Peace Corps Volunteer Serves Swazi King : ‘Warrior Bill’ Just Like Others--Almost

The 27-year-old Swazi warrior wore a bead necklace and appeared comfortable in his cotton sarong and ox-hide loincloth. There was a porcupine quill in his hair, and he carried a spear and shield.

Indeed, the only difference between Bill Carroll and most of the other Swazi warriors was his white, scrubbed Pennsylvania face.

Carroll, a Peace Corps volunteer from Lancaster County, Pa., is one of a handful of whites who have become Emambutfos , warriors who have sworn allegiance and fealty to 18-year-old King Mswati III.

Carroll joined Swaziland’s Lindimpi regiment last September in a reed dance ceremony during which the maidens of the country danced for the king so he could choose a bride.

Offered to Serve

“I just came to the entrance of the kraal (a military stockade) and announced myself and said, ‘I will serve the king,’ ” Carroll said. “Some of the elders brought me in and instructed me to go to the river and and fetch water and bring it in a container on my head.

“After that I had to dance in front of the warriors and do some marching and some chanting. And I was instructed in the proper behavior for a warrior.

“And after that I just took part in all the activities.”

Recent activities included Mswati’s coronation.

Other White Volunteers

During that ritual the Lindimpi regiment stamped and danced when the king appeared, stabbing the sky with their spears and chorusing the royal salute--”You are the most powerful.”

Other whites in the regiment include Peace Corps workers Dan Mullins from Ohio, Jim Stevermer from Minnesota and Walter Aikman of Syracuse, N.Y.

They have all pledged fealty to the king, as is demanded of traditional Swazi warriors, and periodically may be called to work the king’s fields for a few days and dance on royal occasions.

No longer are the regiments called to arms, that job having fallen to British-trained troops with automatic weapons. But the warriors are often called on to defend tradition.

Gets Along Well

Carroll says he gets along well with the Swazi natives.

“But sometimes they give me a hard time, just for the hell of it,” he said.

Service by Americans in the king’s regiments “does not get in the way of Peace Corps work at all,” said Dr. Sarah Moten, Peace Corps director in Swaziland. “In fact, we encourage volunteers to become involved in the traditions within the country, particularly those that impact in a positive way.”

Mullins said he joined the regiment because he was interested in Swazi culture and wanted to learn Seswati, the local dialect.

Mullins, a former student at the University of Iowa, added: “It’s a lot different from Iowa.”