CULTURE
KW AZUL U-NA T AL
VALLEY OF A THOUSAND HILLS
Being able to experience authentic Zulu village culture is a one-in-a-lifetime experience
“W Thoko Jili 48
e’re receiving blessings from the ancestors right now,” Thoko Jili whispers to me as we walk barefoot into the sacred shembe
circle. It’s little more than a large ring of rocks in an open glade — one of countless such temples found in villages throughout the Zulu heartland, KwaZulu-Natal. But between the golden morning light and the music of songbirds in a gnarled acacia tree, the space feels mystical, hallowed. Dressed in her Zulu finery, Thoko looks
like a priestess. The bright colours of her sashes and beaded hoop-necklace pop against the rolling green hills and the rustic buildings around us. She is, in fact, a guide. “This is a tour I’m very proud to offer. I’m excited to share my culture, my roots,” she tells me as we walk through Maphepheth- eni. The village tumbles down the pictur- esque slopes of a river valley in clusters
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of circular rondavel huts and rustic cor- rals of cows and goats. The skyline hints at undulating peaks stretching for miles. “Welcome to the Valley of a Thousand Hills,” she announces grandly. We amble down to the river’s edge
where Thoko demonstrates the hercu- lean strength of local women by filling a large bucket and parading around with it balanced on her head, without spilling a drop. “Rivers are central to Zulu life. This is where marriage proposals would tradition- ally happen. The men can’t propose when elders are around, so this is where they’d approach a girl to talk, while she’s wash- ing clothes or fetching water,” she tells me. “But it’s an expensive business, marriage. A man must pay a lobola (dowry) of 11 cows to the bride’s family.” My introduction to Zulu traditions con- tinues in the home of a spiritual healer. “To be a sangoma is a very deep calling; they
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