The Zulu people believe that our first parents came out of a reed. The Great-great-one made the reed to open, and forth came a man and a woman. Some years after, He sent a messenger to inform the people that they were to live for ever. This messenger, being a chameleon, was very slow in fulfilling its errand. On the way it espied some nice berries, of which it is very fond, and it spent quite an age in climbing up the shrub to pick and eat the sweet little fruit. It thought that it was unnecessary to hurry with the message—the people could wait: so it was at no pains to perform His mission. Meanwhile the Great-great-one sent a second messenger to tell the people that they were to die. This messenger (being a kind of lizard, or salamander) was much quicker in its movements, and so, arriving in the world long before the chameleon even thought it had had enough berries to eat, it proclaimed to men: “The Great-great-one says you must all die.” When at length the first-sent messenger came, it was too late, for people were already dying, and the fate of the rest could not be changed. And they said: “Why did you delay when sent by the Great-great-one? You detestable little, slow, crawling creature! You shall be hated for ever and ever.” The natives still abhor this creature in connection with the legend. They always ill-treat it, delighting to fill its mouth with snuff, which turns it black.
About This Book
A collection of sketches and folk narratives records Zulu social customs, ceremonies, and beliefs as observed by a long-term resident. The author presents accounts of marriage rites, the handling of twins, sacrificial offerings to ancestral spirits, diviners and rain-makers, funeral observances, communal feasts, war preparations, and popular etiological tales about death and natural phenomena. Anecdotes and ethnographic commentary illustrate daily practices, songs, and the moral ambiguities surrounding witchcraft and healing, while occasional editorial notes clarify terms and compare local superstitions to wider traditions. The tone aims to convey native perspectives and the social logic behind customs rather than prescribe judgment.