Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/African Lore/Answer Key"

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For the Pakistani ethnic group, see Khosa.

The Xhosa (IPA [ˈkǁʰoːsa]) people are peoples of Bantu origin living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two centuries throughout the southern and central-southern parts of the country.

Xhosa-speaking peoples are divided into several subgroups with related but distinct heritages. The main subgroups are the Bhaca, Bomvana, Mfengu, Mpondo, Mpondomise, Xesibe, and Thembu [1]. The name "Xhosa" comes from that of a tribal leader called uXhosa. They refer to themselves as the amaXhosa and to their language as isiXhosa.

Presently approximately 8 million Xhosa people are distributed across the country, and Xhosa is South Africa's second most common home language, after Zulu, to which Xhosa is closely related. The pre-1994 apartheid system of bantustans denied Xhosas South African citizenship and attempted to confine them to the nominally self-governing "homelands" of Transkei and Ciskei, now both a part of the Eastern Cape Province where most Xhosa remain. Many Xhosa live in Cape Town (iKapa in Xhosa), East London (iMonti), and Port Elizabeth (iBhayi).

As of 2003 the majority of Xhosa speakers, approximately 5.3 million, live in the Eastern Cape, followed by the Western Cape (approximately 1 million), Gauteng (671,045), the Free State (246,192), KwaZulu-Natal (219,826), North West (214,461), Mpumalanga (46,553), the Northern Cape (51,228), and Limpopo (14,225) [2].

History

The Xhosa are part of the southern Nguni migration which slowly moved south from the region around the Great Lakes. Xhosa peoples were well established by the time of the Dutch arrival in the mid-1600s, and occupied much of eastern South Africa from the Fish River to land inhabited by Zulu-speakers south of the modern city of Durban [3].

Xhosa society was historically viewed as an open society because of its readiness to learn from, trade and interact with other societies. They interacted with the Khoi and the San, foraging and nomadic herding peoples from whose languages many of the features of the modern Xhosa language, including click consonants, were borrowed.

The Xhosa and white settlers first encountered one another around Somerset East in the early 1700s. In the late 1700s Afrikaner trekboers migrating outwards from Cape Town came into conflict with Xhosa pastoralists around the Great Fish River region of the Eastern Cape. Following more than 20 years of intermittent conflict, from 1811 to 1812 the Xhosas were forced east by British colonial forces in the Third Frontier War.

In the years following, many Xhosa-speaking clans were pushed west by expansion of the Zulus, as the northern Nguni put pressure on the southern Nguni as part of the historical process known as the mfecane, or "scattering". Xhosa unity and ability to resist colonial expansion was further weakened by the famines and political divisions that followed the cattle-killing movement of 1856. Historians now view this movement as a millenialist response both directly to a lung disease spreading among Xhosa cattle at the time, and less directly to the stress to Xhosa society caused by the continuing loss of their territory and autonomy. At least one historian has also suggested that it can be seen as a rebellion against the upper classes of Xhosa society, which used cattle as a means of consolidating wealth and political power, and which had lost respect as they failed to hold back white expansion.Template:Fact

Some historians argue that this early absorption into the wage economy is the ultimate origin of the long history of trade union membership and political leadership among Xhosa people. That history manifests itself today in high degrees of Xhosa representation in the leadership of the African National Congress, South Africa's ruling political party.

Language

Template:Main

Xhosa is an agglutinative tonal language of the Bantu family. While the Xhosas call their language "isiXhosa," the most common name in English is "Xhosa." Written Xhosa uses a Latin alphabet-based system. Xhosa is spoken by about 18% of the South African population, and has some mutual intelligibility with Zulu. Many Xhosa speakers, particularly those living in urban areas, also speak Zulu and/or Afrikaans and/or English.

Among its features, the Xhosa language famously has fifteen click sounds, originally borrowed from now extinct Khoisan languages of the region. Xhosa has three basic click consonants: a dental click, written with the letter "c"; an alveolar click, written with the letter "q"; and a lateral click, written with the letter "x." There is also a simple inventory of five vowels (a, e, i, o, u).

Xhosa children at Transkei

Folklore and religion

Traditional Xhosa culture includes diviners known as sangoma, who serve as herbalists, prophets, and healers for the community. This job is mostly taken by women, who spend five years in apprenticeship.

The Xhosas have a strong oral tradition with many stories of ancestral heroes; according to tradition, the leader from whose name the Xhosa people take their name was the first human on Earth. Other traditions have it that all Xhosas are descended from one ancestor named Tshawe [4].

The key figure in the Xhosa oral tradition is the imbongi (plural: iimbongi) or praise singer. Iimbongi traditionally live close to the chief’s "great place" (the cultural and political focus of his activity); they accompany the chief on important occasions - the imbongi Zolani Mkiva preceded Nelson Mandela at his Presidential inauguration in 1994. Iimbongis' poetry, called isibongo, praises the actions and adventures of chiefs and ancestors [5].

The supreme being is called uThixo or uQamata. Ancestors act as intermediaries and play a part in the lives of the living; they are honoured in rituals. Dreams play an important role in divination and contact with ancestors. Traditional religious practice features rituals, initiations, and feasts. Modern rituals typically pertain to matters of illness and psychological well-being.

Christian missionaries established outposts among the Xhosa in the 1820s, and the first Bible translation was in the mid-1850s, partially done by Henry Hare Dugmore. Xhosa did not convert in great numbers until the 1900s, but now many are Christian, particularly within the African Initiated Churches such as the Zion Christian Church. Some denominations combine Christianity with traditional beliefs.

Rites of passage

One traditional ritual that is still regularly practiced is the manhood ritual, a secret rite that marks the transition from boyhood to adulthood. The initiates (abakwetha) live in isolation for up to several weeks, often in the mountains. They smear white clay on their bodies and observe numerous taboos. The culmination of the rite is ritual circumcision.

In modern times the practice has caused controversy, with over 300 circumcision- and initiation-related deaths since 1994, and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV via the practice of circumcising initiates with the same blade [6]. In March of 2007 a controversial mini-series dealing with Xhosa circumcision and initiation rites debuted on SABC. Titled Umthunzi Wentaba, the series was taken off the air after complaints by traditional leaders that the rites are secret and not to be revealed to non-initiates and women [7].

Girls are also initiated into womanhood. They too are secluded, though for a shorter period. Female initiates are not circumcised [8].

Other rites include the seclusion of mothers for ten days after giving birth, and the burial of the afterbirth and umbilical cord near the village. This is reflected in the traditional greeting Inkaba yakho iphi?, literally "Where is Your Navel?" The answer "tells someone where you live, what your clan affiliation is, and what your social status is [and] contains a wealth of cultural information. Most importantly, it determines where you belong" [9].

Traditional diet

The Xhosa settled on mountain slopes of the Amatola and the Winterberg Mountains. Many streams drain into great rivers of this Xhosa territory including the Kei and Fish Rivers. Rich soils and plentiful rainfall make the river basins good for farming and grazing making cattle important and the basis of wealth.

Traditional foods include beef, mutton, and goat meat, sorghum, maize and umphokoqo (dry maize porridge), "umngqusho" made from dried, stamped cord and dried beans), milk (often sour, called "amasi"), pumpkins, beans, and vegetables. The major mealtimes are breakfast and dinner.

Arts and crafts

Traditional crafts include beadwork, weaving, and pottery.

Traditional music features drums, rattles, whistles, flutes, mouth harps, and stringed-instruments and especially group singing accompanied by hand clapping [10]. There are songs for various ritual occasions; one of the best-known Xhosa songs is a wedding song called Qongqongthwane, performed by Miriam Makeba as Click Song #1. Besides Makeba, several modern groups record and perform in Xhosa.

Missionaries introduced the Xhosa to Western choral singing [11]. Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, part of the National anthem of South Africa is a Xhosa hymn written in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga.

The first newspapers, novels, and plays in Xhosa appeared in the nineteenth century [12], and Xhosa poetry is also gaining reknown.

Several films have been shot in the Xhosa language. U-Carmen eKhayelitsha is a modern remake of Bizet's 1875 opera Carmen. It is shot entirely in Xhosa, and combines music from the original opera with traditional African music. It takes place in the Cape Town township of Khayelitsha.

Xhosas in modern society

Xhosa people currently make up approximately 18% of the South African population. While there have been many improvements in Xhosa people's lives since the abolition of apartheid, many of the effects of the policy remain.

There are high rates of poverty among Xhosas; Xhosa people make up some of the poorest of South Africans, but a minority of Xhosas are among the wealthiest [13].

Under apartheid, adult literacy rates were as low as 30% [14], and in 1996 studies estimated the literacy level of first-language Xhosa speakers at approximately 50% [15]. There have been advances in since then, however. For example, most of the students at the University of Fort Hare are Xhosa.

Education in primary schools serving Xhosa-speaking communities is in the Xhosa language, but this is replaced by English after the early primary grades. Xhosa is still studied as a subject, however, and it is possible to major in Xhosa at the university level.

Many rural Xhosa now have the choice of migrating to cities in search of employment, whereas under apartheid it was only possible for Xhosa men to seek employment in the mining industry as so-called migrant labourers.

Xhosas in popular culture

The Xhosa, named for the Xhosa people, is the name of the freighter commanded by Kasidy Yates in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. There is also an underground Canadian Rock band by the name of Xhosa fronted by Craig McCue

Notable Xhosa

Nelson Mandela is a Xhosa-speaking member of the Thembu people. Charlize Theron is a compotent Xhosa-speaker.

Other famous Xhosa speakers include: Amampondo Template:· Stephen Biko Template:· Fats Bookulane Template:· Brenda Fassie Template:· Ken Gampu Template:· Chris Hani Template:· General Bantu Holomisa Template:· Archibald Campbell Jordan Template:· John Kani Template:· Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Template:· Miriam Makeba Template:· Govan Mbeki Template:· Thabo Mbeki Template:· S.E.K. Mqhayi Template:· Victoria Mxenge Template:· Bongani Ndodana Template:· Bulelani Ngcuka Template:· Makhaya Ntini Template:· Winston Ntshona Template:· Percy Qoboza Template:· Walter Sisulu Template:· Robert Sobukwe Template:· Enoch Sontonga Template:· Oliver Tambo Template:· Zwelithini Tunyiswa Template:· Desmond Tutu Template:· Ashley Buti Template:· St John Page Yako Template:· Dr. George ClarkTemplate:Fact

References

Results of the 2001 South African census

Note that the figure mentioned on this page is based upon the number of people speaking Xhosa as their home language, which may be greater or less than the total number of people claiming Xhosa descent. In addition, several million people in the Johannesburg-Soweto region speak Xhosa or Zulu as a second or third language. For a majority of these, the two languages become difficult to distinguish (unsurprising given the extreme closeness of their linguistic relationship).

Reader, J., 1997. Africa: A Biography of the Continent, Vintage Books, New York, NY, United States of America.
Kaschula, Russell The Heritage Library of African People: Xhosa, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 1997.

External links

Template:Interwiki

Xhosa History and Society
2001 Digital Census Atlas
Xhosa Folklore - a collection of Xhosa folklore collected in 1886.
Xhosa Google - Google interface in Xhosa

Template:Ethnic groups in South Africa

br:Xhosa (pobl) ca:Xoses da:Xhosa-folket de:Xhosa (Volk) es:Xhosa gl:Xhosa it:Xhosa nl:Xhosa (volk) pt:Xhosa sh:Xhosa fi:Xhosat

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-*Cookery practised by indigenous people of [[South Africa]] such as the [[Khoisan]] and [[Xhosa]]- and [[Sotho]]-speaking people
+:''For the Pakistani ethnic group, see [[Khosa]].''
-*Settler cookery introduced during the colonial period by people of [[Afrikaner]] and [[Briton|British]] descent and their [[slaves]] and servants - this includes the cuisine of the [[Cape Malay]] people, which has many characteristics of [[Malaysia]] and [[Java (island)|Java]], and recipes from neighbouring colonial cultures such as [[Portugal|Portuguese]] [[Mozambique]].
+{{Infobox Ethnic group
+|group    = Xhosa
+|image    = [[Image:Nelson_Mandela.jpg]]
+|caption  = [[Nelson Mandela]] is a famous Xhosa-speaker.
+|poptime  = 7.9 million (2001 estimate)<sup>[[#References|1]]</sup>
+|popplace =
+[[Eastern Cape Province|Eastern Cape]]: 5.4 million<br/>
+[[Western Cape Province|Western Cape]]: 1.1 million<br/>
+[[Gauteng Province|Gauteng]]: 0.7 million<br/>
+[[Free State Province|Free State]]: 0.25 million<br/>
+[[Kwazulu-Natal Province|Kwazulu-Natal]]: 0.22 million<br/>
+(2001 estimates<sup>[[#References|1]]</sup>)
+|langs    = [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]] (many also speak [[English language|English]] or [[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]])
+|rels     = [[Animist]], [[Christian]]
+|related  = [[Bantu]], [[Nguni]], [[Basotho]], [[Zulu]], [[Khoisan]]
+}}
-==Indigenous cookery==
+The '''Xhosa''' ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] {{IPA|[ˈkǁʰoːsa]}}) people are peoples of [[Bantu]] origin living in south-east [[South Africa]], and in the last two centuries throughout the southern and central-southern parts of the country.
-In the precolonial period indigenous cuisine was characterized by the use of a very wide range of fruits, nuts, bulbs, leaves and other products gathered from wild plants and by the hunting of wild game. The domestication of cattle in the region about two thousand years ago by [[Khoisan]] groups enabled the use of [[milk]] products and the availability of fresh meat on demand. However, during the colonial period the seizure of communal land in South Africa helped to restrict and discourage traditional [[agriculture]] and wild harvesting, and reduced the extent of land available to [[black people|black]] people.
-===Decline of indigenous cookery===
+[[isiXhosa|Xhosa-speaking]] peoples are divided into several subgroups with related but distinct heritages. The main subgroups are the Bhaca, Bomvana, Mfengu, Mpondo, Mpondomise, Xesibe, and Thembu [http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Xhosa.html]. The name "Xhosa" comes from that of a tribal leader called uXhosa. They refer to themselves as the '''amaXhosa''' and to their language as '''[[isiXhosa]]'''.
-[[Urbanization]] from the nineteenth century onward, coupled with close control over agricultural production, led [[black people|black]] South Africans to rely more and more on comparatively expensive, industrially-processed foodstuffs like wheat flour, white rice, mealie (maize) meal and sugar. Often these foods were imported or processed by [[white people|white]] wholesalers, mills and factories. The consequence was to drastically restrict the range of ingredients and cooking styles used by indigenous cooks.
-On the other hand, some imported food plants (maize, tomatoes) have expanded the dietary range of indigenous cooks. Of these maize is the most significant - it has been integrated to such an extent into the traditional diet that it is often assumed to be an indigenous plant.
-Popular foods in modern South Africa are chicken, limes, garlic, ginger, chilli, tomatoes, onions and many spices.
+Presently approximately 8 million Xhosa people are distributed across the country, and Xhosa is South Africa's second most common home language, after [[isiZulu|Zulu]], to which Xhosa is closely related.  The pre-1994 [[apartheid]] system of [[bantustan]]s denied Xhosas South African citizenship and attempted to confine them to the nominally self-governing "homelands" of [[Transkei]] and [[Ciskei]], now both a part of the [[Eastern Cape]] Province where most Xhosa remain.  Many Xhosa live in [[Cape Town]] (iKapa in Xhosa), [[East London, South Africa|East London]] (iMonti), and [[Port Elizabeth]] (iBhayi).
-==Settler cookery==
+[[As of 2003]] the majority of Xhosa speakers, approximately 5.3 million, live in the Eastern Cape, followed by the [[Western Cape]] (approximately 1 million), [[Gauteng]] (671,045), the [[Free State]] (246,192), [[KwaZulu-Natal]] (219,826), North West (214,461), [[Mpumalanga]] (46,553), the [[Northern Cape]] (51,228), and [[Limpopo]] (14,225) [http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/demographics/census-main.htm].
-South Africa was settled from the seventeenth century onwards by colonists from the [[Netherlands]], [[Germany]] and [[France]], and later by arrivals from the [[British Isles]]. These colonists brought European cookery styles with them.
-===Cape Dutch===
+==History==
-Traditional cookery of South Africa is often referred to as "Cape Dutch"; this cuisine is characterized by the use of spices such as [[nutmeg]], [[allspice]] and [[hot pepper]]s. The Cape Dutch cookery style owes at least as much to the cookery of the [[slaves]] brought by the [[Dutch East India Company]] to the Cape from [[Bengal]], [[Java (island)|Java]] and [[Malaysia]] as it does to the European styles of cookery imported by settlers, and this is reflected in the use of eastern spices and the names given to many of these dishes.
-===Indian cookery===
+The Xhosa are part of the southern [[Nguni]] migration which slowly moved south from the region around the [[African Great Lakes|Great Lakes]].  Xhosa peoples were well established by the time of the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] arrival in the mid-1600s, and occupied much of eastern South Africa from the Fish River to land inhabited by Zulu-speakers south of the modern city of Durban [http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Xhosa.html].
-[[Curry]] dishes are popular in South Africa among people of all ethnic origins; many dishes came to the country with the thousands of [[Asians in South Africa|Indian]] labourers brought to South Africa in the nineteenth century.
-==Restaurants and fast food outlets==
+Xhosa society was historically viewed as an open society because of its readiness to learn from, trade and interact with other societies. They interacted with the Khoi and the San, foraging and nomadic herding peoples from whose languages many of the features of the modern Xhosa language, including [[click consonant]]s, were borrowed.
-South Africa can be said to have a real "eating out" culture. While there are some restaurants that specialize in traditional South African dishes or modern interpretations thereof, restaurants featuring other cuisines such as [[Morocco|Moroccan]], [[China|Chinese]], [[West Africa|West African]], [[Congo|Congolese]] and [[Japan|Japanese]] can be found in all of the major cities and many of the larger towns. In addition, there are also a large number of home-grown chain restaurants, such as [[Spur (restaurant chain)|Spur]] and [[Dulce Cafe]].
-There is also a proliferation of [[fast food]] restaurants in South Africa. While there are some international players such as [[McDonalds]] and [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]] active in the country, they face stiff competition from local chains such as [[Nando's]] and [[Steers]].
+The Xhosa and white settlers first encountered one another around [[Somerset East]] in the early 1700s. In the late 1700s [[Afrikaner]] [[trekboer]]s migrating outwards from Cape Town came into conflict with Xhosa pastoralists around the [[Great Fish River]] region of the Eastern Cape. Following [[Cape Frontier Wars|more than 20 years of intermittent conflict]], from 1811 to 1812 the Xhosas were forced east by [[British Empire|British]] colonial forces in the [[Third Frontier War]].
-Many of the restaurant chains originating from South-Africa have also expanded successfully outside the borders of the country.
+In the years following, many Xhosa-speaking clans were pushed west by expansion of the [[Zulu]]s, as the northern [[Nguni]] put pressure on the southern Nguni as part of the historical process known as the [[mfecane]], or "scattering". Xhosa unity and ability to resist colonial expansion was further weakened by the [[famine]]s and political divisions that followed the [[History of Cape Colony from 1806 to 1870#The Great amaXhosa Famine|cattle-killing movement of 1856]]. Historians now view this movement as a [[Millenialism|millenialist]] response both directly to a lung disease spreading among Xhosa cattle at the time, and less directly to the stress to Xhosa society caused by the continuing loss of their territory and autonomy. At least one historian has also suggested that it can be seen as a rebellion against the upper classes of Xhosa society, which used cattle as a means of consolidating wealth and political power, and which had lost respect as they failed to hold back white expansion.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
-==Typical South African foods and dishes==
+Some historians argue that this early absorption into the wage economy is the ultimate origin of the long history of trade union membership and political leadership among Xhosa people. That history manifests itself today in high degrees of Xhosa representation in the leadership of the [[African National Congress]], South Africa's ruling political party.
-*[[Biltong]], a salty dried meat (similar to [[jerky (food)|jerky]])
-*[[Bobotie]], a dish of [[Malaysia|Malay]] descent, is like [[meatloaf]] with [[raisin]]s and with baked [[egg (food)|egg]] on top, and is often served with yellow [[rice]], [[sambal]]s, [[coconut]], [[banana]] slices, and [[chutney]]
+==Language==
-*[[Boerewors]], a [[sausage]] that is traditionally ''[[braai]]ed'' ([[barbeque]]d)
-*[[Bunny chow]], [[curry]] stuffed into a hollowed-out loaf of bread
+{{main|Xhosa language}}
-*[[Chutney]], a sweet sauce made from fruit that is usually poured on meat, especially a local brand called ''[[Mrs Ball's Chutney]]''
-*''[[Frikkadel]]le'' - [[meatballs]]
+Xhosa is an [[agglutinative]] [[Tone (linguistics)|tonal language]] of the [[Bantu languages|Bantu family]].  While the Xhosas call their language "isiXhosa," the most common name in English is "Xhosa."  Written Xhosa uses a [[Latin alphabet]]-based system.  Xhosa is spoken by about 18% of the South African population, and has some mutual intelligibility with Zulu.  Many Xhosa speakers, particularly those living in urban areas, also speak Zulu and/or [[Afrikaans]] and/or English.
-*''Gesmoorde vis'', salted [[cod]] with [[potato]]es and [[tomato]]es and sometimes served with [[apricot]] jam
-*''Hoenderpastei'', chicken pie, traditional [[Afrikaans]] fare
+Among its features, the Xhosa language famously has fifteen click sounds, originally borrowed from now extinct [[Khoisan]] languages of the region.  Xhosa has three<!-- Yes, really only three! --> basic click consonants: a [[dental click]], written with the letter "c"; an [[Postalveolar click|alveolar click]], written with the letter "q"; and a [[lateral alveolar click|lateral click]], written with the letter "x."  There is also a simple inventory of five vowels (a, e, i, o, u).
-*''[[Isidudu]]'', pumpkin pap
-*[[Koeksister]]s come in two forms and are a sweet delicacy. Afrikaans koeksisters are twisted [[pastry|pastries]], deep fried and heavily sweetened. Koeksisters found on the [[Cape Flats]] are sweet and spicy, shaped like large eggs, and deep-fried
+[[Image:Xhosa-children.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Xhosa children at [[Transkei]]]]
-*[[Malva Pudding]], a sweet spongy [[Apricot]] [[pudding]] of [[Netherlands|Dutch]] origin.
-*''[[Mashonzha]]'', made from the [[mopane worm]]
+==Folklore and religion==
-*''[[Melktert]]'' (milk tart), a milk-based tart or dessert
-*''[[Melkkos]]'' (milk food), another milk-based dessert
+Traditional Xhosa culture includes [[Divination|diviners]] known as [[sangoma]], who serve as herbalists, prophets, and healers for the community. This job is mostly taken by women, who spend five years in apprenticeship.
-*[[Mealie-bread]], a sweet bread baked with [[sweetcorn]]
-*[[Mielie-meal]], one of the staple foods, often used in baking but predominantly cooked into [[pap (food)|pap]], or ''phutu'', a traditional [[Bantu]] [[porridge]] which is usually eaten with [[bean]]s, [[gravy]], or [[meat]]
+The Xhosas have a strong oral tradition with many stories of ancestral heroes; according to tradition, the leader from whose name the Xhosa people take their name was the first human on Earth.  Other traditions have it that all Xhosas are descended from one ancestor named Tshawe [http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Xhosa.html].
-*[[Ostrich]] is an increasingly popular [[protein]] source as it has a low [[cholesterol]] content; it is either used in a stew or filleted and grilled
-*''Pampoenkoekies'' (pumpkin fritters), ''patatrolle'' (sweet potato rolls) and a further variety of baked goods where flour has been supplemented with or replaced by [[pumpkin]] or [[sweet potato]]
+The key figure in the Xhosa oral tradition is the ''imbongi'' (plural: ''iimbongi'') or praise singer. ''Iimbongi'' traditionally live close to the chief’s "great place" (the cultural and political focus of his activity); they accompany the chief on important occasions - the ''imbongi'' Zolani Mkiva preceded [[Nelson Mandela]] at his Presidential inauguration in 1994. Iimbongis' poetry, called ''isibongo'', praises the actions and adventures of chiefs and ancestors [http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Xhosa.html].
-*''Potbrood'' (pot bread), savoury bread baked over coals in cast-iron pots
-*''[[Potjiekos]]'', a traditional [[African]] [[stew]] made with meat and vegetables and cooked over coals in [[cast-iron]] pots
+The supreme being is called uThixo or uQamata. Ancestors act as intermediaries and play a part in the lives of the living; they are honoured in rituals. Dreams play an important role in divination and contact with ancestors.  Traditional religious practice features rituals, initiations, and feasts. Modern rituals typically pertain to matters of illness and psychological well-being.
-*[[Rusk]]s, a rectangular, hard, dry [[biscuit]] eaten after being dunked in [[tea]] or [[coffee]]; they are either home-baked or shop-bought (with the most popular brand being ''[[Ouma Rusks]]'')
-*[[Samosa]] or ''samoosa'', a savoury stuffed [[Indians in South Africa|Indian]] [[pastry]] that is fried
+Christian missionaries established outposts among the Xhosa in the 1820s, and the first [[Bible]] translation was in the mid-1850s, partially done by [[Henry Hare Dugmore]].  Xhosa did not convert in great numbers until the 1900s, but now many are [[Christian]], particularly within the [[African Initiated Church]]es such as the [[Zion Christian Church]].  Some denominations combine Christianity with traditional beliefs.
-*[[Sosatie]]s, grilled marinated meat on a [[skewer]]
-*[[Tomato bredie]], a [[lamb]] and [[tomato]] [[stew]]
+===Rites of passage===
-*[[Trotter]]s and [[Bean]]s, from the [[Eastern Cape|Cape]], made from boiled pig's or sheep's trotters and [[onion]]s and beans
-*''[[Umngqusho]]'', a dish made from [[semolina]] and black-eyed [[pea]]s
+One traditional ritual that is still regularly practiced is the manhood ritual, a secret rite that marks the transition from boyhood to adulthood.    The initiates (''abakwetha'') live in isolation for up to several weeks, often in the mountains.  They smear white clay on their bodies and observe numerous taboos.  The culmination of the rite is ritual [[circumcision]].
-*''[[Vetkoek]]'' (fat cake), deep-fried [[dough]] balls, typically stuffed with meat or served with jam
-*''[[Waterblommetjiebredie|Waterblommetjie bredie]]'' (water flower stew), meat [[stew]]ed with the flower of the [[Cape Pondweed]]
+In modern times the practice has caused controversy, with over 300 circumcision- and initiation-related deaths since 1994, and the spread of [[STD|sexually transmitted diseases]] including [[HIV]] via the practice of circumcising initiates  with the same blade [http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/news/n06_04042007.htm].  In March of 2007 a controversial mini-series dealing with Xhosa circumcision and initiation rites debuted on [[SABC]].  Titled ''Umthunzi Wentaba'', the series was taken off the air after complaints by traditional leaders that the rites are secret and not to be revealed to non-initiates and women [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=125&art_id=vn20070402030110687C620435].
+Girls are also initiated into womanhood.  They too are secluded, though for a shorter period.  Female initiates are not [[Female genital cutting|circumcised]] [http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Xhosa.html].
+Other rites include the seclusion of mothers for ten days after giving birth, and the burial of the [[afterbirth]] and [[umbilical cord]] near the village.  This is reflected in the traditional greeting ''Inkaba yakho iphi?'', literally "Where is Your Navel?"  The answer "tells someone where you live, what your clan affiliation is, and what your social status is [and] contains a wealth of cultural information.  Most importantly, it determines where you belong" [http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/researchandstudents/news.cfm?story=43671].
+==Traditional diet==
+The Xhosa settled on mountain slopes of the Amatola and the Winterberg Mountains. Many streams drain into great rivers of this Xhosa territory including the Kei and Fish Rivers. Rich soils and plentiful rainfall make the river basins good for farming and grazing making cattle important and the basis of wealth.
+Traditional foods include [[beef]], [[mutton]], and goat meat, [[sorghum]], [[maize]] and ''umphokoqo'' (dry maize porridge), "umngqusho" made from dried, stamped cord and dried beans), [[milk]] (often [[sour milk|sour]], called "amasi"), pumpkins, beans, and [[vegetables]]. The major mealtimes are breakfast and dinner.
+==Arts and crafts==
+Traditional crafts include beadwork, weaving, and pottery.
+Traditional music features drums, rattles, whistles, flutes, mouth harps, and stringed-instruments and especially group singing accompanied by hand clapping [http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Xhosa.html].  There are songs for various ritual occasions; one of the best-known Xhosa songs is a wedding song called ''Qongqongthwane'', performed by [[Miriam Makeba]] as ''Click Song #1''.  Besides Makeba, several modern groups record and perform in Xhosa.
+Missionaries introduced the Xhosa to Western choral singing [http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Xhosa.html]. [[Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika]], part of the [[National anthem of South Africa]] is a Xhosa hymn written in 1897 by [[Enoch Sontonga]].
+The first newspapers, novels, and plays in Xhosa appeared in the nineteenth century [http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Xhosa.html], and Xhosa poetry is also gaining reknown.
+Several films have been shot in the Xhosa language.  [[U-Carmen eKhayelitsha]] is a modern remake of [[Bizet]]'s 1875 opera [[Carmen]]. It is shot entirely in Xhosa, and combines music from the original opera with traditional African music. It takes place in the Cape Town township of [[Khayelitsha]].
+==Xhosas in modern society==
+Xhosa people currently make up approximately 18% of the South African population.  While there have been many improvements in Xhosa people's lives since the abolition of apartheid, many of the effects of the policy remain.
+There are high rates of poverty among Xhosas; Xhosa people make up some of the poorest of South Africans, but a minority of Xhosas are among the wealthiest [http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Xhosa.html].
+Under apartheid, adult literacy rates were as low as 30% [http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Xhosa.html], and [[As of 1996|in 1996]] studies estimated the literacy level of first-language Xhosa speakers at approximately 50% [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=xho].  There have been advances in since then, however.  For example, most of the students at the [[University of Fort Hare]] are Xhosa.
+Education in primary schools serving Xhosa-speaking communities is in the Xhosa language, but this is replaced by English after the early primary grades.  Xhosa is still studied as a subject, however, and it is possible to major in Xhosa at the university level.
+Many rural Xhosa now have the choice of migrating to cities in search of employment, whereas under apartheid it was only possible for Xhosa men to seek employment in the mining industry as so-called migrant labourers.
+==Xhosas in popular culture==
+The [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Xhosa ''Xhosa''], named for the Xhosa people, is the name of the freighter commanded by [[Kasidy Yates]] in the science fiction television series ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''.
+There is also an underground Canadian Rock band by the name of Xhosa fronted by Craig McCue
+==Notable Xhosa==
+[[Nelson Mandela]] is a Xhosa-speaking member of the Thembu people. [[Charlize Theron]] is a compotent Xhosa-speaker.
+Other famous Xhosa speakers include:
+[[Amampondo]]{{·}} [[Stephen Biko]]{{·}} [[Fats Bookulane]]{{·}} [[Brenda Fassie]]{{·}} [[Ken Gampu]]{{·}} [[Chris Hani]]{{·}} [[General Bantu Holomisa]]{{·}} [[Archibald Campbell Jordan]]{{·}} [[John Kani]]{{·}} [[Winnie Madikizela-Mandela]]{{·}} [[Miriam Makeba]]{{·}} [[Govan Mbeki]]{{·}} [[Thabo Mbeki]]{{·}} [[S.E.K. Mqhayi]]{{·}} [[Victoria Mxenge]]{{·}} [[Bongani Ndodana]]{{·}} [[Bulelani Ngcuka]]{{·}} [[Makhaya Ntini]]{{·}} [[Winston Ntshona]]{{·}} [[Percy Qoboza]]{{·}} [[Walter Sisulu]]{{·}} [[Robert Sobukwe]]{{·}} [[Enoch Sontonga]]{{·}} [[Oliver Tambo]]{{·}} [[Zwelithini Tunyiswa]]{{·}} [[Desmond Tutu]]{{·}} [[Ashley Buti]]{{·}} [[St John Page Yako]]{{·}} Dr. George Clark{{Fact|date=March 2007}}
+==See also==
+*[[Partners Across The Ocean]]
+*[[South African Translators' Association]]
 ==References==
-*Coetzee, Renata, 1977. ''The South African Culinary Tradition'', C. Struik Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa.
+* [http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/demographics/census-main.htm Results of the 2001 South African census]
-*Leipoldt, C. Louis, 1976. ''Leipoldt’s Cape Cookery'', Fleesch and Partners, Cape Town, South Africa.
+::Note that the figure mentioned on this page is based upon the number of people speaking [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]] as their home language, which may be greater or less than the total number of people claiming Xhosa descent. In addition, several million people in the Johannesburg-Soweto region speak Xhosa or [[Zulu]] as a second or third language. For a majority of these, the two languages become difficult to distinguish (unsurprising given the extreme closeness of their linguistic relationship).
-*Van Wyk, B. and Gericke, N., 2000. ''People's plants: A guide to useful plants of Southern Africa'', Briza, [[Pretoria]], [[South Africa]].
+* Reader, J., 1997. ''[[Africa]]: A Biography of the Continent'', Vintage Books, [[New York]], NY, United States of America.
-*Wylie, D., 2001. ''Starving on a Full Stomach: Hunger and the Triumph of Cultural Racism in Modern South Africa'', University of Virginia Press, Charlottesville, VA., United States of America.
+* Kaschula, Russell ''[[The Heritage Library of African People]]:  Xhosa,'' New York:  The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 1997.
-*[http://www.routledge-ny.com/ref/africanhist/farming.html Routledge Encyclopaedia of Africa - Farming]
 ==External links==
-*[http://www.southafrica.info/plan_trip/holiday/food_wine/food.htm South African cuisine - International Marketing Council of South Africa web site]
+{{interwiki|code=xh}}
-*[http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/southafrica/eating.html Eating the South African way]
+* [http://www.rhi.org.za/index.php?ref=articles&do=rd&artid=5 Xhosa History and Society]
+* [http://www.statssa.gov.za/census2001/digiAtlas/index.html 2001 Digital Census Atlas]
-{{Cuisine of Africa}}
+* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/xft/ Xhosa Folklore] - a collection of Xhosa folklore collected in 1886.
-{{South African topics}}
+* [http://www.google.com/intl/xh/ Xhosa Google] - Google interface in Xhosa
+<br/>{{Ethnic groups in South Africa}}
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-[[Category:South African cuisine| ]]
+[[Category:Xhosa| ]]
-[[Category:African cuisine|South Africa]]
+[[Category:Ethnic groups in South Africa]]
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+[[br:Xhosa (pobl)]]
-[[fr:Cuisine sud-africaine]]
+[[ca:Xoses]]
-[[uk:Південноафриканська кухня]]
+[[da:Xhosa-folket]]
+[[de:Xhosa (Volk)]]
+[[es:Xhosa]]
+[[gl:Xhosa]]
+[[it:Xhosa]]
+[[nl:Xhosa (volk)]]
+[[pt:Xhosa]]
+[[sh:Xhosa]]
+[[fi:Xhosat]]