African Beaded Adornment Aprons Skirts Tobacco Bag Beadwork

African Beadwork - Beaded Adornment

Artisanat de Perles Africaines

Afrikanische Perlenarbeit - Afrikanische Perle - Africa Adorned

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.

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Beaded Front Aprons

Thembu Aprons

Apron B

Thembu beaded aprons were called "inkciyo" .

Field Images - First half 20th Century

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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.

Xhosa Nursing Charm

isixhoxho

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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.

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

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.

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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.'

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

Kuba Charm

Deep blue irregular Venetian beads predate 1920.

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

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

Beaded Bottle

Shangaan - Tsonga or North Sotho

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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.

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.

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

Ndebele Beadwork

Beaded Blanket - 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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

Learn more about Trade Beads here.

Visit our Contemporary Jewellery link here.