Swazi people

The Swazi are a Bantu Nguni-speaking people in southeastern Africa, chiey in Swaziland and South Africa.
Besides their language, Siswati, they speak Afrikaans in
South Africa and English in South Africa and Swaziland. There have been more Swazi people living in South
Africa than in Swaziland since the late 1800s.[1] The
Swazi people and the Kingdom of Swaziland today are
named after Mswati II, who became king in 1839. Their
royal lineage can be traced to a chief named Dlamini I;
this is still the royal clan name. About three-quarters
of the clan groups are Nguni; the remainder are Sotho
and Tsonga descendants. These groups have intermarried
freely. There are slight dierences among Swazi groups,
but Swazi identity extends to all those with allegiance to
the twin monarchs Ingwenyama the Lion (the king) and
Indlovukati the She-Elephant (the queen mother).

the umfecane wars, resulting from the expansion of the

Zulu state under Shaka. Under Sobhuzas leadership, the
Nguni and Sotho peoples as well as remnant San groups
were integrated into the Swazi nation. It was during his
rule that the present boundaries of Swaziland were fully
under the rule of the Dlamini kings.
In the late 1830s, initial contact occurred with the Boers,
who had defeated the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River,
and were settling in the territory that would become the
South African Republic. To establish a peaceful coexistence, a substantial portion of Swazi territory was
ceded to the Transvaal Boers who were settled around the
Lydenburg area in the 1840s. The territory of Swaziland,
and their king, Mswati II, were recognized by both the
Transvaal and by Britain. It was during the rule of Mswati
II, that the Swazi nation was further unied and the people and their country became known as they are today.
Thereafter, the label Swazi eventually was applied to all
the peoples who gave allegiance to the Ingwenyama.[3]

History

Later under Mbandzeni, many commercial, land and

mining concessions were granted to British and Boer settlers. This move led to further loss of land to the South
African Republic. The result was that a substantial Swazi
population was now resident outside Swaziland and in
South Africa. The Pretoria Convention for the Settlement of the Transvaal in 1881 recognized the independence of Swaziland and dened its boundaries. The Ngwenyama was not a signatory, and the Swazi claim that
their territory extends in all directions from the present
As part of the Nguni expansion southwards, the Swazis state. Britain claimed authority over Swaziland in 1903,
crossed the Limpopo River and settled in southern and independence was regained in 1968.
Tongaland (today in southern Mozambique near Maputo) Today, Swazi people reside in both Swaziland and South
in the late fteenth century. The Ngwane people are Africa. People of Swazi descent in South Africa are typrecorded as having entered the present territory of Swazi- ically identiable by speaking SiSwati, or a dialect of the
land around the year 1600. Under the leadership of language. There are also many Swazi immigrants who
Dlamini III, settlement took place in 1750, along the go to South Africa for study, or work opportunities. The
Pongola River where it cuts through the Lubombo moun- number of Swazis in South Africa is slight larger than that
tains. Later on, they moved into a region on the Pongola of Swazis in Swaziland, which is approximately 1.1 milRiver, which was in close proximity to the Ndwandwe lion people. In Swaziland, Swazi people include Swazi
people.[2] Dlamini IIIs successor was Ngwane III, who is citizens regardless of ethnicity.
considered the rst King of modern Swaziland. His rule
occurred from around 1745 until 1780, and he ruled from
the Shiselweni region of Swaziland.
The Swazis are Nguni clans, who originated in Southeast Africa in the fteenth century, moved into southern Mozambique, and then into present-day Swaziland.
The term bakaNgwane (Ngwanes people) is still used
as an alternative to emaSwati, to refer to the Swazi people. The Swazis are a Bantu-speaking people who are
predominantly Nguni in language and culture. However
some of the Swazi people originate from Sotho clans that
were also inhabitants of Swaziland.

2 Identity

In 1815, Sobhuza I became the king of Swaziland and

was responsible for the establishment of Swazi power in
central Swaziland. Here the Swazis continued the process
of expansion by conquering numerous small Sotho and
Nguni speaking tribes to build up a large composite state
today called Swaziland. Sobhuza I's rule occurred during

The Kings of Swaziland date back to some considerable

time to when the Royal line of Dlamini lived in the vicinity of Delagoa Bay. The Swazi people as a nation were
originally formed by 16 clans known as bemdzabuko (
1

true Swazi ) who accompanied the Dlamini kings in the

early days. The 15 founding clans were Dlamini, Nhlabathi, Hlope, Kunene, Mabuza, Madvonsela, Mamba,
Matsebula, Mdluli, Motsa, Ngwenya, Shongwe, Sukati,
Tsabedze, Tfwala and Zwane. Other Swazi clans are the
Emakhandzambili clans (those found ahead, e.g. the
Gamedze, Fakudze and Magagula), meaning that they
were on the land prior to Dlamini immigration and conquest. The Emakemuva (those who came behind) who
joined the kingdom later.

EXTERNAL LINKS

Mvelincanti is too remote and so it is ancestral spirits

emadloti is more relevant in day-to-day life.[6] Beasts are
slaughtered and beer was brewed to please (propitiate)
the spirits, and ask for help. The rituals are performed
at the level of family associated with birth, death and
marriage.[6] Some Swazis are also Christians.

5 See also
Umtsimba - marriage ceremony

Culture

Main article: Culture of Swaziland

Dancing and singing, including praise-singing, are

6 References
[1] http://www.sahistory.org.za/places/swaziland
[2] http://www.swazi.com/sibiya/sdpeople.html
[3] http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Swaziland.html#
ixzz2ev9N40UP
[4] http://www.sntc.org.sz/cultural/culture.asp
[5] Swaziland National Trust Commission. CULTURAL
RESOURCES: Swazi Culture The Incwala or Kingship
Ceremony. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
[6] Kasenene, Peter (1992). Religion in Swaziland. South
Africa: ABC-CLIO. p. 384. ISBN 0313032254.

Princess Sikhanyiso dancing at umhlanga

prominent in Swazi culture. Pottery and carving were

minor arts. Swazi marriage is called "umtsimba", it is
usually on a weekend in dry season (June - August).
Bride and her relatives go to grooms homestead on Friday
evening. Saturday morning - bridal party sit by nearby
river, eat beast (goat/cow) oered by grooms family;
afternoon - dance in the grooms homestead. Sunday
morning - bride, with her female relatives, stabs ground
with a spear in mans cattle kraal, later she is smeared
with red ochre. The smearing is the high point of marriage - no woman can be smeared twice. Bride presents
gifts to husband and his relatives.[4] Umhlanga is one of
the well known cultural events in Swaziland held in August/September for young unmarried girls to pay homage
to the Ndlovukati. Incwala is another Swazi cultural event
held in December/January depending on the phases of the
moon. This ceremony, also known as the "First Fruits"
ceremony marks the Kings tasting of the new harvest.[5]

Religion

The traditional Swazi religion recognizes a supreme

God/creator, but more important are the spirits of ancestors. Swazi religion speaks of a creator known as Mvelincanti (he who was there from the beginning). However,

7 External links

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

Swazi people Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swazi_people?oldid=737035899 Contributors: Greenman, Ruhrjung, Timwi,

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