The king, the smith and the war hero: Zulu Kingdom settlement in the eastern eMakhosini

Abstract

Archaeological research has provided insights into major military events and life in elite settlements that cannot be gained solely through the study of a vast archival record and documented oral history pertaining to the independent Zulu Kingdom era (c. 1819–1879). There are still gaps in our understanding of the early decades of the kingdom and limited understanding of the non-elite peoples who formed its economic and social foundation. In this paper, we report on recent survey and test excavations in the eastern eMakhosini region, the traditional heartland of the Zulu Kingdom, that aimed to clarify the nature and characteristics of suspected early amakhanda and non-elite settlements. Among our results, we suggest that the settlement associated with Shaka kaSenzangakhona—kwaGibixhegu or kwaBulawayo-1 may have shifted in size and organization during his transition from chief to king while resident in the eMakhosini. We also report the first definitive evidence for an iron smith’s homestead of the precolonial era in this region, and we distinguish a homestead whose head received the highest military honours by a Zulu king—the ‘king’s awards’. Surveys by two teams failed to locate the Divisional ikhanda of kwaKhangela known to be burned during the British advance on oNdini in July of 1879.