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Material Culture
The
focal point of Lobedu culture is the Rain-Queens Royal Kraal and
more specifically the khôrô. The khôrô is a circular arena
at the centre of the royal kraal, which served as a meeting place. It
was surrounded by a palisade of large poles, some figured, which were
brought to the kraal by visitors in tribute to the Modjadji Queen.
The Rain Queens
private residential entrance and enclosure.
Rain-Queens and
Python Dance - Plate's 9 and 4
Headmen from all
the district are called up to provide poles for the Queen's khoro
when in need of renewal. This symbolized the solidarity of the Kingdom.
Figured palisade examples were exclusive to the queens khôrô.
Jurgen Witt of Tzaneen advised that craftsmen of particular skill carved the poles
to distinguish their contribution to the khôrô.
Plate 24 - Circa 1950's Vol. 94 Part 3 Page 133
Rain-Queens and Python Dance Annals of the South African Museum
The photographs "above left and
lower right" were taken at the Rain Queen Royal Kraal insito.
The two poles depicted in the upper right photograph were collected by Witt, as was
the example to the lower left. Krige collected the carved
pole, above right, with breasts .
The Power of Form - Page 227 Vol. 94 Part 3 Page 132
Annals of the South African Museum
The unique figure
below was presented to Minister de Wet Nel during his meeting with the Rain Queen
on the 22nd October 1959. At the time it was positioned near the center of the
khôrô.
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Rain-Queens and
Python Dance - Plate 36
Carved and figured
palisade poles no longer decorate the
khôrô.
The
Vuhwera Initiation School
AKM Collection
Johannesburg Art Gallery
The costume above represents the supernatural Muwhira, known as the recruiter
for the Sungwi initiation school for girls. He is both deaf
and dumb. North Sotho, including the Ba Roka, Venda and Lobedu, all know
Muwhira.
His character is made of reeds and body parts of
hawks, owls and hammerhead birds. This example was collected in the Sekororo Area by J. Witt during the early 1960's. Later it became
the property of the Potchefstroom University Collection. Few examples
are known, in that traditionally Muwhira was burned at the end of Sungwi.
The
Lobedu wooden figure, above right, was also collected by J. Witt.
It is a
roof hut finial representing Muhwera and would have once
supported arms like another example photographed in 1953 below.
Rain-Queens and Python Dance Annals of the South African Museum
Plate 18 Vol 94 Part 3 Page 096
The Lobedu call
the initiates Vyali and the initiation school itself the
Vuhwera. The photographs, above right and below, were taken by Krige
in 1938. At this initiation, the most spectacular
costumes were worn by the muhwera from Rabothada, whose
performance at the capital traditionally closed the initiation.
Annals of the
South African Museum - Vol 94 - Part 3 - Page 097
Krige states the Rabothada dancers
were called magôgôbya. They had magnificent costumes with
headdresses surmounted by animal figures, with underskirts trailing
the ground to create a dramatic effect.
The Realm of a
Rain Queen - Plate IX - E. J. Krige - 1938
The vuhwera "of
national level" which followed that of 1938 took place in
1974. Krige reported that it displayed a deterioration of weaving skills
and that the famous magôgôbya did not appear. The reason given
was that nobody knew how to make the costumes.
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The Realm of a
Rain Queen - Plate X - E. J. Krige - 1938
The initiation
costumes below are of South Sotho origin. Note the similarities to the
North Sotho which include the use of fiber, covering of the face and the
crisscross bandoliers of the upper body.
E. H. Ashton
Barbara Tyrrell P. Magubane
Lobedu girls wore short wraps around the hips during the early stages
of vuhwera. At a
later stage the girls wore bandoliers platted from grass.
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Coming forth from
puberty seclusion.
The Realm of a
Rain Queen - Plate VIII
On special
occasions, both girls and
woman
wore beaded panels. Similar examples to the one below were
photographs be E. J. Krige in 1938.
Vol 94 Part 3 Page 160 Plate VII
Annals of the South African Museum The Realm of a Rain Queen
This 1960's
watercolour by Barbara Tyrrell shows an adult woman wearing related panels to
her rear.
Tribal Peoples of
Southern Africa - Page 65- Barbara Tyrrell
This necklace is
color related to the earlier period back panels.
These beaded items were collected by the Krige's between 1936-1938 and
are preserved in the South African Museum - Cape Town.
Annals of the
South African Museum - Vol 94 Part 3 Page 180
These necklaces
are known as khekhadwa. Tjeerd Flentge collected them during 2007
from the Lobedu. They resemble one that Krige collected above, but
are also used by other North Sotho clans.
Mr. A. M.
Duggan-Cronin photographed the Pedi girl (below right) wearing a number of
related examples
prior to 1931, confirming the item was fashionable over a larger
area than the Lobedu Kingdom. The girl on the left is Lobedu. If you
look closely to view a similar necklace worn under the bulk of other
colourful examples.
Plate 55 A. M.
Duggan-Cronin
Rain-Queens and Python Dance The Bantu Tribes
of South Africa
In our opinion, this early
collected beaded horn is North Sotho and most probably of Lobedu origin.
Compare the
construction of the beadwork which runs across from the base of the horn
to the tip, in relation to the upper left girls quantity of necklaces.
Sotho were known
to make use of multiple sized beads within a single construction.
Compare the old
colours used on the horn, to 20th century beaded fashion below.
The lower left necklace has two
beaded leather medallions. The old Balobedu woman in the centre image wears a number of necklaces
which very much
resemble them and the others.
She was alive and well in 2007. She reported she had owned her necklaces since she was a
young girl.
These two necklaces
(below) were field collected from the Lobedu.
The girls below
display an abundance of beadwork. Their headbands denote they are
important members of the royal family.
These
anklets/armlets were field collected by T. Flentge.
The armlets
below are known as zwifhôdô. They appear as shortened versions of those Krige collected
from the 1930's.
Beaded belts with
a much related bright colour code, have been field collected amongst the Lobedu.
Note their inner beaded triangles.
Shoestring type
cord is used to fasten belts and is found on both sides.
Clay pots were
used to brew beer, serve beer, cool water, store grain and were also
used to
cook in. The image below shows newly made Lobedu pots cooling after a large
firing.
Annals of the
South African Museum - Vol 75 Part 8 Page 302
Painted Lobedu
beer pots were highly prized and sought after by their neighbours.
The patterns or
shapes found in these beer pots resemble those of Lobedu beaded belts.
Images of a small pot
collected by Paul Mikula - South Africa
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