ZULU WAR DANCE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 34, 8 August 1925, Page 16

ZULU WAR DANCE

YELLING WABRIORS PERFORM

FOR PRINCE.

In the glorious sunshine warriors streamed in from all points for the Royal Indaba, states Eeuter's Eshowe (Zululand) correspondent in a dispatch to England. They presented a stern, martial array, their statuesque figures of bronzo or black being the living embodiment of strength and fearlessness. Mounted regiments in tens of thousands, and stretching for miles in a seemingly endless line, came pouring along the crest in perfect cavalry formaiion.

A feature of the proceedings ,was a .dance of 5000 picked Zulus—men of symmetrical proportions, lithe, and stark naked except for a sporran made of strips of leopard skin. Drawn up in a lino half a'mile long, and six men deep, they formed a wonderful sight, with their great spreading headdresses consisting of long, black-feathers taken from South African cock finches, and measuring a yard across. On the left arm they wore great bunches of hairs drawn from cows' tails, a war sign. Suddenly they began to sing and contort themselves, dancdng with slow, deliberate, and menacing steps. From out of"their'ranks sprang their leaders, gyrating and yelling and making terrific swipes with their knob-kerries, demonstrating thus to their following how they would kill the enemy. Great dancing scenes followed, with terrifying growling and snarling yells, and faces twisted with passion, finally, the royal tribesmen advanced very slowly to within fifty feet of the Prince and his staff, who were sitting on .chairs on the grass. Then, with raised shields, completely covering their faces, creating an apparently impenetrable barricade, they moved with demoniacal yells to within a yard of the aoectatoa vii tke ]&ia&s*