ABSTRACT

The migration of the various northern Nguni groups during the nineteenth century is associated with a period of increased and extensive conflict throughout southern Africa. Central to the success of the nineteenth-century northern Nguni kingdoms was the utilisation of a social organisational system known as the regimental system. These regiments were housed in military settlements that would form the core of the various kingdoms’ administrative and military systems. From examining the various military settlements of the northern Nguni kingdoms, two different settlement variations can be observed. The first variant was utilised by the Zulu and Matabele with the second one used by the Ngoni and Swazi. This study advances a new hypothesis relating the nature and origins of these two variants. It is argued that they are more than reflections of the separate historical development of each northern Nguni kingdom and that they result instead from regional developments that occurred within the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The communities that utilise each variant can be linked both historically as well as geographically, with a very distinct geographical divide detectable between them. The hypothesis presented here therefore argues that these variants are reflective of at least two different and simultaneous regimental systems with different corresponding military settlements.

摘要

十九世纪期间，北部恩古尼族群的迁徙与整个南部非洲冲突加剧和广泛的时期有关。十九世纪北部恩古尼王国成功的核心是采用了一种被称为团制的社会组织体系。这些军团驻扎在军事定居点中，这些军事定居点将构成各个王国行政和军事系统的核心。通过研究北部恩古尼王国的各种军事定居点，可以观察到两种不同的定居点变化。第一个变体由祖鲁人和马塔贝莱人使用，第二个变体由恩戈尼人和斯威士兰人使用。这项研究提出了一个关于这两种变异的性质和起源的新假设。有人认为，它们不仅仅是每个北部恩古尼王国各自历史发展的反映，而是南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省内发生的区域发展的结果。使用每种变体的社区在历史上和地理上都可以联系起来，它们之间可以检测到非常明显的地理鸿沟。因此，这里提出的假设认为，这些变体反映了至少两个不同且同时存在的军团系统，具有不同的相应军事定居点。使用每种变体的社区在历史上和地理上都可以联系起来，它们之间可以检测到非常明显的地理鸿沟。因此，这里提出的假设认为，这些变体反映了至少两个不同且同时存在的军团系统，具有不同的相应军事定居点。使用每种变体的社区在历史上和地理上都可以联系起来，它们之间可以检测到非常明显的地理鸿沟。因此，这里提出的假设认为，这些变体反映了至少两个不同且同时存在的军团系统，具有不同的相应军事定居点。