The response of the people of Msinga in the Tugela Valley embraces all these factors to produce a surprising solution that distills a new response to the architectural description of a social exit from the peasantry. For the sake of simplicity, in most of the text, I am retaining the use of Msinga and Mzinyathi.
Historic Background
The arrival of the Zulu
The Zulu people are relative newcomers to the area, arriving on the eastern coast in the 16th and 17th centuries, as southern waves of a number of migrating tribes from the southern Nguni. The short lengths of the branches of this tree meant that bending would occur at the joints in the frame.
Diasporas and resettlements
Smaller rods are slung all round or tied closely to the ribs with strips of the inner bark of the mimosa or other tree. Lack of early written and drawn documentation inland from the rich grasslands of the coastal coast towards the Drakensberg Mountains may also be a result of the limitations of exploration to the interior.
Homestead Layout
Hut Layout
The layout of the actual hut, as part of the homestead, is also important, as this pattern is reflected in the Msinga samples. The left side of the hut (isandla sokunxele) is reserved for women and is known as the isilili sesifazane.
Taxonomy of building forms .1 Introduction
- The Domical Form
- Cylindrical form
- Rectangular buildings
- Other regular building forms
This would include the buildings of the amaNgwane (originally of Swazi origin) in the Bergville district of KwaZulu-Natal. These are unique in the province and occur within the defined area of Msinga.
Indigenous Architecture at Risk
In Msinga, however, this economic transition occurs with interesting and unique consequences; here, a circular building is perceived as being modern, which it contrasts with the grass dome, which has died out in the last 25 years, but not unlike a 2-bedroom cottage. In addition, the rapid reconstruction and development of buildings in the last decade heralds the constant creation of new traditional and vernacular architectures, which should be documented in their ingenious and coordinated ways of solving problems from a cultural, material, social aesthetic and spatial point of view. .
Conclusion
INTRODUCTION TO THE MSINGA VALLEY 2.1 Introduction
Geographical and Political Boundaries
Map of Msinga: the dotted area to the north indicates the new boundaries of Umzinyathi Regional Council, but the study area is contained within the hard edges. 17 With the political delimitation of the regional council's boundaries, Umzinyathi regional council has extra land to the north.
Transport and Access
Indeed, the importance of the trade store in the infrastructure and development of rural areas cannot be overemphasized. These shops were in the Msinga area long before the turn of the twentieth century.
Climate
Keates Drift is a much smaller village than Tugela Ferry, consisting of the Keats (sic) Drift Trading Store, Mr Majola's shop and tavern, and a few cash and carry shops. The Mooi River at Keates Drift is also the origin of a popular type of natural stone cement block (size M140) which is made in a local block yard on the edge of the river.
Geology
Vegetation
The rapid spread of succulents and aloes is a result of the constant overgrazing and 'slash and burn' farming that is practiced. Implications for house building are the limitations posed by the area's scarce plant resources.
Population
Robbins23 notes that the 1970 census estimates the population of the area at about 115,000 and the 1980 census is apparently not completed in Msinga. This is attributed to factional fighting, male absence and migration and explains the dominance of women in many of the houses we visited (Jennings;1993:15).
Community Facilities .1 Educational
- Social Organisations
- Security
- Welfare and Pensions
- Religious Organisations
- Health Care
This social service office is based in Tugela Ferry and its staff spend a lot of time tracing family members. The Church of Scotland hospital at Tugela Ferry has been a single source of formal treatment in the valley for many years.
Social History
In 1849, the Mzinyathi and Impafana locations were established, which were administered by the Klip River Authority. This is reinforced by an earlier motivated application for outspan on the north side of the Tugela by Henry Francis Fynn Jr.
Political Background
To obtain and interpret information, one must work from both sides of the political spectrum. On the one hand, individual home owners and propriety insist that due process be done through the correct channels of iNduna and iNkosi.
Mibrant Labour
The area's contentious politics have been one of the leading factors contributing to the perception of Msinga as a 'no-go' area. According to Alcock and others, this migrant labor problem was a major impetus in the development of the Msinga painted hut, and could in fact have contributed to the flourishing creativity of the area as a whole (Alcock;2000:pers.comm).
Social Organisations
Ramdhani comments that as early as the 1890s, homesteads were characterized by poor maintenance of huts due to the increase in migrant labor (Ramdhani;1985:140). Nowadays, pure absenteeism is a social problem: men go to cities to look for work and settle there as job seekers.
Pastoralism
Migrant culture also had a detrimental effect on the larger society, with absentee workers having wives in the city as well as the Msinga Valley, spreading social ills and limiting the purchasing power of their incomes. As commented elsewhere, these tanks are a social hub for the men in the same way that water collection sites are often a hub for women (Larkan;2000: . pers.comm).
Agriculture
One of the most important informal and illegal crops grown in the area is marijuana (dagga Cannabis sativa).
Particular Social Issues in Msinga
- Poverty
- Gunrunning
- Illegal Crops
A 1998 report by Scott Wilson identified Msingo as the poorest area in the region. This cyclical nature of the year was also emphasized by the summer visits of police helicopters in fiery operations.
Overgrazing2.14.5
Both the physical and financial returns were welcomed, to the extent that people say the repainting of the farms happened just before the Christmas period, and not necessarily after the men had come home with money. This meant that construction of the houses started in August and September, the thatch was cut in October at the latest, after which the walls were packed and the hut was ready before Christmas.
Cyclical Nature of the Year2.14.4
Faction Fighting
It is important to note that the factional battles are not only inter-tribal, but also intra-tribal. Ngwane says that according to her experience, the incidence of factional fighting has been reduced in recent years (Ngwane;2001 :pers.comm).
Conclusions
And you get your income from dagga. But humor is your remarkable quality. I saw your smile during my short stay with you. And I've heard stories of your sorrows of old.
MATERIAL CULTURE OF THE MSINGA VALLEY
Introduction
For example, the dating of sites in the archaeological record is made possible by the consistency of decoration and artifacts that are excavated. In the Msinga valley, experimentation and deepening in e.g. the ceramics a physical expression of creativity and the pursuit of diversity.
The Non-material Culture .1 Tlladitionalism
- Sign and Symbol
- Religious Beliefs
- Anthropological issues
This religious affair of the pots is transferred to the umsamo, that part of the hut which is reserved as a sacred place for the ancestors. It is important to understand that the sense of tradition and privacy among this particular group of Zulu is strong.
The Material Culture .1 Dress
- Ceramics 3.3.3 Beadwork
- Woodcarving
- Dolls
- Earplugs
- Architecture
- Conclusion
He attributed this popularity to a more efficient road network after the tarring of the road in the late 1960s. As mentioned in the introduction, many of the homesteads of the Msinga area are decorated.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE MSINGA VALLEY
Map Of Survey Area
Synopsis of Method of Study
This sample size did not affect the categorization of the houses, as the general characteristics of the different houses and their decorative traditions were evident without a direct interview. This made it impractical to approach each house directly for a thorough survey, when the essence of individual ornamentation could be photographed.
Historical Homestead Layout
The cost of thatching the rondavels is still expensive, although they are still cheaper than a beehive hut. The modern homestead plans are more rectilinear, but still follow the basic principles of the central cattle pattern with the isibaya in the middle.
Present Homestead Layout
Rather than the umuz being built in a circular pattern to reflect the larger ethos of the hut itself, as in historical examples; Msinga houses are usually built around a square isibaya (as the sloping landscape allows) with terraces that force a regular rather than circular pattern. Reusch sees the fact that the pots are burned away from the house as important and part of the whole ritual (Reusch.
Homestead layouts
- Homestead 1
- Homestead 2
- Homestead 3
- Homestead IV
- Homestead V
- Homestead VI
This homestead consists entirely of 15 units, of which 9 are bedrooms, 5 are kitchens and one is a 'flat'. The family is Christian. Each of the larger rectangular buildings on the homestead had drums that collected runoff from the roof.
Structure
- isicolo sikarondi
- Roof
- Ceiling
- Eaves
- Centre post (insika)
- Walls
- Windows (iwindl1 and eills
- Doors (isikapha)
- Skirts (isifupa)
This is despite the fact that it is structurally the weakest part of the roof, in light of its exposure to the elements. According to the Sithole farm women, two types of thatch are needed in the 'right' roof.
Structure and Process
The perception of the danger of lightning is very real, especially when the historical tradition of living in vulnerable grass buildings is a recent memory.
Lightning protection
- Gender Roles
- Materials Procurement
- Maintenance
- Decoration
- Type 3
- Type 5
- Type 6
- Other Types
- Internal Elaboration
- Adaptation and Change In Buildings
A feature of Msinga homes, modern decorative plastering and painting is usually applied by women. The decoration inside the Zulu beehive hut was mentioned earlier.
CHAPTERS CONCLUSIONS
This connection between belief and artifact is deeply rooted in the tradition of the area. Guy, J ('1994) The Destruction of The Zulu Kingdom, TheCivil War in Zululand 1879-1884 A report prepared for ISER and the UrbanFoundation Pietermaritzburg, University of Natal Press Jolles, F (1993) Traditional Zulu Beadwork of the Msinga.
