The Ntuli
Wikipedia’s short article on the Ntuli says they were a Zulu clan that held its own chiefdom title and lived along the bank of the Thukela River in KwaZulu-Natal. It names two leaders, Godide and Mavumengwana, sons of Ndlela kaSompisi, whom it links to a separate article on Ndlela, and says they played a major part in the Zulu counter-raid at Middle Drift in June 1879 in the Anglo-Zulu War and that after the partition of Zululand the Ntuli were placed under the chiefdom of John Robert Dunn. It lists the Middle Drift raid and the Battle of Isandlwana among conflicts involving the Ntuli. The article gives no founding date, no chiefs before the 1879 period, no more detail on where they lived, and no izithakazelo, and is tagged as needing more citations (June 2020).
Sources behind the article
It cites John Laband’s Historical Dictionary of the Zulu Wars (2009) and Kingdom in Crisis (1992), S. Nombuso Dlamini’s Youth and Identity Politics in South Africa, 1990 to 1994 (2005) and Ian Knight’s Companion to the Anglo-Zulu War (2008); we have read none of them. A Wikipedia page on the surname Ntuli lists politicians, footballers and artists with that surname and says Ntuli is also a Zulu clan, but gives no history; we do not link those people to the clan. See also Zulu.
What we have not found
We have not found an account of the Ntuli by themselves, their present chiefs, or their position in the Zulu kingdom before 1879. If you hold such a history, we would like to hear from you.
Izithakazelo and totem
We are printing no Ntuli praises or totem because none has been confirmed. If you belong to the Ntuli and recite your izithakazelo, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Ntuli people (needs more citations; cites Laband and Knight)
- Wikipedia: Ntuli (surname list)
Do you belong to the Ntuli? Tell us your praises and what elders say about the history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.