wargames and walking: Zululand day 5

`today we left Shakaland after a evening learning to stick fight and throw spears which was great fun , stick fighting is still the standard way to sort out differences although you can cause as much damage you want without the police getting involved you can no longer kill your opponant which seems not to be in favour with the Zulus .We headed fpr our next hotel the Itahla Game reserve ,on route we took in the battle of Ulundi and The site of Cetshwayos royal palace at Ondini . First stop was at the remote site of 2 Graves James Scott Douglas of the Royal Scots Fusiliers and William Cotter of the 17th Lancers , The pair were ambushed in a thick mist both put up a fight but were killled ,their bodies found a week later and buried on the spot were they fell .Ulundi Battlefield is marked by a fenced area that supposedly marks the shape of the British Square ( its not quite right ) and contains ahuge memorial and the graves of the British and colonial troops who fell ,it also contains a small memorial to the zulu fallen . The rest of the battle field is now covered in a zulu villlage .After smashing the Zulu army Chelmsford sent his troops to destroy the Royal Homestead situated on a hill overlooking the battlefield which they looted and burnt down .The heat of the flames turned the hut floors into a solid concrete like markers which are now being used to rebuild the homestead and a small musuem also celebrates the Zulus and Cetshwayo ,one of the exhibits is a repica cart of the one used to take the kings body to his final resting place ,beneath the replica are the remains of the original cart .To the zulu's cattle are very important and are still regarded as a status symbol and used as currency ,11 cows are required as a gift to the brides father if you wish to marry a zulu girl most of the herds wandered around freely but the owners know each cow without branding or marking them ,historically herds were gathered together so regimental shields could be cut from the hides ,each hide being similier so the regiments could be identified ,today the current zulu king keeps some of his cattle in the Krall at Ondini .Afterwards we moved to Itahla game reserve which we usesd as a base for the next few days ,this location was chosen as the wildlife ( leopards ,elephants Rhinos etc )and terrain are the same as it was in 1879 so to give us an idea what the British Invaders saw ,also Shaka Zulu wiped out a tribe on the site .