The abundant herds. A celebration of the Nguni cattle of the Zulu people

Title: The abundant herds
Subtitle: A celebration of the Nguni cattle of the Zulu people
Authors: Marguerite Poland; David Hammond-Tooke
Illustrations: Leigh Voigt
Publisher: Fernwood Press
Cape Town, South Africa 2003
ISBN 9781874950691 / ISBN 978-1-874950-69-1
Hardcover, dustjacket, 29 x 28 cm, 144 pages, throughout colour and bw-photographs

About: The abundant herds. A celebration of the Nguni cattle of the Zulu people

"The abundant herds - A celebration of the Nguni cattle of the Zulu people", illustrated by internationally acclaimed artist, Leigh Voigt, examines the role played by the Nguni cattle and cattle-related imagery in the oral tradition of the Zulu. Throughout the ages, wellbeing of the herds has been so closely connected to that of men that cattle have become part of the spiritual and aesthetic lives of the people, a perception that is mirrored in their poetic and complex naming practice. While the terms form the core of a fascinating classification system, cattle imagery also abounds in Zulu oral history and poetry; in tales, proverbs, riddles and the ‘praises’ of individual beasts. For the younger generation this knowledge is fast fading and there is a real danger that a precious branch of indigenous knowledge will ultimately disappear.

Content: The abundant herds. A celebration of the Nguni cattle of the Zulu people

NOTE TO THE READER
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
CATTLE IN ZULU LIFE
THE POETRY OF NAMING
CATTLE AND THE ORAL TRADITION
POSTCRIPT: NGUNI CATTLE TODAY
APPENDIX I: CLASSIFICATION OF TERMS ACCORDING TO COLOUR AND COLOUR COMBINATION
APPENDIX II: CLASSIFICATION OF TERMS WITH REGARD TO METAPHORICAL CONTENT
APPENDIX III: TERMS INDICATING GENDER OR STATUS
APPENDIX IV: TERMS FOR HORN SHAPES
APPENDIX V: XHOSA TERMS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS