Mpande's - University of Zululand Institutional Repository

-Q9-
very stringent and proper. Referring to males in particular, Samuelson
asserted that:
"They also heard the history of their
ancestors, the sagas ofthe lands with
respect to kings and heroes; war
songs and regimental war songs, and
imbibed them, some better and some
worse than others and were fired with
the desire to emulate those heroes of
yore and to do and die for their native
land. They were thus built up to be
brave and loyal citizens of their
country. "9
The youths, however, were treated with an expectation of unequivocal
obedience to the elders. Any youths who had not yet had their ears
incised were made to do so that their ears would be "open" that they
might "hear" the commands given to them. IQ Their loyalty to the ruler was
constantly emphasised, as was the developing notion of the new Zulu
clan.
Thus, Mpande also underwent all the stages of development as a member
of a regiment, including a stage of ukukleza (to drink milk directly from
the udders of cattle)." The youths who did ukukleza were all 'post-
pubescent, and they did ukukleza for a number of years until they were
9
IQ
"
KC. Samuelson: Long, Long Ago, pp. 355-56; M.Z. Sharnase: Zulu Potentates - from
the earliest to Zwelithini kaBbekuzulu, p. 41.
I.S. Kubbeka: "A Preliminary Survey ofZulu Dialects in Natal and Zululand",
pp.I-5. .
K.C., Stuart Papers, File 61, Notebook 31, Evidence ofNdukwana, I May 1903, pp. 3­
4;J.S.A., Vol. 3, Evidence ofMpatsbaria, 29 May 1912, pp. 316 - 318.