This scholarly account traces the emergence of the Zulu Kingdom in
South Africa in the early nineteenth century, under the rule of the
ambitious and iconic King Shaka. In contrast to recent literary
analyses of myths of Shaka, this book uses the richness of Zulu oral
traditions and a comprehensive body of written sources to provide a
compelling narrative and analysis of the events and people of the era
of Shaka's rule. The oral traditions portray Shaka as rewarding
courage and loyalty and punishing failure; as ordering the targeted
killing of his own subjects, both warriors and civilians, to ensure
compliance to his rule; and as arrogant and shrewd, but kind to the
poor and mentally disabled. The rich and diverse oral traditions,
transmitted from generation to generation, reveal the important roles
and fates of men and women, royal and subject, from the perspectives
of those who experienced Shaka's rule and the dramatic emergence of
the Zulu Kingdom.
