Paulina Dlamini

As a girl in her teens Nomguqo Dlamini served the Zulu king, Cetshwayo. Later she became a Christian, taking the name Paulina.
As a teenage member of the king’s isigodlo, Nomguqo was at the center of the royal homestead and her vivid reminiscences provide unique and fascinating glimpses of everyday life, the king’s character and Zulu beliefs and customs. After the war of 1879 the royal household was scattered and she returned to her people. In the last part of the book she describes her conversion and subsequent mission work in Zululand and discusses the conflicts within Zulu society between Christians and ‘traditionalists’.
Paulina Dlamini’s memoirs were written down by the Reverend Heinrich Filter, one of her missionary colleagues. The present work, based on Filter’s Zulu notes and German narrative, was translated into English and edited by S. Bourquin, an authority on Zulu language and custom.