Indlamu: An Image of Zulu Upper-class Culture of the Past
Even though Indlamu dance has been a central feature of the Zulu nation, few historical studies address the social status of Indlamu. Indlamu has been largely overlooked as an image of Zulu upper-class people, even though the majority of people had ample access to Indlamu. Also, Indlamu is most ofte...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Noyam Journals
2023-03-01
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| Series: | E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/EHASS20234310.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797696261472649216 |
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| author | Sakhiseni Joseph Yende Vusabantu Ngema |
| author_facet | Sakhiseni Joseph Yende Vusabantu Ngema |
| author_sort | Sakhiseni Joseph Yende |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Even though Indlamu dance has been a central feature of the Zulu nation, few historical studies address the social status of Indlamu. Indlamu has been largely overlooked as an image of Zulu upper-class people, even though the majority of people had ample access to Indlamu. Also, Indlamu is most often associated with Zulu culture untouched by Western influence, probably because it is regarded as a touchstone of Zulu identity. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that Indlamu has never been about war dance only for the peasants and migrants’ workers (ordinary people), but rather ‘an image of the Zulu upper-class culture of the past’. The demonstration is done by analysing Indlamu’s history, structural form, performance, and appreciation throughout the decades. This paper employs a textual analysis approach and direct interviews with selected participants who possess extensive knowledge of Indlamu. This article argues that Indlamu is used as a tool to present a Zulu warrior/combatant as an ordered, disciplined, submissive, and obedient member of society. The findings demonstrate that according to the perceived Zulu nationalism and modern capitalism, an ideal Zulu warrior is submissive and obedient to their authorities. This is ascribed to Indlamu performance’s requirements for complete regimental clothing, exact time, and unwavering posture. This article concludes by affirming that similar to ballet and how King Louis XIV would symbolise things like war or Apollo, implying authority and empire, Indlamu performers would likewise symbolise power and battle. This article is intended to bring an understanding of the role of Indlamu in the Zulu nation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:23:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-327e1f0dce7944029cfd10c03c79411e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2720-7722 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:23:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Noyam Journals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-327e1f0dce7944029cfd10c03c79411e2023-09-03T13:44:34ZengNoyam JournalsE-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences2720-77222023-03-0143300311https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20234310Indlamu: An Image of Zulu Upper-class Culture of the PastSakhiseni Joseph Yende0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7649-2799Vusabantu Ngema1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5677-6452Department of Performing Arts, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa.Independent Scholar, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.Even though Indlamu dance has been a central feature of the Zulu nation, few historical studies address the social status of Indlamu. Indlamu has been largely overlooked as an image of Zulu upper-class people, even though the majority of people had ample access to Indlamu. Also, Indlamu is most often associated with Zulu culture untouched by Western influence, probably because it is regarded as a touchstone of Zulu identity. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that Indlamu has never been about war dance only for the peasants and migrants’ workers (ordinary people), but rather ‘an image of the Zulu upper-class culture of the past’. The demonstration is done by analysing Indlamu’s history, structural form, performance, and appreciation throughout the decades. This paper employs a textual analysis approach and direct interviews with selected participants who possess extensive knowledge of Indlamu. This article argues that Indlamu is used as a tool to present a Zulu warrior/combatant as an ordered, disciplined, submissive, and obedient member of society. The findings demonstrate that according to the perceived Zulu nationalism and modern capitalism, an ideal Zulu warrior is submissive and obedient to their authorities. This is ascribed to Indlamu performance’s requirements for complete regimental clothing, exact time, and unwavering posture. This article concludes by affirming that similar to ballet and how King Louis XIV would symbolise things like war or Apollo, implying authority and empire, Indlamu performers would likewise symbolise power and battle. This article is intended to bring an understanding of the role of Indlamu in the Zulu nation.https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/EHASS20234310.pdfcultureindlamuupper-classwar dancezulu identity |
| spellingShingle | Sakhiseni Joseph Yende Vusabantu Ngema Indlamu: An Image of Zulu Upper-class Culture of the Past E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences culture indlamu upper-class war dance zulu identity |
| title | Indlamu: An Image of Zulu Upper-class Culture of the Past |
| title_full | Indlamu: An Image of Zulu Upper-class Culture of the Past |
| title_fullStr | Indlamu: An Image of Zulu Upper-class Culture of the Past |
| title_full_unstemmed | Indlamu: An Image of Zulu Upper-class Culture of the Past |
| title_short | Indlamu: An Image of Zulu Upper-class Culture of the Past |
| title_sort | indlamu an image of zulu upper class culture of the past |
| topic | culture indlamu upper-class war dance zulu identity |
| url | https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/EHASS20234310.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sakhisenijosephyende indlamuanimageofzuluupperclasscultureofthepast AT vusabantungema indlamuanimageofzuluupperclasscultureofthepast |