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African Headrests - African Neck Rests
Headrests are found in many cultures throughout the world. Those from Africa were used by both men and women and were typically small pillow-like objects made of wood. They had shaped or concave upper pillow platforms and a base, showing uniformity in shape and decoration according to region or tribe. South East African examples made by the Chopi and Tsonga related peoples produced an infinite variety of complicated forms, whereas the Shona, Swazi and Zulu peoples kept to a generally rigid or fixed design.
G. F. Angus / The Kaffirs Illustrated - 1849
The function of a headrest was to elevate the neck, head or side of the face, so that elaborate, often encrusted, even beaded coiffures could be protected when sleeping. We roll our eyes when others opt to speak of symbolic links, ancestral telephones or their mystical connotations. These tales emerged in the late 20th century when academic experts took to the field for the purpose of first hand documentation. More often than not, the experts asked old people they came across, exactly what function a neck rest served. These people felt compelled to give an answer, so gave one. Keep in mind the person being interviewed was born a number of generations after the original owners and as a result, had no knowledge whatsoever of the elaborate coiffeurs their ancestors once wore. It follows that the results of these investigations led to discoveries. Information was uncovered that had never been documented before! WOW! The resulting deviation from fact was then reproduced in publications, lectures and websites. Information is Power, but give this one a break!
Vintage Zulu Photographs
Example of 19th century Southern African coiffures which required support when sleeping.
Gordon Crawford - author of SiCEBiLE - collected all forms of Swazi material culture over many years. Headrests were of high priority to him and he purchased hundreds. Not once was he told the ancestors would get angry if they were to part with one. He reports that on occasion people refused to sell a headrest because a person was not home, the object was being used, or the owner wanted to be buried with it. In the case of the later, the individual would invariably sell it when offered a new replacement. Not once did a person suggest a headrest had any other use then a pillow, seat or chopping block. Many were found tossed aside, as they were not held in high esteem. Had these objects been divination objects connected to the ancestors, they would have been revered. Had they been ancestral communication devices as the title of a recent publication suggests, "African Dream Machines", they would have been oiled for action. Crawford points out that although he is of Scottish origin, he knows nothing of bagpipes. That said, if he were to be interviewed and then offered an opinion on bagpipes, his utterances would be as relevant "or irrelevant" as late 20th century Shona and Tsonga speakers were, when they were interviewed about their forefathers neck rests.
Luba Shankadi Coiffures - Richard Burton - Belgium Congo
Crawford advised that the Swazi headrest central lug is called a siborno or human belly button, the legs sidwaba or skirt, and the top pair of patterns above each foot a tinzebe, which can be interpreted either as ears, or a woman's labium. Each of these names are applied to humans, not animals. Modern day experts suggest the form of a Swazi headrest is meant to represent that of a bull. If so, why would Swazi's give the symbolic bull's body parts human names? Did these self seeking academics consider what happens to their argument when 4, 6, 8 or more legs appear on an stylistically related neck rest? Do they think those headrests represented deformed cattle? One expert wrote that early Nguni headrests bowed legs were meant to represent cattle horns. We feel these experts should spend less time looking for symbolic interpretations and go away. - - - - - Enjoy a glimpse of powerful - sometimes humorous – even delicate, Southern African headrests from the past. Oh and don't miss the "bottom line"... ☺
The bottom line __________
Headrest legs of any
form are meant to support an upper block of wood. The block
of wood supported a persons neck, head, or face so as to protect
the users coiffeur. When fixed, encrusted, elaborate
coiffures fell out of fashion, so too did the function of neck rests.
Images and information provided as a service to viewers.
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