Iscathamiya
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Iscathamiya is a South African singing style. It comes from a Zulu word that means to step softly, or tip-toe. The music is characteristed by deep, soft, tight harmonies accompanied with light dance steps.
It had its roots in chants and hymns of the missionary era coupled with traditional call-and-response a-cappella music. Through the 1960s it evolved into the iscathamiya style we know today. It became known internationally through the performances of groups such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo with Joseph Shabalala.
The music is typically a four-part call-and-response male choral style, associated with Zulu migrant workers. The singers stand alongside each other, tip-toeing in place and, in typical Zulu fashion, emphasizing passages by stamping in unison.