An Ndebele bride wears a blanket, called Nguba, as a
symbol of her married status. She will add a strip of
beading to the border with each year of marriage. The
bride must exhibit the demure behavior and solemnity
requred of an Ndebele girl entering marriage.
Carrying a ritual parasol, the bride leaves the family
compund bound for her husbands home. She will remain
cocooned in a red ceremonial blanket until the nuptial rites
are underway.
Concealed under a ritual parasol and wrapped in her
Nguba blanket, an Ndebele bride recieves gifts from
relatives and friends on her wedding day.
A Ndebele bride, wrapped in her Nguba blanket is accomapnied by female relatives and elders. The Ndebele
believe that ancestors prescribe in dreams how much
beading an Nguba should carry. The courtyard of an
Ndebele home, where the wedding takes place, is
considered a woman’s domain, where privileges and
courtesies based on age and marital status are observed.
The brides face is framed with a bridal headband and
beaded crown. Standing in silent contemplation at the
center of the courtyard outside her family home, she
awaits her friends and family.
Female guests gather at the entrance to the bride’s house
to call her out of seclusion.
Ndebele leg hoops, called golwani, made from hanks of
grass wrapped in strands of glass beads, are placed on the
legs of the bride. They are associated particulary with
costumes worn by girls of marriageable age who have
completed their intiation into womanhood.
An Ndebele bride dresses in beaded leg and waist hoops
and skirts that constitute her bridal outfit to indicate her
availablity for marriage. The large beaded leg hoops
emulate the voluptuous rolls of body fat that are
considered a mark of health and beauty among Ndebele
women.
An Ndebele child is dressed by her grandmother in
preparation for a family wedding. She accompanies the
bride as a blessing and symbol of fertility. On her legs, the
child wears beaded hoops called golwani. Underneath her
matching waist hoops is tied an apron of beaded tassels
known as lighabi. As the child grows, the lighabi is replaced
by larger versions, and is finally discarded after her
initiation into womanhood.
A square apron called Ipepetu is worn by unmarried girls
and is reputed to insure chastity. After the wedding, the
bride will exhange it for a nuptial apron called Liphotu, and
eventually for the five-paneled apron Ijoglo, reserved for
women who have completed the marriage cycle by bearing
children.
The bride is greeted by master muralist Francina Ndimande
who has painted many Ndebele homes as a prelude to
weddings and initiations.
Niece of the late King Mabhoko, Francina Ndimande
started to paint as a young girl after watching her mother
decorate the walls of the family home. Many of the motifs
of her early paintings were influenced by the beadwork of
Ndebele women.
Beginning at harvest season as a prelude to weddings and
initiations, Ndebele houses are freshly painted by women
who have been taught the traditional techniques during
girlhood initiations. Master painter Esther Mahlangu
composes her designs directly on the surface of the wall
using a traditional feather brush and a calabash paint pot.
Painter Esther Mahlangu, also of royal descent, is famous
throughout the Ndebele kingdom and internationally for
her ability to combine the old world of tradition with the
new world of urbanisation. Her boldly contrasting shapes
and colors draw on the world about her, but also
incorporate images foreign to her culture.
An Ndebele woman wears beaded hooped necklaces to
indicate her status and marriage. A brass torque is tightly
fitted to her neck to extend its length and enhance her
beauty.
Originally, Ndebele houses were painted in muted mud
designs, but today the women use intensely colored
commercial paints that do not deteriorate from the effects
of weather. Traditional Ndebele beadwork designs, as seen
on the apron worn by Esther Mahlangu, also provide
inspiration for mural painting.
In addition to modern paints, new motifs such as airplanes,
staircases, lightbulbs , double-edged razor blades and
abstractions of modern architecture have been
incorporated into Ndebele art. The result is a striking
hybrid that fulfils a decorative function but has also
become a fascinating document of the social development
and personal aspirations of the Ndebele people.
Internationally famous master painter, Esther Mahlangu,
creates styalised abstractions to produce a vibrant twodimensional world. Though most Ndebele paintings are not believed to posess magical properties, the designs are said to protect the household from evil spirits.
Neigbours of the Ndebele and relatives through
intermarriage, the Pedi maintain a strong matrilineal
tradition. Certain distinguished elder women, known as
Pedi Queens, act as firgueheads for their communities.
In fully beaded regalia, the Pedi Queens make an impressive appearence at ceremonial occasions. Mevis Mohlai wears a long beaded neck sash that bears her name. The Pedi are renowned for their beadwork and have inspired the designs of Ndebele women.
