Jama kaNdaba
Jama | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1727 |
| Died | 1781 |
| Spouse(s) | Mthaniya Sibisi |
| Children | Senzangakhona kaJama Mkabayi kaJama Phalo ka Jama, Nobhongoza kaJama, Mfolozi kaJama, Mamma kaJama, Nokhokhela kaJama |
| Parent(s) | Ndaba kaMageba |
| Relatives | Mageba (grandfather) Shaka (grandson) |
Jama kaNdaba (c. 1727–1781), the son of Ndaba kaMageba, was a chief of the Zulu clan from 1763 to 1781. His grandfather was Chief Mageba kaGumede.
Biography[]
His name is derived from the Zulu word meaning "he of the stern countenance".
Marriage[]
He married, amongst others, Mthaniya Sibiya, who bore him Senzangakhona, who succeeded him.[1] Senzangakhona was the father of the three Zulu kings, including the greatest, Shaka. He also had a daughter named Mkabayi kaJama.[2]
His daughter Mkabayi[]
Mkabayi singlehandedly courted Mthaniya for her father Jama who was aging without having a successor. She did this without her father’s knowledge and when he found out he said: "Nenzengakhona", which means "you have done accordingly." Mthaniya’s first son was named Senzangakhona – "we have done accordingly", after his sister’s efforts to find her father a successor. Mkabayi was a twin and Zulu custom dictated that one of the twins be sacrificed to evade bad luck that would result in the death of one of the parents.[3]
Jama refused to kill one of his girls and broke a known tradition. Consequently his wife died without bearing him a successor. Mkabayi devoted her whole life in looking after the Zulu Kingdom due to the sacrifice her parents made for her to live.
Sources[]
- 1757 births
- 1781 deaths
- Zulu kings
- 18th-century monarchs in Africa