Zulu Ladle

Massive Ladle with Amasumpa

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This early 20th century ladle was used to serve porridge. It is a whopping 67 centimetres, or 26 inches long. 

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The ladle displays notched "amasumpa" decoration.

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The ladle features a phallic looking finial. Some say these were added as sexual metaphors, but can be reduced to an academics wish to 'discover'. The phallic looking finial is nothing more than a means to tie the spoon onto a hut wall.  These large ladles were called "Izinkezo or Ukhezo"

Rare Pondo Spoons

19th Century Collected

This pair of spoons was part of a small group of early collected Pondo and Gcaleka material. Pondo spoons have deeper carved ladles than those of the Zulu. The example to the left has particularly fine carved incised spiral patterns, highlighted with pokerwork, running along the entire spoons length.

Phallic looking heads are far smaller than those which Zulu carved and also used as a means for attachment.

The spoons were carved exceptionally thin and have some small repairs.

The two spoons are offered as a pair.

Snuff Spoons - Hair Ornaments

Zulu - Bhaca - Pondo  -  Circa 1900

                                          Ivy's Albums - Lynn Acutt                                Duggan-Cronin - Bone Hair Ornament

Snuff spoons were mostly carved from bone. We know of wooden and ivory examples, as well as those of hippo tooth. Photographic evidence shows the core production area as Pondoland. The Pondo were well known for their snuff spoons, which were objects also intended to be hair ornaments and combs.

Our two examples are offered as a pair.

Many 19th century illustrations and photographs depict Southern African indigenous people adorned with snuff spoons or related hair ornaments that decorate their hair, coiffure, or in use. On the left is a Bhaca woman and to the right, a Pondo woman.

 They are decorated with fine detailed decorations.

Sangoma by Duggan-Cronin

This photograph was taken by Duggan-Cronin of a Sangoma from the Eastern Cape taking snuff.

The use of snuff was a widespread practice exercised by both male and female Southern African tribal peoples. The Bhaca, Pondo and Zulu are all well documented for having made these prestigious snuff spoons, which also served as a comb to adorn the head. The painting below by G F Angus includes a multi-tined snuff spoon - circa 1849.

ZULU - George French Angas - The Kafirs Illustrated - 1849

Ba Rotsi Plain - Western Zambia

Bechwana / Tswana Spoon

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This example was obtained from the Bruno Walters collection of Southern African Art. Related examples depict wildlife and so we suspect the triangular decoration is meant to represent the tail of a crocodile. Most scholars and collectors refer to anything coming from the Ba Rotsi region to be Lozi. Doing so is wrong. This spoon has Tswana  'Bechwana' origin. Lozi ruled them during the 19th century..