With eight million people spread across South Africa, amounting to fifteen percent of the population, the Xhosa people are a large cultural group. The Xhosa had a harsh history, full of violence and relocations across the country. Their diverse culture has a major impact on how they live their lives, and on the proper ways to perform ceremonies, such as marriage. There is also a Xhosa language, and is one of the eleven official languages of the South African people. Leaders such as Nelson Mandela were from the Xhosa cultural group, so it is possible future leaders may come from this group. The vast topic about the Xhosa can be divided into four topics: language, customs, history, and beliefs.
To understand Xhosa from all aspects, a few facts about South Africa should be obtained. According to Xhosa by South African History Online, written by knowledgeable people who understand South Africa and its culture, “the four major ethnic divisions among black South Africans are the Nguni, Sotho, Shangaan Tsonga and Venda”(Xhosa South 1). These four divisions have cultural groups within them and Nguni is the division with Xhosa. The Nguni form two thirds of the South African population and is divided into four groups, each having a different cultural group. The Southern Nguni is primarily Xhosa, and Xhosa originated from here. Another important piece of information to know is the presence of whites in South Africa. They had caused violent disputes with South Africans over land, and had wormed their way into the government. These events were the starting of Apartheid, and had changed how all South Africans lived. Knowing this background information helps to comprehend the Xhosa people.
The origins of Xhosa have dated back to late sixt...
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...in different but similar languages, there would be some level of comprehension. It is like a conversation between a person speaking Hindi and a person speaking Punjabi. They are similar languages, so the conversation can be understood by both people. IsiXhosa is one of the largest languages in South Africa, and can be understood by many South Africans.
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Africa is filled with several hundred distinct tribes that all bear themselves in a different fashion, depending on each other, or even fighting each to get what they want. This exchange between the many tribes has resulted in a rich history of conflict, economic development, and culture. One small example of the possible hundreds of tribes is the Mossi tribe, who reside right at the border of sub- Saharan Africa, in Burkina Faso and also the second largest ethnic group in Cote D'ivoire . While a relatively small tribe compared to the likes of the Zulus or the Dinka, their tribe is made up of roughly 3.5 million people, which is still quite a large number.The Mossi are neighboring the people of the Dogon, Kurumba, Gourmantche,Gurunsi, Bisa,Dagomba, and Sisala tribes. The Mossi have an official language called More, pronounced Moray, that is spoken by the them and most of the population of Burkina Faso, as well as about 60,000 people in Togo and Mali. Like many African languages, More uses pitch to distinguish the meaning of words and phrases. Their political was very closely connected with their religion, so as the Muslim religion began to spread throughout Africa, they resisted conversion to the religion even as most of the tribes around them accepted the religion. This may be why there are some Muslim influences within Mossi society. As Africa was being colonized by Europeans, the Mossi were one of the last tribes to be colonized, and when French colonists conquered them in 1896-97, taxes were imposed that impelled many of the Mossi to move to Cote D'ivoire to earn money. While they did not leave their families behind, many Mossi men went south to Cote D'ivoire in between crop-growing seasons and would return with the money th...
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"African Tribes - Zulu People." African Safaris, African Tours, Africa Holidays and Africa Travel Guide. Web. 1 June 2010. .
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