inkatha, noun

/ɪŋˈkɑːtə/
Forms:
Also inkata.
Origin:
IsiZuluShow more IsiZulu, in full inkatha yesizwe ‘inkatha of the nation’.
1.
a. A Zulu national emblem in the form of a grass coil entrusted to the king, symbolising the nation’s unity and strength.
1914 B. ka Silwana in Jrnl of Sn Afr. Studies (1978) Vol.4 No.2, 188The inkata’s purpose is to keep our nation standing firm. The binding round and round symbolizes the binding together of the people so that they should not be scattered.
1949 O. Walker Proud Zulu (1951) 52‘They tell me..that you’re about as close to the Royal councils as the king’s inKata.’ (the sacred grassring on which Mpande sat for certain ceremonials).
1970 J.P. van S. Bruwer in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. II. 119The paramount chief of the Zulu..possessed the inkatha or sacred headring, which was made of special components and was supposed to imbue the paramount chief and the nation with strength.
1978 S. Marks in Jrnl of Sn Afr. Studies Vol.4 No.2, 188The inkatha ye[si]zwe, or ‘grass coil of the nation’,..was an actual ritual object, 15 or 18 inches in diameter, which was inherited by Shaka’s successors, and kept at the royal headquarters.
1981 M. Kunene Anthem of Decades p.xxThe Zulu national symbol is the sacred band (inkatha yesizwe) shaped in a circular form and representing the national ethos.
1987 Clarion Call (Special ed.) 7An ‘Inkatha’ is so powerfully woven together that it does not crumble and break, it does not slip and dislodge its burden. An ‘Inkatha’ carries the weight of the nation, the treasures of the nation, and the burdens of the people.
b. A grass or cloth coil placed on the head to cushion the burden of a water vessel or other load.
1978 S. Marks in Jrnl of Sn Afr. Studies Vol.4 No.2, 188An inkata or inkatha is literally ‘a grass coil placed on the head for carrying a load’.
1982 Optima Vol.30 No.3, 141 (caption)Zulu woman..is cushioning weight of container with a cloth inkatha.
1985 Fair Lady 6 Feb. 82An inkatha is the coronet of twisted cloth that eases the burden and helps to balance a heavy load carried on the head.
2. Always with initial capital. [Short for Inkatha ya ka Zulu, Inkatha ya kwa Zulu ‘Coil of the Zulu Nation’, and later Inkatha Yenkululeko Yesizwe ‘Coil of the Freedom of the Nation’.] A Zulu national cultural movement, originally founded in the early 1920s by King Solomon Dinizulu, recreated in 1975 by Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, and transformed into the Inkatha Freedom Party (see IFP) in 1990; a member of this movement or party. Also attributive.
[1924 L.E. Oscroft in Jrnl of Sn Afr. Studies (1978) Vol.4 No.2, 188The real object [of the newly-formed Zulu National Council, Inkatha] is to unite all black races...They consider that the native is victimised in many ways and receives unfair and unjust treatment from the white man.]
1976 Sunday Times 9 MayInkatha..is termed a Zulu National Liberation Movement...Inkatha is seen as a means for Blacks, significantly not just Zulus, unilaterally to determine political policies independently of the White Government.
1977 Sunday Times 25 Sept. 19The Zulu ladies, immaculate in their Inkatha uniforms of green, gold and black — the colours of the old ANC in the days when Chief Albert Luthuli held centre stage as Chief Buthelezi does today.
1979 M.G. Buthelezi Power Is Ours 61I have been elected by the assembly twice without any division. I am the President of Inkatha, the largest liberation movement of its type within South Africa.
1979 Frontline Dec. 21Zulu women, carrying waterpails or other burdens on their heads, use a soft pad or strip of blanket to soften the discomfort of the burden. That pad is an Inkatha. The pad symbolised the purpose of Inkatha kaZulu when King Zolomon ka Dinizulu founded it in 1928. Today, Inkatha claims bigger designs. It’s purpose is no longer to soften the burden, but to throw it off altogether.
1984 R. Davies et al. Struggle for S. Afr. II. 388The origins of Inkatha date back to the 1920s when the Zulu monarch, King Solomon, formed Inkatha Ya Ka Zulu (Zulu national movement) in an attempt to generate mass support for the monarchy faced with the disintegration of pre-capitalist social relations. It was revived by Buthelezi in 1975 and its name modified to Inkatha ye Nkululeko Ye Sizwe.
1986 New African May 11Gatsha Buthelezi, the Chief Minister of KwaZulu and leader of the Inkatha movement, convened a conference — a ‘grand indaba’ — last month to discuss establishing a multi-racial government and assembly in Natal.
1987 Clarion Call (Special ed.) 32The Constitution Of Inkatha:..We..declare ourselves a non-violent national cultural liberation movement..desiring to abolish all forms of discrimination and segregation based on tribe, clan, sex, colour or creed.
1990 Weekend Argus 17 Feb. 13The worst of these conflicts is between the United Democratic Front, an ally of Mandela’s own African National Congress, and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s tribally-based Inkatha movement.
1990 S. Ntshakala in New African 10 Oct. 6Dr Frank Mdlalose, KwaZulu Minister of Health and national chairperson of the Inkatha Freedom Party.
1991 S. Macleod in Time 5 Aug. 10Inkatha, a predominantly Zulu group battling the African National Congress for the support of South Africa’s 28,5 million blacks.
1991 C. Smith in Sunday Times 22 Sept. 29ANC ‘sojas’ leap from an alley between two shacks and after a dusty, confused battle put the ‘Inkathas’ to flight.
1992 Race Rel. Survey 1991–2 (S.A.I.R.R.) 32In Ulundi..at a special conference in December 1990..Inkatha transformed itself into a fully fledged political party, the IFP, and adopted a new constitution.
A Zulu national emblem in the form of a grass coil entrusted to the king, symbolising the nation’s unity and strength.
A grass or cloth coil placed on the head to cushion the burden of a water vessel or other load.
Always with initial capital. [Short for Inkatha ya ka Zulu, Inkatha ya kwa Zulu ‘Coil of the Zulu Nation’, and later Inkatha Yenkululeko Yesizwe ‘Coil of the Freedom of the Nation’.]A Zulu national cultural movement, originally founded in the early 1920s by King Solomon Dinizulu, recreated in 1975 by Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, and transformed into the Inkatha Freedom Party (see IFP) in 1990; a member of this movement or party. Also attributive.
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Inkanyamba, nounn.inkosana, nounn.
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