Cele is one of the most widespread Zulu clan names today, carried by families across KwaZulu-Natal and far beyond. As with many Nguni clan names, the Cele’s deeper history is better documented through praise-poetry scholarship than through a single settled written record – and much of what makes a clan name meaningful is the oral knowledge still held by families themselves.
What we know, and what we don’t
Izithakazelo (clan praise names) function as more than a greeting – they are, as researchers working with Zulu oral history have argued, one of the few surviving records of clans whose political independence was absorbed into the Zulu kingdom during the upheavals of the early 1800s. A University of KwaZulu-Natal study on this subject specifically frames the recovery of clan praises as a way of recovering the histories of clans that were once significant in their own right before being “welded into the Zulu nation.”
We have not been able to source a confirmed written account of the Cele clan’s own pre-Shakan history, its chiefly line, or its izithakazelo text from an independent source – which is a gap we would like to close with help from Cele families and cultural historians, rather than guess at.
Izithakazelo zakwaCele
We do not yet have a confirmed written source for the Cele izithakazelo. Wording for praises like these is known to vary by family and region, and is most reliably held by clan elders rather than published records. If your family recites the Cele praises, we would very much like to record them here accurately – please get in touch using the details below.
Totem and related clans
As with most Nguni clans, Cele identity is carried through the isibongo and its praises rather than a single strict animal totem in the way many Sotho-Tswana groups observe a seboko.
Geography
The Cele clan name is strongly associated with the KwaZulu-Natal coastal belt, including areas south of Durban, where Cele chieftaincies and communities have long been established.
Sources and further reading
- M. Buthelezi, UKZN ResearchSpace thesis on izithakazelo and izibongo as historical record
- T. Cope (ed.), Izibongo: Zulu Praise-Poems – the standard published collection of Zulu praise poetry, a good starting point for anyone researching a specific clan’s praises
Know the Cele clan’s history or praises? We would rather publish an honest, sourced page later than guess now – please get in touch via our contact page or WhatsApp 065 138 8213 so we can document this clan properly.