The Zulus are a tribe of people who live in Africa.
When their country has been without rain for a long time, they bury their children in the earth leaving only their heads above ground. It is the Zulus’ belief that the sky will take pity on the youngsters and send down rain.
When the Dun tribesmen of Australia have been without rain for a long time, they dress themselves with bird down and try to look like fluffy clouds so the sky will send rain to them.
In the United States the Hopi Indians of Arizona have long been famous for doing a snake dance that is supposed to bring rain.
The Hopi are very successful because they only perform the dance in August, which is usually a very rainy month where they live.
I live in Kwazulu – the Kingdom of the Zulu – and have never heard of the custom of burying children up to their necks to encourage rain. Nor have any of the Zulu people I asked. If rain was desperately needed the Sangoma would try and intercede with the spirits of the ancestors to bring rain. In Zulu culture children are treated most kindly by all elders in the tribe. They would not dream of burying them up to their necks in sand – that’s just laughable.