INDUNA  , a Zulu-

Bantu word for an officer or head of a regiment among the Kaffir (Zulu-Xosa) tribes of South Africa . It is formed from the inflexional prefix in and duna, a lord or master . Indunas originally obtained and retained their rankand authority by personal bravery and skill in war, and often proved a menace to their nominal lord . Where, under British influence, the purely military system of government among the Kaffir tribes has broken down or been modified, indunas are now administrators rather than warriors . They sit in a consultative gathering known as an indaba, and discuss the civil and military affairs of their tribe .