Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-05
ZULU MARRIAGE RITE S
Ceremony an Interesting Affair and Lasts
Three Days.
Girls do the Courtins-They Are Co
quettish and Make the Proposals.
Wives Are Battered OFF.
Cape Town Corr. of the Chicago Chronicle.

Cape Town Corr. of the Chicago Chronicle.
wedding in Zululand is great an
event as in Gotham; greater, indeed. for
the ceremonies last three days: Kings
wedding takes months time 1t means
fnery and feasting. and though one may
not associate the sentiment readily with
benighted country where wool grows on
mems heads and hair on Sleeps backs" it
means love. At least. sometimes. Not even
barbarism and polygamy can prevent the
growth of the strongest of human pas
SONS.
They are quite fin de sicle, too, in Zulu
land, for the girls, If they feel like it, pro-
pose. The men are of robuster make than
Americans, or else they have grown hard
ened through years of question popping, for
If dusky maid doesn't suit young chief
he has the grit to refuse. That is not al
ways the end of a Zulu girls wooing,
though as the story of dark maid and
coquettish chief will show. He had been
displaying his agility in the dance. She did
not know him, but she went TO his kraa
and pleaded for his affection. He pro-
tested that he hadn't any to give her, but
she wouldn't go away. He sent for her
brother, who took her by the shoulders
and marched her home She came back,
but the obdurate object Of her courtsnip
pounded her with stick. Zulu gossips do
not tell how she bore this affront or carried
her point after it. But carry 1t she did.
and the two were married.
Cows play an important part in Zulu
weddings The husband in proportion to
his wealth. pays his father-in-iaw, not for
his wife, but the right to retain in his own
family the children he may have. Other
wise the children would belong to the fam
lily of his wife's father.
A Zulu girl is often a coquette and
avoids the opportunities of her father.
who, hankering for the cattle she will
bring chides her for not marrying. When
the girl thinks her father is about to sug-
gest a husband for her she usually runs
away to the kraal of her lover and II he
has cattle enough and Is of good family
preparations for the wedding are made.
Both parties must learn new songs and
dances for the coming event. The bride
gets her stock of meats, spoons. nshes,
etc, ready for housekeeping. Her fathers
gift Is blanket and always an OK, when
ancestral spirits. Its loss by death would
be thought a token of the desertion of the
protecting spirits of her fathers house.
On her wedding day the bride, with a gay
following, proceeds toward the BRIDE
eroom's kraal, which she will not enter
until nigat. the whole company singing
and dancing they go. The bridegroom
party looks on at first and then joins N
the revelries.
on the second day the groom contributes
to the festivities by slauehtering COW.
The bride wanders about the kraal at night
and is supposed to nc crying Tor her Ia
theirs home She tries to run away, but
the girls prevent her. On the third and
last day of the ceremonies the bride ap-
pears bearing a spear in one hand and
dish of water in the other. Coming up,
singing and dancing, she throws the~ wa
ter over her husband, sprinkling her broth
err and sister-in-law at the same time, as a
symbol that from that time her sway is to
prevail in her husbands household. Then
she breaks the spear and makes a last pre-
tended attempt to escape. II she is not
stopped at the gate of the kraal by young
man appointed for the purpose, 1T is con-
sidered a disgrace and the bridegroom
must pay a COW to get her back.
The marriage rites are now ended, al
though at the close of nearly every we'd
ding the father of the bride takes shield
and descants upon his daughters charms
and on all he had done for her, saying that
the number of cows he has received Is too
small, but that he hopes she will be well
treated. etc He emphasizes HIS words by
jumping up ard violently kicking his
shield Then the father of the bridegroom
appears with shield and lauds the virtues
of his and complains that he has paid
too many CATTLE that the girl Is homely,
etc, lending even more spirit to his ges-
lures than the brides father has done.
This ceremony is added, it is said, In order
that the bride may not be too much
elated.
"a mans wives make his home great"
Is a common saying among the Zulus, and
they limit the number only as the number
of their cows Is limited.
IF have but one wife, who will cook
for me when she is iIf?' argues the Zulu.
Nor may the poor wife complain. Should
she be sick. aud unable to attend to her
work. she is liable to hear from her hus-
band the question, why do you not work
and get back the cattle l have paid for
your If she IS not fully paid for, her chill
dren can be taken'as a mortgage. The
wives must work in the fields and have
hard life of IL.
The practice of polygamy, though intend
ed to increase. really dininishes the tribes
IgT " n haN- r1Ia
of cattle to barter for women, marry all
the pretty young girls. An ugly but rich
old fellow, 50 nearly blind that he had to
be led, had two OF the handsomest wives in
the village. One of them, nearly half a
century younger than her husband was
asked If she liked him. No" she replied,
II hate him; he is SO disagreeabie." The
young men who happen to have but few
cattle must content themselves with the
palmer women.