Traditional Zulu Clothing and Ornaments
A description of Zulu fashions from an outsider's perspective.
From Forty Years Among the Zulus, by Josiah Tyler, 1891.
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
The dress worn by the men consists of a girdle of ox hide from which is suspended in front a bunch of the tails of monkeys, wild cats, or other animals, and at the back a small apron of ox hide or the skin of some wild beast.
The garment of a woman is a skirt of pliable tanned leather, lubricated with fat. The bridal skirt is trimmed with beads of divers colors and a rich profusion of brass buttons. This is a present from the bridegroom, with which the young damsel is as much pleased….Belts and semi-belts are worn by young men and women, the more beads ornamenting them the better.
Zulu men are dressmakers as well as tailors, making all the garments of the women as well as their own.
Washing day is not one to be dreaded among this people. Should a garment require cleansing, it is taken to the river and rubbed with the fibrous root of an alkaline plant which takes the place of soap.
The native headdress occupies considerable attention. Married men shave all the upper part of the head except the crown, on which they leave a little wool in a circular shape about four inches in diameter. To this is sewn a gutta-percha-like ring, made of gum and charcoal. With the growth of the wool the ring rises sometimes to the height of six inches. Into this ring they thrust long snuff spoons, porcupine quills, needles, and other articles of utility. This ring is a badge of manhood and respectability. Violence done to it is quickly and bitterly resented. Men have chosen to die rather than be deprived of it. Under the old Zulu kings no man was allowed to wear the ring till he had distinguished himself in battle….
Shaving the head is not confined to Zulu men. Married women do the same, leaving, however, a topknot for which they have a great regard. A mixture of red ochre and grease makes this topknot an agreeable ornament in their estimation. A few of them, however, do not shave at all, but rub their wool with red pigment, making it look more like a mop than anything else. Witch doctresses fasten to such a headdress the bladders of birds or of wildcats, blown out, and thus appear hideous in the extreme.
Young men not married allow their hair to grow, dressing it in a variety of fantastic shapes. Now it looks like a sugar loaf, now like two little hills with valleys between. The more rancid butter, or mutton tallow, or cocoa-nut oil they can get to rub on their heads the better. Odoriferous substances are freely used, especially before going into company, and perfumes are now bought largely from English merchants….
Zulus of both sexes and of all ages are exceedingly fond of ornaments. Necklaces, made of beads of various colors, are common. Brass rings, some of them we should think too cumbersome to be agreeable, are worn on the arms and legs. The head is decked with feathers, from those of the common fowl to the ostrich and the most beautiful birds of the forest. A young man is sometimes seen with a pair of deer's horns attached to his forehead, while about his neck are strung leopard's teeth, pieces of crocodile skin, bits of wood, claws of birds, and small bags of medicine. "Spirit" or "witch" doctors commonly wear long leopard skins dangling about their feet.
Infants have holes bored in their ears which are enlarged as they grow older, and made the receptacle for ivory knobs or reed snuffboxes. Flowers are often seen on the head, one of which, the "love-making posy," is said to foster the tender passion. Young men generally wear this when paying attention to the ladies. On the arms and bosoms of women raised scars are often noticeable. These were made in infancy, and in the gashes cut in the skin were inserted charcoal and ashes from the bones of serpents. The operation must be painful, but when ornamentation is considered, bodily suffering is not regarded. An ornament of which young wives are very fond is a piece of buck's skin tied across the chest and falling down to the knees; the more brass buttons sewed to it the better. On marriage or other hilarious occasions, both sexes deck themselves with all the finery obtainable.
Tyler, Josiah. Forty Years Among the Zulus. Congregational Sunday-school and Publishing Society, 1891.
About TOTA
TOTA.world provides cultural information and sharing across the world to help you explore your Family’s Cultural History and create deep connections with the lives and cultures of your ancestors.
