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African
Beadwork - Beaded Adornment
Artisanat de Perles Africaines
Afrikanische Perlenarbeit - Afrikanische Perle - Africa
Adorned
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Beaded Collars
Mfengu - Thembu - Xhosa
'Ithumu'

Madiba - Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Above-
Nelson Mandela wears 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
Beaded collars were worn by both
men and women throughout the tribal groups of 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
isixhoxho
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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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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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 is bead loss, the object is in stable
condition.
Click Image for Larger
Picture
The bottle may have been used by a traditional healer.

South Sotho beaded dolls - center
a beaded bottle. UCLA Fowler Museum
Another

Bottles with beaded tassels attached
to a stopper can be fertility dolls.
Click Image for Larger
Picture
Neither bottle appears to be a curio. This example was collected in a
colonial context, together with a Shangaan beaded panel.
Its colors are popular with the Shangaan, but nearby
North Sotho also make use of the colors and it therefore
may well be a North Sotho beaded doll. |
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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 by use
of the brick stitch. Triangles in this apron are recorded to represent
traditional Zulu shields.
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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.

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 1950

Ba Tonka girls wearing beaded skirts at a festive occasion.
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Turkana Apron
Kenya - Rift Valley - Lake Turkana

Turkana Girl - Mirella Ricciardi - Lake Rudolf 1968
The Turkana live in north western
Kenya and are nomadic
pastoralists. They have
elaborate clothing and adornment. Clothing is used to distinguish
between age groups,
development stages,
occasions and status of individuals.

Young girls wear beaded front aprons
built upon leather. The beads
of this example are attached by
old fiber and date to the
1920's.

Turkana Girls - Mirella Ricciardi - 1968
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Ndebele Beadwork
Beaded Blanket
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Irari - Nguba - Ngurara
ex - Esther Mahlangu 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.
Click thumbs to view Ester Mahlangu murals available from
۷gallery.
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.
Ndebele
Wedding Veil
Called an 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 Khoi / San and Tswana / Bechwana
beadwork.
Ndebele Apron
Called - 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 traditionally made by
a girl's
mother and worn with a thimba, or back skirt. Predominately white aprons
can date to
the 1920's.
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Ntwane Back
Apron - Skirt
Called Ntepa

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

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

The chevron pattern running along the upper edge confirms the
Ba Ntwane kinship to the Bechwana.

Fine beaded detail is found on the swallowtail
ends.

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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
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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Learn more about Trade Beads here.

Visit our Contemporary Jewellery link
here.

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