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423:) was located in one such triangular compartment and had three or four entrances. His hut was very large and was kept very neat by attendants; it could easily accommodate 50 people. Modern archaeological excavations have revealed that the floor of this large hut was approximately 10 metres in diameter. Archaeologists found evidence inside the hut of 22 large supporting posts completely covered in glass beads. These had been noted in historical accounts by
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482:), were instantly condemned to die without a hearing. Dingane's subjects were often executed for supposed witchcraft, besides possessing prohibited beads, wearing clothes of a particular colour, or clothes that resembled those worn by the king. Casting a glance at any of the king's 500 concubines was also punishable by death.
355:) was situated behind a palisade fence on the southern, or higher, side of the oval-shaped complex, directly opposite the main entrance. The king, his mistresses and female attendants (Dingane never married officially), a total of at least 500 people, resided here. The women were divided into two groups, namely the black
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Retief, his son, men, and servants, about 100 people in total, were taken to kwaMatiwane hill, the site where
Dingane had thousands of other enemies executed. The Zulus killed the entire party by clubbing them and killed Retief last, so as to witness the deaths of his comrades. Their bodies were left
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and his entourage. The
British missionary and his staff had warned Retief that he was in danger from Dingane, but the chief had won the trekkers' trust and they did not listen. Dingane had them killed after agreeing to a large cession of land (which he may not have fully understood, as the document
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and his "victory commando" recovered the remains of the Retief party, and buried them in a mass grave on 21 December 1838. Also recovered was the undamaged deed of cession from Retief's leather purse, as later verified by a member of the "victory commando", E. F. Potgieter. An exact copy survives,
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region, although dated 4 February 1838, was signed by
Dingane on 6 February 1838, with the two sides recording three witnesses each. Dingane invited Retief's party to witness a special performance by his soldiers. Dingane ordered his soldiers to capture Retief's party of 70 and their coloured
277:(military settlement) contained between 1,400 and 1,700 huts, which could house between 5,000 and 7,000 residents. This number varied as regiments were called up at different times. The huts stood six to eight deep and formed a huge ring around an open area, known as the large cattle kraal (
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who, around 1829/30, was executed here with his followers after they had gone against
Dingane's rule. Reverend Francis Owen resided a short distance from the hill during the 1830s and remarked that the vultures circling over the bodies of those newly slain were a regular sight.
585:. The site of the Retief grave was more or less forgotten until pointed out in 1896 by J. H. Hattingh, a surviving member of Pretorius' commando. A monument recording the names of the members of Retief's delegation was erected near the grave in 1922.
296:) was on the northern, or lower, side of the slope against which the complex lay. This entrance was divided into two sections to control incoming and outgoing traffic. Narrow entrances at several places in the palisade controlled access to the
466:, would await their orders. The condemned were made to walk to this hill, their executioners following. Upon arriving at the spot, the condemned were clubbed to death. Their bodies were left in the open to be devoured by the birds by day, and
379:, a smaller number of girls, favoured by the king as his mistresses. A small settlement was built for them behind the main complex where they could enjoy some privacy. The remainder of the king's women were called the white
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region on 28 January 1838, in the belief that he could negotiate with
Dingane for permanent boundaries for the Natal settlement. The deed of cession of the
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on the hillside to be eaten by wild animals, as was
Dingane's custom with his enemies. Dingane immediately directed the attack on the Voortrekker
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302:. Inside the arena were smaller cattle enclosures; these were built bordering the inside palisade of the hut circle, and contained the herds.
283:). This space was also utilised for military parades and gatherings. The circle of huts was enclosed both inside and out by a strong defensive
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The rebuilt black isigodlo at uMgungundlovu, with the great audience hut at centre. The oval-shaped kraal enclosed the open area.
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On the south side, just behind the main complex, were three separate enclosed groups of huts. The centre group was used by the
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Dingane would pronounce a verdict in the company of his chiefs and principal men, while the executioners, armed with
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Dingane established his royal kraal, or capital, at uMgungundlovu in 1829. He took power in 1828 after assassinating
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were divided into compartments of about three huts each, enclosed by a two-metre-high hedge of intertwined
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Monument at the execution hill, commemorating the Retief delegation that was massacred here by
Dingane
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KwaMatiwane, or
Execution hill, is the ridge northeast of uMgungundlovu. It is so named after chief
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From the main entrance, which served as a dividing line between the eastern and western sections (
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On 6 February 1838, Execution hill became the place where
Dingane directed the killing of the
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Dingane ruled until 1840. His forces were overwhelmingly defeated by the Boers at the
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comprised about 100 privileged women, and within that group another elite called the
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Dambuza. Scattered among these huts were stilted huts used for storage of warriors'
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though the original was presumably lost in transit to the
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Rope of sand: the rise and fall of the Zulu Kingdom in the nineteenth century
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Bonar, Andrew Redman (1849). "1. Superstitions of the heathen: The Zulus".
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Dingaanstat: die Graf van Piet Retief en Sy Sewentig Burgers
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677:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 373–375.
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A large half-moon shaped area was included in the black
626:(3 ed.). Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson. pp. 15–21
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in 1829 in the eMakhosini valley against Lion hill (
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652:. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball. p. 66.
168:Location of Dingane's kraal, uMgungundlovu
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675:The Archaeology of southern Africa
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108:December 2010
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41:This article
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795:Zulu culture
762:31°16′3.35″E
759:28°26′9.23″S
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574:Blood River
561:servants.
542:Piet Retief
539:Voortrekker
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425:Piet Retief
229:Description
223:Zulu people
789:Categories
600:References
506:31°16′12″E
503:28°25′37″S
308:uhlangothi
249:Umkhumbane
196:Singonyama
78:newspapers
714:4 January
630:16 August
558:Umzimvubu
240:amakhanda
205:The name
187:amakhanda
456:Matiwane
443:isigodlo
407:isigodlo
401:isigodlo
382:isigodlo
370:isigodlo
364:isigodlo
358:isigodlo
352:isigodlo
315:isigodlo
285:palisade
567:laagers
479:sangoma
392:umkhosi
339:shields
299:ikhanda
273:ikhanda
262:iKhanda
253:Nzololo
218:indlovu
182:Dingane
92:scholar
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594:Mpande
554:Tugela
550:Tugela
473:induna
468:hyenas
437:uBheje
412:withes
334:induna
329:Ndlela
323:induna
293:isango
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376:bheje
235:Shaka
192:kraal
180:King
99:JSTOR
85:books
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679:ISBN
654:ISBN
632:2020
395:).
178:Zulu
71:news
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