While in South Africa, I had the awesome experience of trying on traditional Zulu clothing.
If you haven’t seen these outfits before, be prepared to be blown away by the amount of intricacy and work put into each garment! Below you’ll find out just how long it takes to make an outfit like this and who they’re worn by.
Aside from that, the Zulu tribe has some super interesting traditions that really surprised me. Keep reading to find out about a few of them. 🤗
And if you’re interested in doing the same thing and learning about the Zulu tribe firsthand, you can visit the same cultural center I did – aha Lesedi! I’d definitely recommend it and will tell you more about the center at the end of this post.
First off, you may be wondering what the Zulu tribe is…
The Zulu tribe from South Africa – specifically the province of KwaZulu-Natal – is the largest ethnic group in the country. The word Zulu literally means “sky,” and the people of the tribe are often called “the children of the heavens.”
Originally, Zulu people believed in ancestral spirits. Since the spirits were closer to god, they believed that they could convey messages to god for them. So, they would offer animal sacrifices to their ancestral spirits for good health, protection and happiness.
Nowadays, most Zulu people live modern lives and have mostly been converted to Christianity by missionaries. However, there are still some Zulu traditions they continue to practice.
Singing and dancing is a big part of Zulu culture, especially for social occasions.
Another common practice that continues to this day is polygamy. This began for practical reasons in that there were more women than men in the community, due to men dying unnatural deaths in war or elsewhere. Secondly, it raised the odds of having more children.
There’s one more tradition I found out about that I’m surprised is sometimes still practiced to this day: a dowry. What makes this tradition so surprising to me is that the dowry isn’t money…it’s cows!
11 cows, to be exact.
This isn’t practiced by all Zulu people today, but it is by some. In other cases, the dowry might consist of money or other gifts, or there might not be a dowry at all.
Makes me wonder how many cows I’m worth. 😆
Comment below and let me know what you think of this tradition! But for now, let’s move onto the clothes I’ve been talking about.
Here’s what you should know about Zulu clothing…
Above is an example of the type of outfit that is worn by unmarried Zulu women. And in the image below, you’ll see one of the women who makes these! She is one of the super kind employees at the cultural center I stayed at, aha Lesedi.
Not only did she let me try on some Zulu clothing, but she even helped me in and out of it! She also made the outfit that she’s wearing.
The outfit for unmarried Zulu women consists of: a short skirt (to indicate that she’s available) decorated with beads, a beaded headband and necklace, and typically no top at all or a beaded bra top as shown above.
Any guesses as to how long it takes to make one of these outfits?
4 DAYS!!
My swimsuits and other designs take me a few hours to make or 1-2 days at the most. So I can’t imagine spending four entire days slaving away at one outfit! But, as you can see, it’s definitely worth it considering how beautifully they turn out.
Comment below and let me know if you’d like to know how to make a Zulu outfit like this one! I’m considering going back to learn how to make one and filming the entire process to share with you. Let me know if you’d like to see that!
Zulu clothing for married women differs quite a bit. First of all, married women cover their bodies much more. Another aspect that’s different is that married women wear a red hat like the one below (image can be found on this website: http://www.africaimagelibrary.com/media/ce7d20e4-2f11-11e0-9560-f7f940d19093-zulu-married-woman-wearing-a-traditional-hat-kwazulu-natal-so)
This hat used to be worn as a symbol of a woman’s married status – and to show that she’s off limits – and would even be sewn into her hair so that it wouldn’t come out. Nowadays, it’s only worn for ceremonies.
Another part of the Zulu outfit for women is a belt (as seen in the bottom right of the photo below) that women would wear after giving birth. This was thought to tighten the stomach muscles again.
As for the men, as you can see above, they’d wear animals skins and feathers. Married men also wore headbands. Additionally, men wore the tufts of a cow around their upper arms and below their knees to make themselves look broader.
If you want to learn more about Zulu people, their history and their traditions, check out this website: http://southafrica.co.za/the-zulu.html
Aha Lesedi: the place to stay to learn more about South African tribes and to see Zulu clothing up close
Aha Lesedi is the cultural center I stayed at to learn about South African tribal folklore and traditions. It’s open to everyone to stay in and isn’t very expensive at all! If you’re in or near the Johannesburg area, you need to check it out.
If you don’t have enough time to stay there, they also do tours during the day. So you can make it a fun outing if you’re already in the area.
However, if you have the time to spend a night or two there, I’d highly recommend it! You get to stay in traditional Zulu huts that are actually super spacious and nice. It’ll also give you more of a chance to get to know the staff and hear their stories.
What’s interesting about the employees at aha Lesedi is that they’re all from one of the five tribes you can learn about there. They were recruited from their villages to work at this cultural village and teach others about their traditions. So unless you’re able to hunt down these villages and go yourself, this is the next best option to learn about these traditions directly from the source.
So, please, check it out if you can and let me know how it goes!
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about Zulu clothing and traditions!
Feel free to comment below if you have any questions or want to know more! I’m always updating these posts and can gladly add more if there’s something you want to know.
For more articles like this and traditional clothing try-ons, check out my multi-cultural designs page here.
Aiswarya
Hi girl saw the article, and it’s quite interesting I am planning for a stay there. I would like to try that outfit is it possible. Let me know any tips and I am youtuber and want to film this. You have very good information and your Pic looks lovely and beautiful lots of love Aiswarya
emilystuebing
AiswaryaHey Aiswarya! Thanks for the message 🙂 That’s awesome you’re planning for a stay! If you’re interested in trying on this outfit, I’d recommend staying at Aha Lesedi which isn’t too far from the Johannesburg Airport. I spent a couple nights there after going to Kruger, so if you’re in the Johannesburg area, definitely check it out! There are some shops up front where I just asked to try the outfit on and they were super nice about it. Have the best time!