Viral Twitter Video of Zulu Man Praising Cow Sheds Light on Rich Cultural Traditions

• A video on Twitter of a Zulu man praising his cow has been doing the rounds. The man chants clan names to evoke the cow to thump into the ground and dig
• Cattle played a significant role in the farming societies of Southeast Africa, including KwaZulu Natal, before the arrival of colonialism
• Netizens shared more videos to highlight that this was not a random occurrence in Africa, showing similar practices

A video post on Twitter of a Zulu man praising his cow has been making the rounds recently. But the video isn't the only of its kind. The man can be heard chanting clan names evoking the cow to thump into the ground and dig. Other netizens took to the comments to share more videos like this.

You can see the video below:

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A brief history of cattle symbolism in Zulu culture

According to SouthAfrica.net, the Zulu people are descendants of the Iron Age communities that lived in Southern Africa. They were primarily farmers and livestock keepers, inhabiting the well-watered region of Southeast Africa, the Highveld interior and the territory between the Drakensberg and the Kalahari borderland.

They had a mixed economy, cultivating crops in a challenging environment influenced by temperature, topography, and rainfall. The productivity of the soil was affected by these factors. The coastlands and lower river valleys had warm temperatures and high rainfall, which allowed for longer growing seasons.

In contrast, the growing season became shorter as rainfall and temperature declined in the interior. Cattle played a significant role in the farming societies of Southeast Africa, including KwaZulu Natal, before the arrival of colonialism. Rulers and commoners viewed them as necessary for their symbolic and material value.

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Cattle symbolised wealth in Zulu culture

They were used for subsistence, as lobola (bride price), gifts (tributes) to the ruling families, or distributed to those in need. The Zulu people developed a system of patronage called "ukusisa." Under this system, a wealthy Zulu man (umnumzane) would loan a few cattle to a poor person without a herd.

The recipient cared for the cattle and could milk them for nourishment. They could also keep some of the offspring when they returned or repaid the loan to the owner.

Netizens shared more videos of cows being praised

To highlight that this was no random occurrence in Africa, people took to the comments to share more videos of this practice. You can see them all below:

@Njarbs_T_Ndlovu shared this:

@Tau_Lenyora added this:

@myloveourunity added:

The man raised African lion since it was cub

In other human-animal interaction news, Briefly News reported on a wildlife enthusiast who raised a lion. He shared a video compilation of the big cat growing up since it was a cub. He named the lion George and they are best friends.

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People in the comments could not stop raving about seeing his relationship with the beast.

Leon Boyd commented:

"He’s always gonna be a big cutie, been amazing watching him in all your TikToks and many more to come."

Source: Briefly News