
Ntwane Girls with Gimwane Dolls - Barbara Tyrrell - Circa 1950
The emphasis on the
Ntwane women’s central role as wives and mothers is pervasive even
before female initiation. It finds its most visible form in the
gimwane or popenyane – a traditional fertility doll
constructed from plaited grass, wool, and beads.
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Three
Ntwane "gimwane" dolls
made for young girls initiation.
The skills
necessary for producing the gimwane are passed down from
mother to daughter. Pre-initiate girls pretend the dolls are the
progeny of their current boyfriends, who are invited to participate
in a dance competition, the outcome of which determines the leader
of the prepubescent group.

Ntwane Girl with
Gimwane Doll - Barbara Tyrrell - Circa 1950
The young boys usually congregate at the
home of one of the girls, who place the gimwane in a line.
The “fathers” and “mothers’ then form two rows on either side of the
fertility dolls and proceed to dance with their partners.

Young girls at
initiation.
Tribal Peoples of Southern Africa Page 75
Although these fertility dolls have no specific sexual articulation,
the gender of some gimwane may be determined by the shapes of
their frontal and rear aprons. Male gimwane tend to be
dressed with rectangular front loincloths, while the female dolls
may be identified by V-shaped aprons which resembles the rear aprons
worn by uninitiated Ntwane girls.