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 African Beadwork - Beaded Adornment

 

Artisanat de Perles Africaines

 

Afrikanische Perlenarbeit - Afrikanische Perle - Africa Adorned

 

 

 

 

Beaded Collars

 

Mfengu - Thembu - Xhosa

 

 "Ithumu"

 

 

Nelson Mandela wearing a beaded collar. The photograph was released by the ANC during the 1960's. Images of Mandela were banded by the apartheid government. This and others were only made public in 1990.

 

Click Thumbnails for Larger Images

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Beaded collars were worn by both men and women throughout the tribal groups living in the Eastern Cape.

 

 

   

 

Circa 1950's - Thembu Tribes People

 

 

Our ethnic beadwork examples were beaded on sinew.

 

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Beaded Front Aprons

 

Thembu Aprons

 

 

 

Apron B

 

Thembu beaded aprons were called "inkciyo" .

 

           

 

Field Images - First half 20th Century

 

Click a thumb to enlarge an apron.

                                                   Apron A                                                                  Apron B

                                                  Apron C                                                                      Apron D

                                                     Apron E                                                                     Apron F

 

Apron G

 

Thembu aprons were worn under a ladies skirt as “undergarments” like underpants from the 1940's. Prior to this, they were worn on their own. (upper right field image)

 

 

 

Mfengu Apron - Fingo Apron

 

 

Click this thumb to enlarge the apron.

 

This apron was collected amongst the Mfengu people. It is decorated with glass beads with traditional Fingo colors, brass rings - washers and leather straps. The Mfengu, Thembu and Xhosa people all name their beaded aprons Inkciyo.

 

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Xhosa Beaded Panel
 

Blanket Pin or Cloak Pin

 

"Ithumbu" - Xhosa Beadwork

 

 

 

ex / Bruno Walters Collection

 

This beaded pin, sometimes referred to as a "love letter", is so large that it may  be considered a beaded panel. It it of the style popular around Cofimvaba and likely dates to the 1940's.

      

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Xhosa Nursing Charm

 

Click Image for Larger Picture

 

 

Nursing charms or isixhoxho, had medicinal qualities and were  worn to broadcast the wearer was a nursing mother. The adornment was accepted throughout the Eastern Cape tribes as a mother's protection. Even if a baby was not with her - the necklace ensured that no one would molest the woman, even at a beer drink. Our example (A) dates to the 1950's.

 

  

 

These images were taken at Uncle Van Vasco da Gama van Blommenstein shop in at Mbiza Transkei between 1904 and 1905. The lady seen in the center of the image above right, sports a nursing charm.

 

Click Image for Larger Picture

 

 

Our example  (B) dates to the 1940's and was part of the Bruno Walter's collection.

 

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Thembu Leather Purses

 

Xhosa - Mfengu Purses

 

 

            

 

 

Thembu leather purses were worn by women from the hip and used to contain paper money. 

 

Click Thumbnails for Larger Images

 

The openings were so small that sometimes a knife or razor edge had to be used to extract the note. This tight construction was intended to help prevent theft of the notes.

 

 

Click Thumbnails for Larger Images

 

 

Men who worked in the mines or cities gave these to their wives as gifts on their return home. As a result, these highly prized objects of adornment displayed status.

 

 

Click Thumbnails for Larger Images

 

The Thembu - Xhosa and Mfengu all owned related leather purses. Our examples are Thembu. Depending on who you ask - singular or plural - they were called Isipaji - Izipaji - Imphuthamphutha and Isipaji-saseMaiMai

 

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Ndebele Beadwork

 

Ndebele Beaded Blanket

 

Irari - Nguba - Ngurara

 

ex -  Esther Mahlaugu Collection

 

 

 

Ndebele Blanket - Collection Ester Mahlangu

 

 

The Ndebele of South Africa are superb bead workers. Their beadwork is remarkable for its variety, colours and intricate designs. Beadwork became a cultural icon for the Ndebele, as did their mural art. Beaded attire is considered a sign of wealth and beauty. Designs served social functions as markers of cultural identity and status. Ndebele beadwork designs were initially dominated by a predominantly white background, which included only a very few randomly placed geometric shapes. From the 1940's, Ndebele aesthetics changed. Women began to include a wide range of colours and overwhelming their compositions with geometric and figurative motifs from everyday life.

 

The blankets themselves grew from traditional hide capes of the 19th century called Irari - Nguba or Ngurara. Such blankets are worn by married women only. The traditional striped red, yellow, green and blue trade blankets are called “Middleburg blankets” because the style was popular in Middleburg, the town where Ester Mahlangu was born (November 11th 1935). The actual beading of a blanket is undertaken over many years and revels events about the owners' life. It represents her social status and testifies to the woman's artistic abilities, considerable financial resources and high social standing when considering her ability to dedicate numerous hours to creating the artwork.
 

Our Ndebele married woman’s ceremonial blanket has four long panels of beadwork decoration. It was sold at auction from the collection of Ester Mahlangu, who is an international South African artist. A brief biography follows.

 

Ester Mahlangu is a self-taught artist specializing in traditional murals. She is a remarkable woman who in 1989 and against all odds, travelled to France where she exhibited at Les Magiciens de la Terre. This was a time when political turmoil at home and sanctions abroad made international participation all but impossible for South African artists. Beside South Africa, Esther Mahlangu has exhibited all over Europe, the US, Australia and Japan. Some of her most famous murals have been exhibited at the New Identities Exhibition in the Bocum Museum in Germany, at the Virgin Atlantic's music store in Times Square, the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC and at the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg.

 

 

Click thumbs to view Ester Mahlangu murals available from ۷gallery. 

 

 

Exhibitions;

1989 Les Magiciens de la Terre, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
1989 Fine Arts Museum, Angoulęme, France
1989 Centre de la Villette, Paris, France
1990 Mural Painting, Johannesburg School, South Africa
1990 Bordeaux Festival, Bordeaux, France
1990 Caravan ( trailer ) Auto Show, Lavante, France
1991 Africa Hoy, Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderna, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
1991 Ny Afrikansk Billedkunst, Copenhagen, Denmark
1991 Fashion Collection, Tokyo, Japan
1992 Africa Hoy, Cultural Centre of Contemporary Art, Mexico City, Mexico
1992 Africa Hoy, Groninger Museum, Groningen, the Netherlands
1992 BMW Art Cars, Documentra 9, Kassel, Germany
1992 Out of Africa, Gallery Saatchi, London, UK
1992 Comme des Garçons, Tokyo, Japan; New York, USA and Paris, France
1993 Geneva International Exhibition, Geneva, Switzerland
1993 European Inventive Business Travel Meetings Exhibition, Lisboa, Portugal
1993 La Grande Vérité, Les Astres Africains, Nantes Fine Arts Museum, Nantes, France
1994 Out of Africa, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France
1994 BMW Art Cars Collection, National Museum of Woman in the Arts, Washington D.C., USA
1995 Group show, Market Theatre, Johannesburg, South Africa
1995 BMW Art Cars and paintings Exhibition, Sydney, Australia
1996 Armour J. Blackburn Centre, Howard University, Washington D.C., USA
1996 Exhibition for the Congressional Black Caucus, Washington D.C., USA
1996 Parish Gallery - Georgetown, Washington D.C., USA
1997 African Immigrant Folklife Festival, Washington D.C., USA
1997 Portal to America, Installation, Spoleto Festival, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
1997 Oog op Zuidelijke Afrika, Het Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal, the Netherlands
1997 Ndebele Images Then and Now, National Arts Club, New York, USA
1997 York College, Los Angeles, California, USA
1997 Exhibit Gallery, Philadelphia, USA
1998 Africa Africa, Tobu Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
1998 Musée des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie, Paris, France
1999 <>FAST FORWARD.ZA, Van Reekum Museum, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands
2000 Dialogue of cultures, EXPO 2000, Hannover, Germany
2000 5th Biennale of Contemporary Art in Lyons, France
2001 South Africa Today, The Helsinki Fair Centre, Finland
2001 Galleria Cavellini, Brescia, Italy
2001 Arte Africana Contemporanea, Galleria d'arte Spazia, Bologna, Italy
2002 The Art of Colour, Knysna Fine Art Gallery, Knysna, South Africa
2002 Passport to South Africa, Centro Culturale Trevi, Bolzano, Italy
2003 First Solo Exhibition in South Africa, UCT Irma Stern Museum, Cape Town, South Africa
2003 Dentro e Fuori le Mura, Fabbrica Eos, Milano, Italy
2004 New Orleans Jazz Festival S.A. Stage
2004 Contemporary South African Art, Museum Bochum, Germany
2005 Contemporary South African Art, Johannesburg Art Gallery
2005 Contemporary South African Art, Pretoria Art Museum

 Collections;


BOE Bank, Cape Town, South Africa
Musee de Arts d’Afrique et d’Oceanie, Paris, France
Bothabelo Museum, South Africa
BMW Cars Collection, Germany
World Bank Collection, USA
BHP Billiton Collection, Johannesburg, South Africa
RE:CM Collection, Cape Town
Pretoria Art Museum
Esther's work is also in numerous other important private collections in South Africa and abroad

Awards;

1988 Radio Ndebele Award
1996 Mpumalanga Sport Premiers Culture Award
1997 Ministry of Culture and Communication, Centre de la Villette, France
1997 Incorporated Village of Hempstead Citation, Hempstead, New York, USA
1997 Nassau County Commendation, New York, USA
1999 Mpumalanga Arts and Culture Award
2001 Radio Ndebele Award
2001 Pan African Broadcasting, Heritage and Achievement Award (Pabha)
2001 Arts and Culture Award, Art Promotion

 

 

 

Ndebele Wedding Veil

 

Nyoga

 

 

 

Ndebele Women -  1920's - Ivy's Album Collection

 

The Ndebele bride wore a long train with her bridal costume called an Nyoga, which meant snake. It was attached to her shoulders and trailed down the back to the ground, making a snake-like motion as the she danced.

 

Click either image to enlarge.

 

 

 

At 187 centimeters, this is an exceptionally long Nyoga. The reason for the lies with the fact that it was handed down from mother to daughter as a heirloom. Before each weeding, changes were made. Judging by color, the 'TH' beaded section was added during the 1950's. The use of the letters indicates the owner lived near Heidelberg, South Africa. Most certainly, the darker green-purple-blue and black beaded section near the bottom dates to the 1970's, as those are colors that were popular at the time. (Below right) Portions of the vale may date to the 1920's. The open rectangular sections near the bottom and the predominantly white beadwork overall helps to confirm this.

 

Click either image to enlarge.

 

 

 

The white flared triangular finial was a popular motive during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is found in early collected Koi / San and Tswana / Bechwana beadwork.

 

 

Ndebele Apron

 

Pepetu

 

 

 

 

A Pepetu is a small beaded apron worn by a young Ndebele maiden after completing a period of seclusion. These rites represent female initiation.

 

 

 

Ivy's Album Collection

 

The image displays Ndebele fashion - circa 1940.

 

 

 

 

Pepetu's were worn with a thimba, or back skirt and traditionally made by a girl's mother. Predominately white aprons often date to the 1920's.

 

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Ntwane Back Apron - Skirt

 

'Ntepa'

 

 

 

 

Married Ntwane women wearing beaded back skirts called Ntepa at a local celebration.

 

 

 

 

This is a rarely seen, fine quality example of an Ntwane woman's leather beaded back skirt.

 

 

 

 

The chevron pattern running along the upper edge confirms the Bantwane's close proximity to the Bechwana.

 

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Beaded Bottle

 

Shangaan - Tsonga or North Sotho

 

Click Image for Larger Picture

 

This old beaded bottle came to us together with Sangoma / Ngaka artifacts - ex UK. Though there had been bead loss, the article is in stable condition.

 

Click Image for Larger Picture

It may be that this bottle was also used by the traditional healer - together with a beaded knobkerrie and beaded basket to be found on our appropriate web pages.

 

 

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Pedi Apron - North Sotho

 

 

 

Pedi represent one of a number of North Sotho groups. Young girls wore front aprons call Gabi. Aprons were made from leather, plant fiber and glass beads. Our example includes an iron stand.

 

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Zulu Beaded Apron

 

Nongoma Area

 

 

This is a very large, early collected apron made with tiny glass seed beads. It would have been made in the Nongoma area of KwaZulu Natal. The apron was part of  estate sale and included therein were many beaded objects dating to the 1940's.

 

The Nongoma area is associated with with Zulu royal court. It currently has 4 royal palaces belonging to Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini. Beadwork from the area was primarily made with yellow, green, red and black beads on a white background. Dazzling geometric designs were created using the brickstitch. Triangles in this apron are recorded as traditionally representing a Zulu shield.

 

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Sotho Thethana Apron

 

Titana Apron - Lesotho

 

Basotho Apron

 

 

 

 

Dr. David Riep confirms the thethana was worn by young Basotho girls from the age of 4 or 5, until their entry into adulthood. These beautiful pieces functioned as an undergarment, and were sometimes worn under a leather back-skirt.

 

Click either Thumbnail for a Detailed Enlargement

 

The fringe is made from the leaves of the gazenia plant, the fibers of which are painstakingly stripped by hand, and braided into small strands. The knotting of each strand helps keep the various fibers together, and also creates a striking visual design in the overall piece.

 

 

     

                        Duggan-Cronnen - Before 1933                                                     Photographer Unknown

 

The details present on all thethanas vary according to clan affiliation, and may include the addition of ochre, giving the fibers a beautiful red hue.

 

 

 

 

Historically, a girl's thethana was made by a female relative, most often by her mother or grandmother. Due to the method of construction, a single piece could take anywhere from 12 to 18 months to complete.

 

Click any Thumbnail for a Detailed Enlargement

 

As the young girl progressed in age and status, she would be given new garments, which increased in length, until at last she took on the adornment of an adult in Basotho society.

 

 

 

 

Often, the most ornate thethanas were worn as part of an elaborate ensemble by newly initiated Basotho women. Such examples, like the image shown here, included intricately beaded panels, the colors and patterns of which often coincided with other pieces of adornment completing the outfit.

 

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Tutsi - Watutsi Prestige Knives

 

Rwanda - Burundi

 

 

 

The Tutsi of Rwanda and Burundi beaded their knife and scabbards for prestige and status purposes. The brick stitch was used as a beading method, a technique also widely popular in Southern Africa. Its very much Shona related attachment thong is present and the blade forged "ogee' or "blood grooved".

 

 

   Jan Elsen - Tribal Arms Monographs - Vol. I   Nr. 3

 

      

 

Offered as a trio, the two machete type knifes were called mugishu. Larger examples were used for chopping and hacking for centuries regionally by the Hutu, Tutsi, Rundi, Hima, Havu, Hunde, Shi, Fuliru and Lega. Tutsi beaded miniature examples were status objects owned by higher ranked persons.

 

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Ba Tonka Skirts

 

Zambia - Zimbabwe

 

 

 

Ba Tonga Man - 1950 - Barbara Tyrrell

 

The Batonka, or Batonga, live on both sides of  the Zambezi River and Lake Kariba. In 1960, the Kariba dam was completed, making it at the time, the largest man made dam ever built. The Ba Tonka were relocated away from the flooding valleys where they had lived and fished for centuries.

 

 Click Thumbnail for Larger Image

Example 'A'

 

 

 

 

Related traditional garments worn by young girls - which are no longer to be found in the field.

 

Example 'B'

 

 

   

 

Photographs of Ba Tonka men and woman taken by Peter Jurgens and Barbara Tyrrell in 1949

 

 

 

Ba Tonka girls wearing beaded skirts at a festive occasion.

 

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Kuba Beadwork

 

Democratic Republic Congo - DRC

 

 

 

Royal Kuba Masquerades - Nsheng - Kasai - Congo - 1909

 

The Kuba Kingdom is located between the Kasai - Lulua and Sankuru rivers in Western Kasai - DRC - Congo. The Bushong clan rules over other groups which include the Bulang, Bieng, Coofa, Cwa, Ibaam, Iding, Kaam, Kel, Kete, Maluk, Mbengi, Ngende, Ngombe, Ngongo, Pyang, Pyang Kayuweng and the Shoowa or Shobwa.

 

 

Kuba Beaded Belt

 
 

      

 

 

Kuba court art displays status and prestige which are manifestations of social and political hierarchy. Wealth and rank are expressed in extensive displays beaded regalia which included belts and charms.

 

Click Image for Larger Picture

The beads on this old belt are Venetian and date to 1920 or before. They were applied to raffia which had been made on a loom.

Click Image for Larger Picture

 

The beaded knot design on this early collected belt is extraordinary.

 

 

Kuba Charm

 

 

Deep blue irregular Venetian beads predate 1920.

 

Click Image for Larger Picture

 

Highly prized imported glass beads and cowrie shells embellish the old charm.

 

Click Image for Larger Picture

 

Like the belt, the charm was built on a raffia base and in this case - worn on the hip (left).

 

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Trade Beads - Slave Beads

 

 

 

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Slave beads (often called Trade beads) were otherwise decorative glass beads used between the 16th and 20th century as a currency to exchange for goods, services and slaves (hence the name). Made to ease the passage of European explorers and then traders mainly across the African continents, the beads were made throughout Europe although the Venetians dominated production. Trade beads are also found in the United States and Canada, and throughout Latin America. The production of slave (trade) beads became so popular that literally tons of these beads were used for this purpose. Beads were used as ballast in slave/trade ships for the outbound trip. The beads and other trade items were exchanged for human cargo as well as ivory, gold and other goods desired in Europe and around the world. The beads traded were not of a set design, but were produced according to demand. Millefiori (thousand flower) beads from Venice, Italy were one of the most commonly traded beads, and are commonly known as "African trade beads." They were produced by creating flowers or stripes from glass canes, that were then cut and molded onto a core of solid color. Beads such as the kiffa beads of Mauritania are thought to have resulted from women creating powdered glass beads to mimic the appearance of millefiori beads.

The success of this form of currency can largely be attributed to the high intrinsic value African people put upon decorative items. Africans often used beads for currency, (often referred to as African money) and wealth storage, and social status could be easily determined by the quality, quantity and style of jewellery worn. This created a high demand for trade beads in Africa.

 

Click Thumbnails for Larger Images

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Most of the seven strings of trade beads on offer date to 19th century Venice, though the brass examples with cosmological symbols were made by the Baule of the Ivory coast. Carnelian beads were made in Bohemia, India and the Sahara. This group is offered as "a collection".

 

Chevron Necklace

 

 

This rare 4 - 6 layered Chevron necklace of 28 beads has a circumference of 34 cms, or + - 13 inches. The largest bead (center) has a 7.5 cm circumference, or + - 3 inches.

 

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Chevron Beads are special glass beads, originally made for trade in the New World and the slave trade in Africa by glassmakers in Italy as far back as the early 15th century. They are composed of many consecutive layers of colored glass. The initial core is formed in a star-shaped mold, and can have anywhere between five and fifteen points. The next layer of glass conforms to that star shape. Several layers of glass can be applied (typically four to seven layers), either star-shaped or smooth. After all layers have been applied, the glass is drawn out to the desired thickness and when cooled, cut into short segments showing the resulting star pattern at their ends. The ends can be ground to display the chevron pattern. Chevron beads are traditionally composed of red, blue, and white layers, but modern chevrons can be found in any color combination. Original beads made for trade to the New World and Africa were typically composed of green, white, blue and red layers.

 

Chevron beads are a specific, historically important type of trade bead. Africa was not the only outlet for these beads. As far back as Christopher Columbus' expeditions, these beads were traded to Native Americans for goods and slaves.

 

Chevron beads are very popular collectors' items and they are still highly valued in present day West Africa, where they continue to be worn for prestige and ceremonial purposes, and occasionally buried with the dead.
 

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