland tribes, and how these tribes recognised certain traits in each other when they first met in the mountains and hollows of the New World. And of course if the belted plaid or kilt was a usefuly peice of clothing for Highland Scots, I'm sure it would've been found useful by highland tribes the world over and bought, sold, or traded whereever Scots ended up.

I also highly recommend Calloway's White People, Highlanders and Indians, as well as Hinterland warriors and military dress: European empires and exotic uniforms by Thomas Abler, which discusses items borrowed from tribal cultures and "martial races" for military uniforms.

T.

[Woodsheal]

I've read quite a bit about the Zulu culture, and their wars with Europeans in the 19th C., and don't recall any references to tartan usage. Then again, the weaving of cloth in "tartan" patterns has occurred all around the globe with various cultures. Would love to see more info regarding the Zulu in this regard. There are tons of late 19th C. photos that could be looked at more closely. uSuthu!