Zulu Girls

South African Tribe

Clothing for Zulu girls is usually very different from older women who wear an "isicholo" which is a garment that covers the entire body. In contrast, Zulu girls wear only beads which are typically very revealing. Different beads have different meanings and are symbolic. Some beads symbolize love while others give warnings. A young man may give a gift of beads to a Zulu girl during courting. If the Zulu girl accepts the man as her husband, he will typically pay a dowry of eleven cows as a bride price. As is common in many South African tribes, Zulu girls and women hold a special place in their tribal society and often hold spiritual positions such as diviners and herbalists. The Zulu tribe traditional religion believed in ancestral spirits and modern Christian Zulus have incorporated traditional customs into a unique form of Christianity. The Zulu economy is based on both pastoralism and agriculture and Zulu girls play a major role in both. The Zulu custom of different people eating from the same plate is a sign of friendship and conforms to the Zulu custom of sharing and reciprocity.