Hunting in Zulu

Hunt is zingela in Zulu.  People in what is known as the third world hunted game to eat and make clothes, not to create commodities that could be traded at the Sydney or New York Stock Exchange. 

British aristocracy who came to ‘civilise’ Africa and Asia killed animals for sport and displayed lion and tiger skins in their drawing rooms.  First Nations of Canada and the U.S. were also called uncivilised because they performed ceremonies before they hunted animals that gave them food, skins to keep them warm and make mobile homes, like the teepee. 

Yoruba movies indicate that it was normal in Africa to take slaves after wars.  Enter European settlers with money.  Their hunger for slaves to sell in Europe and the U.S. led to some chiefs invading other villages for the sole purpose of capturing slaves.

Sidney Poitier’s film Buck and the Preacher is about the hunting of free slaves, who left white plantations after the abolition of slavery in the U.S.  Plantation owners hired men to drive them back to the South for a second life time of slavery.

Zi-nge-la.  The first part is pronounced as in zing, the second part at in Langlaagte, a town in South Africa and the last part as in lark.

ZULU	ENGLISH
Si-yo-zingela.	We are going hunting.
Ba-zingela ngezi-bhamu.	They hunt with guns.
Ni-zo-zingela ka-njani?	How will you hunt?
Si-zo-zingela nge-mi-cibilisholo.	We will hunt with bows and arrows.
U-baba u-mzingeli.	Father is a hunter.
Ba-zingela e-busuku.	They hunt at night.
A-ma-phoyisa a-zingela bani?	Who are the police hunting down?
Kade ngi-yo-zingela.  A-ngithola-nga lutho.	I went hunting.  I came back empty handed.
Bazi-ngela izi-ndlovu.  Bafuna umboko wazo.	They hunt elephants.  They want their tusks.

By:  Nonqaba waka Msimang.