Submitted in accordance with the requirement for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of IsiZulu Namagugu at the University of Zululand, 2002. / Ululation is a folklore practise that is performed all over the world. In Europe for instance it signifies cries of pain. Among Arabic peoples it indicates an expression of joy. In Africa the practice of ululation is common in most cultures. It is common in most cultures of the South African people too. Ululation is gender specific in the sense that solely women perform it. During ululation spontaneous and shriek sounds are produced by women who act like they are possessed by evil spirits. People who do not come from ululating cultures do not understand ululation. They see nothing but disruption when people ululate. Hence white priests in churches discouraged it. The reason was that they thought it to be chaotic.