Your essential guide to Zulu Culture and History
It's for real!   
Basket work at Vukani Museum

The Best Guide to
the Zululand experience





visitZululand.co.za
The official website of the
uMlalazi Tourism Association



Eco Estate & Home
of Zululand Golf

• 18-Hole Golf Course
• 6 Tennis Courts
• 2 Squash Courts
• Restaurant

Contact:
Tel: 035 474 5000
info
@eshowehills.co.za


VUKANI
Gameshop

20 Main St, Eshowe


Open 10h00 till late
Tel:
035 474 3011
076 437 3453



A taste for life

at Eshowe Mall

Fri-Sat: 09h00-22h30
Sun-Thurs: 09h00-21h00

Tel: 035 474 2323



Enjoy Zululand's winning beer brewed by
The George Hotel


Main St
ESHOWE

ADAMS' OUTPOST
at the Museum Village
ESHOWE

Adams Outpost Restaurant
Tea Garden
• Restaurant
• Private Functions
• Tour Groups

• School Group
s
Tel: 035-474-1787

 

THE FORT NONGQAYI MUSEUM VILLAGE

nongqayi - 'the restrainers'

The Museum Village - in the grounds of the picturesque Fort Nongqayi in Eshowe - houses a series of museums covering a wide range of local interest from early Iron Age to contemporary Zulu art and craft, from natural history to missionary history and from wars between nations to the battle against the tsetse fly.
The three-turreted white fort which houses the Zululand Historical Museum was built in 1883 by the British to house the barefoot Zulu police force (the Nongqayi) whose task it was to protect and enforce British administration following the Anglo-Zulu War.

Also in the grounds is a relocated 19th century corrugated-iron settler's house with a restaurant and tea garden offering excellent food and refreshment in a relaxed atmosphere.

Opening Hours
Mon-Fri: 07h30 - 16h00
Sat: 09h00-16h00
Sun & Public Holidays:
10h00 - 16h00

Closed:
Christmas Day
Day of Goodwill
New Year's Day
Good Friday

Entrance fee
Adults: R25.00
Scholars: R5.00
Student/Pensioner: R10

Museum guides attend
to all visitor
s

ZULULAND
HISTORICAL
MUSEUM


Tel:
035-474 2281

email:
zhm
@umlalazi.org.za

VUKANI MUSEUM
Curator:
Vivienne Garside
Tel:
035 474 5274
email:
vukanimuseum
@lantic.net

Work by VUKANI craftspeople
is available for purchase
at the museum


ADAMS'
OUTPOST
Restaurant
&
Tea Garden:
Mon-Fri: 09h00-16h00
Sunday: 10h00-15h00
Closed on Saturday

Adams' Outpost  Restaurant


The
MISSION MUSEUM
CHAPEL
is in a beautiful setting
and can be hired for
weddings and functions.


PHUMANI
PAPER-MAKING PROJECT is a community- based poverty alleviation project and they
make beautiful hand-made gifts out of local vegetation as well
as sugar cane. Their products
are on sale at the Village.

Phumani Paper products

 

fort Nongqayi

Although the Zululand Historical Museum depicts the history of Zululand from early Iron Age, its central focus is on the fascinating cross-cultural influences of the past 200 years.
Pride of place in the collection goes to the mobile wooden chair made for the ailing King Mpande by the first Norwegian missionary in Zululand, Bishop Hans Schreuder.

In the 1850's King Mpande had great difficulty in walking due to his obesity - caused probably by the disease now known as dropsy.
Bishop Schreuder had gained a reputation as a 'doctor' amongst his Zulu converts and was called upon to alleviate the suffering of the king.

Also on display are several rare brass armbands (ingxotha) worn by kings and soldiers, who were decorated for their bravery during the time of King Dingane, King Mpande and King Cetshwayo.
These accessories - which were a sign of high status but incredibly uncomfortable to wear - reveal the early craft of Zulu metalwork.

The museum also houses an impressive collection of fine mahogany and teak furniture and memorabilia from the main residences which housed the only White Chief of Zululand, John Dunn, his 49 wives and 117 children.
Although Dunn had adopted Zulu customs and a Zulu lifestyle, his taste in furnishings reflect a distinct European fondness for comfort.

King Mpande's chair
King Mpande's wheelchair
.
King Cetshwayo's silver mug
The silver mug presented to King Cetshwayo by Queen Victoria
The John Dunn Room
The John Dunn Room
John Dunn
John Dunn
VUKANI MUSEUM OF ZULU ART AND CRAFT

vukani - 'wake up and get going'

ukhamba - 'earthenware pot in which beer is traditionally served'

imbenge - 'bowl woven in grass to cover the clay beer pots'

unyazi - 'shallow woven bowl used for serving food'

There has been a renaissance in Zulu arts and craft since the Vukani Association was formed more than 30 years ago to revive the then-dying art of basketry.
Through Vukani, men and women have pooled their inherited knowledge of grasses, palm leaves, natural dyes, beadwork, woodcarving and ceramics to produce a range of contemporary items with a traditional theme.
The Vukani Museum houses some of the best work collected over the years.
Several of the artists have gone on to receive international recognition and it is worth seeking their work out .
The late Nesta Nala came from a long line of ukhamba makers who lived in Thukela valley. Traditionally the clay pots would have been used for beer brewing and drinking but by working with new tools and designs, Nesta Nala elevated these everyday domestic objects to an art form.
A chance meeting with archaeologists excavating near her home in the 1980's exposed her to early Iron Age pottery designs which she then developed into her signature style and today this tradition is being carried on by her daughters.
The late Reuben Ndwandwe from the Hlabisa area was one of the few remaining men who still weaved baskets. His imbenge and unyazi were characterised by their diamond designs and fine overstitching which created a lace-like texture.
A piece by Reuben NdwanweClay Zulu beer pot by Nesta NalaThe beautiful patterns of Zulu basketry
 ZULULAND MISSION MUSEUM
Zululand Mission Museum Chapel
Eshowe's modern history begins with the arrival of Norwegian missionaries in the mid-19th Century. In 1854 Rev Hans Schreuder (pictured right) of the Norwegian Mission Society was granted permission by King Mpande to start a mission station at Ntumeni. Seven years later, a second Norgwegian, Rev Ommund Oftebro, established a mission at kwaMondi (situated in the present King Dinuzulu Suburb in Eshowe).
The Zululand Mission Museum is housed in a contemporary version of the traditional Norwegian mission chapels and the museum pays tribute to the legacy of these early men of God and the spread of Christianity in Zululand.
The venue can be hired for weddings, baptisms, funerals and conferences.
Rev Hans Schreuder

l
l
l
l
l l l
www.visitZululand.co.za is the official website of the uMlalazi Tourism Association
© uMlalazi Tourism Association