Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-18
A REAL LIVE ZULU,
Ulafa Monsxaro Discusses the Cus-
toms of His Native Kaairland.

There Is real live Zulu in town He
doesn't wear immense rings in his ears or
a pone through his nose. or anklets of brass
or bracelets OF copper. and his hair doesn't
SUCK up ike the fright wig of a low come
Dian In minstrel show; but he was horn
In kafnrland. all the same and the blood
OF long line of South African chieftains
nows through his veins. The fact is tina,
Ulata Monszaro, who rejoices In the an
pellation of professor" and who is travel
Ing through the states delivering lectures
on his native country. is a very gooc rem
resehtauVe OF the well-educated colored
man, His complexion is almost SCOT black
and his athletic figure is we'll formed, He
Is about thirty-five years old and is the
son OF 'juju." which is the title of a
chier ruler among the Zulus. He came to
this country In 1879. He Is familiar with
the customs of his native country. of
course and he told the representative of
The Star a whole lot about them this MORN
ing.
I'm Zululand," said Ulata, "a man gets
his wife by buying her. My father had
forty. A royal wife costs twelve cattle
If a wife should die without becoming a
mother, the husband can buy one OF her
sisters on credit. and the father of the ctrl
will take the first two girl children born to
her to pay for her. Before a Zulu can take
a wife he must prepare a home for her
Some men have five, some ten some fifty
and several of them have a hundred wives
apiece. They all live together and get along
very well. When a man of the royal FAM
lily dies his body is not buried at all. The
Oldest man in the village is required to fan
his dead body all day, and at night there
is royal ceremony over II and a feast is
enjoyed. for which a number of slave chill
dren are killed. When the king himself
dies a number of his wives are usually exc
cuted. and his body is buried in the water
for three days. 1t is then taken up and
put on a throne made of goatskin and
brass, over which a hut has been built
Then ten or fifteen men or women are
placed in this structure and shut up and
compelled to starve to death. 1t is be-
lieved that in this manner the royal spirit
" i'll be fed.
Americans would not relish living in a
Zulu house" continued Clata. The huts
there are made of bark and their roofs are
composed OF long grass and manure. They
have no ehimneys or windows. and the fire
always burns in the center Of the house.
the SMOKE going out Of the door. The
clothes Of the native Zulus are made from
the hides Of different animals. Of which the
tribes possess an immense number But
civilized clothes are worn by a great many
Of the better-on people. They are bought
with money which is procured by trading
ivory to the Arabs. The Zulus Kill large
plants being secured In a peculiar way.
When a herd Of elephants is located a
number of acknowledged holes are dug in
to the ground some distance from the herd,
tne dulIildlS are tneu SLOWLY driven
toward them. They are stampeded when
they get near them, and rush into these
holes. which are covered with grass and
bushes to prevent their being seen. II
those holes were made square the elephant
could climb out but being dug diamond
fs shion the animal is helpless. because
when he lifts one foot the other slips.
Each tribe lives to itself and has its own
king. and each town or village in South
Africa is fenced around so as to keep it's
enemies out When the natives go to bed
at right a hungry cow is tied on the out
side of the village in order that IL will low
when any cne comes near. A great many
of the Zulus are good agriculturists. but
these are mostly engaged as farm laborers
by the Dutch Beers. who are such a power
in South Africa. The Zulus are very fond
of argument. and nothing pleases them bet
ter than controversies over different SUBJ
jects. They are very shrewd and quick TO
take an advantage Of weak points in the
arguments Of their opponents, and some
tines discussion will continue for hours
They seldom get angry when engaged in
this pastime. and the listeners cheer every
good point made on either side with i'm
partial fairness"