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Zulu Girls
South
African Tribe
Clothing for Zulu girls is
usually very different from older women who wear an "isicholo" which is a
garment that covers the entire body. In contrast, Zulu girls wear only beads
which are typically very revealing. Different beads have different meanings
and are symbolic. Some beads symbolize love while others give warnings. A
young man may give a gift of beads to a Zulu girl during courting. If the
Zulu girl accepts the man as her husband, he will typically pay a dowry of
eleven cows as a bride price. As is common in many South African tribes,
Zulu girls and women hold a special place in their tribal society and often
hold spiritual positions such as diviners and herbalists. The Zulu tribe
traditional religion believed in ancestral spirits and modern Christian
Zulus have incorporated traditional customs into a unique form of
Christianity. The Zulu economy is based on both pastoralism and agriculture
and Zulu girls play a major role in both. The Zulu custom of different
people eating from the same plate is a sign of friendship and conforms to
the Zulu custom of sharing and reciprocity.
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