Ngoni Warriors

Sis Zulu's husband invited us to watched some members of his Ngoni warrior tribe perform their traditional dances and songs  in a near by shop parking lot. Before it got started, Alan got his picture taken with three warriors and Mr. Zulu.

The shop keeper offered to get us chairs; we chose to sit on the steps. We found the people were kind and willing to explain their history. This is quite a contrast to the feared fierce warriors of their past. The dancers all bowed their head in silent prayer before they began the dance to tell their history. Most of the men wore heavy boots with many bells attached.  They danced to the rhythm the bells made as they stomped their feet and danced.   The younger children who were learning the dance did not wear the bell boots. 



In the early 1800's they were driven out of South Africa by the Zulu warriors after years of  fighting. As they traveled north, they plundered villages along the way. While crossing the Zambezi River, crocodiles got some of them. A solar eclipse also occurred which they took as a sign that the Gods were unhappy with them for their plundering. They settle in Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe. 



 The British conquered them. They use knock berries (a stick with a ball on the end) and a short sword as weapons in close hand-to-hand combat as it shows more courage than throwing a spear. 

  
   

The warriors show their bravery by wearing strips of hides from leopards, lions, cheetahs, hyenas and other wild animals they have killed

                                          It was a very interesting cultural experience.