NMMU held a drum ceremony for all of the international students today to open the school year. We all gathered outside where we received face paintings that had significant meanings. The dots and stripes that are painted refer to your marital status, sex (male|female), and age. Once we were marked the drum ceremony commenced. The ceremony was led by three men and one women from the Zulu tribe. The Zulu are a Bantu ethnic group of Southern Africa and the largest ethnic group in South Africa. They had us all grab a drum and follow the beat that they played. The overall sound and experience was inspiring. It was fun to play along and create music with them. After the drumming ended, the members of the Zulu tribe taught us a dance. They dance for many reasons which include: marriage, times of peace and happiness, feasts, and now the beginning of the school year. Down here in South Africa it is currently fall semester unlike Minnesota where it is spring semester. Once we had learned the dance, they took the entire group and split us into three smaller subgroups and had us perform. From there, one person was selected from each group to perform in front of everyone and to compete for a prize. To my surprise, I was chosen along with two other girls. We all performed the Zulu dance, which was extremely invigorating and fun, and then had the other students make noise for who they thought was best. I ended up taking home the prize which was a Zulu hand shaker that is used when making music and dancing. It is fun to have something to bring home and have to remember the fun time and ceremony.
Me with a Zulu member who taught us the dance and performed the opening drum ceremony. In my right hand is the hand shaker filled with small caps that make noise when shaken.
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