List of Zulu Regiments

There were a number of Zulu Regiments^[1]^[2] (known sometimes as "Impis"). Most were created during the reign of Shaka Zulu. This is a list of them.^[3]^{: 263–382}

List of Regiments

Name	Meaning	Date Raised	Age Group Birth Years
Ama-Wombe	Single Clash	1816	1775-1785
U-Kangela	Look-out	1816	1785-1790
Izin-Tenjana	ezakala O-Ngoye^[a]	1818-1819	1795-1798
U-Nomdayana		1820	1800
Ama-Pela	Cockroaches ^[b]	1821	1801
Ama-Kwenkwe		1822-1826	1802-1806
Izi-Kwembu		1822-1826	1802-1806
Izi-Zimazane		1822-1826	1802-1806
Jubingqwanda	Shorn Head-rings	1816	1785-1790
U-Dlambedlu	Wild Men	1816	1790-1795
Um-Gumanqa		1818-1819	1797-1798^[c]	Sub-division^[c]
Isi-Pezi		1818-1819	1797-1798^[c]
U-Mbonambi		1818-1819	1797-1798^[c]
U-Nteke		1818-1819	1797-1798^[c]
U-Gibabanye or Kipabanye	The Expellers	1820-1825	1800-1805
U-Fojisa		1820-1825	1800-1805
Im-Folozi		1820-1825	1800-1805
In-Dabakulu	The Great Affair	1820-1825	1800-1805
Fasimba	The Haze "Shaka's Own" ^[d]	1816		The Young Guard^[d]
Izi-Cwe	The Bushmen "Ngomane's Own" ^[d]	1816		The Young Guard^[d]
U-Dlangezwa		1823-1824
Um-Ota		1823-1824
Ulu-Tuli		1823-1824
Izi-Nyosi	The Bees ^[e]	1828

Divisions

Belebele Brigade/Division
Izim-Pohlo (Bachelors) or Isi-Klebe Division

Zulu Order of Battle at Isandlwana

The Zulu deployment at Isandhlwana shows the well-organized tactical system of the impi. The left horn worked with the chest to pin the British down, drawing the bulk of their fire. The right horn meanwhile circled around the mountain to attack the English rear. The reserves struck deeper, cutting off and pursuing fugitives, and eventually attacking Rorke's Drift.^[4]^: 49^[3]^{: 263–382}

22 January 1879

Left Horn (5,000 to 6,000 men^[3]^: 369^[2])
Regiment	Meaning^[5]
inGobamakhosi	"Benders of Kings" or "Humblers of Kings"
uMbonambi	"Seers of Evil" or "Evil Omen"
uVe	"Fly Catchers"

Right Horn (3,000 to 4,000 men^[6]^: 407–13^[f]^[2])
Regiment	Meaning^[5]
uDududu	"Support" or "Strengtheners"
uNokenke	"Skirmishers"
uNodwengu corps (part)	"Tearers" / or "Those Who Tear"

Chest (Main Force) (7,000 to 9,000 men^[3]^: 369^[2])
Regiment	Meaning^[5]
umKulushane	"Straight Line" or "Coming at you"
isAngqu	"White Tails" or "Orange River"
umCijo	"Sharp Points"
umHlanga	"Reeds"
uKhandampevu	The Beehive
uNodwengu corps (part)	"Tearers" / or "Those Who Tear"

Loins (Reserves) (4,000 to 5,000 men^[3]^: 370^[g]^[2])
Regiment	Meaning^[5]
Undi corps
uDloko	"Savage Fighters"
iNdluyengwe	"Leopard's Lair" or "spots"
Indlondlo	"Horned Vipers"
Uthulwana	"Dust Raisers"

Notes

^ "The Plovers who called out at Ngoye"
^ "The Cockroaches - Adopted from Zwide"
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Heavy influx of men due to the collapse of the Mtetwas and Qwabes. These 4 regiments (Um-Gumanqa, Isi-Pezi, U-Mbonambi, U-Nteke) sometimes formed a sub-division.
^ ^a ^b ^c Sometimes Fasimba (The Haze) Shaka's Own was grouped together with Izi-cwe (The Bushmen) Ngomane's Own as the Young Guard
^ Formed by Shaka from the senior u-dibi boys he withdrew from the Soshangane campaign in 1828
^ Colenso^[6] on pages 407-13 "records two accounts of Zulu eyewitness participants at the battle. In one account the Zulu army is described as:"... consisting of the Ulundi corps about 3,000 strong, the Nokenke Regiment, 2,000 strong; the Ngobamakosi Regiment, including the Uve, about 5,000 strong: the Umeityu, about 4,000 strong; the Nodengwu, 2,000 strong; the Umbonambi, 3,000 strong; and the Udlhoko, about 1,000 strong, or a total of about 20,000 men in all ..." and in the other account the Zulu army is described as "... eight regiments strong (20,000 to 25,000 men) ... The regiments were Kandampenvu (or Umcityu), Ngobamakosi, Uve, Nokenke, Umbonambi, Udhloko, Nodwengu (name of military kraal of the Inkulutyane Regiment), and Undi (which comprises the Tulwana, Ndhlodho, and Indhluyengwe)."
^ "played no part in the battle"

References

^ Dovey, John. "Resource Info: Shaka Zulu". South African Military Units. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Ritter, E.A. (1955). Shaka Zulu: The Rise of the Zulu Empire (5th ed.). Longmans, Green.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Morris, Donald R. (1998) [1965]. The Washing of the Spears: A History of the Rise of the Zulu Nation Under Shaka and Its Fall in the Zulu War of 1879 (Illustrated. Reprint ed.). Da Capo Press. ISBN 9780306808661. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
^ Knight, Ian (2002). Isandlwana 1879: The Great Zulu Victory (Illustrated ed.). Osprey. ISBN 9781841765112. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bryant, Alfred T. (1905). A Zulu-English dictionary with notes on pronunciation, a revised orthography and derivations and cognate words from many languages; including also a vocabulary of Hlonipa words, tribal-names, etc., a synopsis of Zulu grammar and a concise history of the Zulu people from the most ancient times. Pinetown, Natal: The Mariannhill Mission Press. OCLC 1158569291.
^ ^a ^b Colenso, Frances; assisted in those portions of the work that touch on military matters by Lieut.-Colonel Edward Durnford (1880). History of the Zulu War and Its Origin. London: Chapman and Hall. ISBN 1-152-31729-6. Archived from the original on 18 June 2007.

[4] "The Plovers who called out at Ngoye"

[5] "The Cockroaches - Adopted from Zwide"

[4reg-6] Heavy influx of men due to the collapse of the Mtetwas and Qwabes. These 4 regiments (Um-Gumanqa, Isi-Pezi, U-Mbonambi, U-Nteke) sometimes formed a sub-division.

[YoungGuard-7] Sometimes Fasimba (The Haze) Shaka's Own was grouped together with Izi-cwe (The Bushmen) Ngomane's Own as the Young Guard

[8] Formed by Shaka from the senior u-dibi boys he withdrew from the Soshangane campaign in 1828

[12] Colenso^[6] on pages 407-13 "records two accounts of Zulu eyewitness participants at the battle. In one account the Zulu army is described as:"... consisting of the Ulundi corps about 3,000 strong, the Nokenke Regiment, 2,000 strong; the Ngobamakosi Regiment, including the Uve, about 5,000 strong: the Umeityu, about 4,000 strong; the Nodengwu, 2,000 strong; the Umbonambi, 3,000 strong; and the Udlhoko, about 1,000 strong, or a total of about 20,000 men in all ..." and in the other account the Zulu army is described as "... eight regiments strong (20,000 to 25,000 men) ... The regiments were Kandampenvu (or Umcityu), Ngobamakosi, Uve, Nokenke, Umbonambi, Udhloko, Nodwengu (name of military kraal of the Inkulutyane Regiment), and Undi (which comprises the Tulwana, Ndhlodho, and Indhluyengwe)."

[13] "played no part in the battle"

[SAMU-ShakaZulu-1] Dovey, John. "Resource Info: Shaka Zulu". South African Military Units. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.

[Ritter-2] Ritter, E.A. (1955). Shaka Zulu: The Rise of the Zulu Empire (5th ed.). Longmans, Green.

[Morris-3] Morris, Donald R. (1998) [1965]. The Washing of the Spears: A History of the Rise of the Zulu Nation Under Shaka and Its Fall in the Zulu War of 1879 (Illustrated. Reprint ed.). Da Capo Press. ISBN 9780306808661. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

[9] Knight, Ian (2002). Isandlwana 1879: The Great Zulu Victory (Illustrated ed.). Osprey. ISBN 9781841765112. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

[Bryant1905-10] Bryant, Alfred T. (1905). A Zulu-English dictionary with notes on pronunciation, a revised orthography and derivations and cognate words from many languages; including also a vocabulary of Hlonipa words, tribal-names, etc., a synopsis of Zulu grammar and a concise history of the Zulu people from the most ancient times. Pinetown, Natal: The Mariannhill Mission Press. OCLC 1158569291.

[Colenso1880-11] Colenso, Frances; assisted in those portions of the work that touch on military matters by Lieut.-Colonel Edward Durnford (1880). History of the Zulu War and Its Origin. London: Chapman and Hall. ISBN 1-152-31729-6. Archived from the original on 18 June 2007.

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