South African Cultures

Darkest Africa is a giant that was looked upon as sleeping but the modern world has found it awake. African art and tribal traditions will soon be something of the past therefore we must treasure our African art and history. Authentic African art pieces are sought after and is lately becoming extremely difficult to obtain.

SOUTH AFRICA:
Zulu tribe - mainly from Kwa - Zulu Natal province, South Africa

Zulu means “heaven”. Still in today’s modern living the Zulu tribe have certain traditions and religion that is followed by tribal Zulu’s. The most well known tradition of all is the Lobola. This labola tradition means that a man must give cows to the farther of the girl he wishes to marry. The mother of the daughter is entitled to one of these cows that again symbolizes that the man is thanking her for bringing the daughter into the world. The Zulu tradition also belief that when the cows move into the fathers camp all women present must wear “sishweshwe” (cloth over their head) and a blanket over their shoulders, this is seen as a sign of respect.

Zulu’s brew their own Sorgum beer (Umqombothi) and it is brewed from maize, mabele and water. Sorgum beer is also the traditional beer that will always be served on family gathering, ceremony, etc. During a special family gathering the Zulu tribe members will slaughter a goat and a cow in memory of a deceased person. The Zulu people will even do this ceremonial although the person past away a while ago and then this family gathering is seen as paying respect to the deceased and also to give him/her a message that their spirit must return to the other family ancestors.

Men of the Zulu tribe will shown more respect to their wife’s if they have more children and women that do not have any children will be shown lesser interest in. A Zulu tribal man must have a woman to his side to earn more respect amongst his fellow Zulu tribal members. Zulu’s always believed that education was not required (especially for women) as the men will provide but due to the economy, high unemployment rate etc. poverty is at the centre of the day and women can only provide an income by selling her beautiful art pieces as this craft was transferred from mother to daughter through out the generations.

The traditional battle dress of the dress of the Zulu tribal warrior is a kilt of animal pelts and skins, with an ox-hide shield and a short spear. In Durban South Africa the Rickshaw men wear spectacular beadwork, headdress of elaborate horn and decorate the vehicles in brilliant colours.

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Xhosa’s weave blankets depicting important events or animal symbols of the group. Today mohair goats provide wool for skilful woven mats, carpets and wall hangings. Patterns are typical of African design.

Windmills and wagons are made from scrap wire, metal and wire are intricate and accurate working models with moving parts to create African art.

Brides wear elaborate hairstyle woven with colourful beads. Custom requires her to shade her eyes with a veil of beads or beaded cloth. Hoops encircle her neck and enormous rings or discs hang from pierced ears. They believe by piercing their ears the mind is open to understanding.

Coloured beadwork is worn for decoration but often depict special messages. Before initiation Ndebele girls prepare beaded hoops, fringed headbands and dancing sticks and made fertility dolls. Their mothers made then special leather aprons embroidered with special beads. Beads are letters with special messages. Red means passion or jealousy. Blue that the girl’s thoughts fly to her loved one like a dove. White means purity and yellow good wealth. Black means she longs to wear the black leather apron, which symbolizes marriage. A girl will ask a friend to deliver the bead letter to her chosen young man.

Clay pots are also traditional African craft and are made from clay and vary in size. Tsonga pots have necks, Zulu pots are round and the Xhosa people shape theirs like barrels. Some make coils and wind them round to form the walls and use a shell, a large pod or the rind of a calabash. The women may use a torn for drawing a design on the dry clay pot and colour it with orange, red or white ochre’s ground from earth.

Wickerwork and baskets from reeds, grass or palm leaves differ from tribe to tribe. Sleeping mats are woven from reeds in traditional tribal patterns. Zulu tribal people weave huge baskets to store grain and food or for carrying goods, also to strain their sorghum beer.
Men usually fashion wooden spoons, dishes, mugs, dishes and smoking pipes. A pattern is sometimes burnt into the wood with a red-hot iron.

Musical instruments ranges from the single stringed GORAH of the San hunter and the echo in the townships of the throb of MBAQANGA. Today the traditional Africans use commercial manufactured materials such as paraffin tins and brass wire. African people play traditional horns of various types of antelope and are usually side blown.
African people also play wooden slabs of different lengths with hard sticks sometimes calabashes are attached beneath the wooden slabs to increase the volume. This type of xylophone is used by Venda and Tsonga. Khoi Khoi drums are made of animal skins stretched over clay pots or metal containers and are beaten with the hands.
Xhosa’s and Zulu’s in townships use old bins covered with skins to beat out traditional African tribal music.