Mapoto

This type of beaded apron is made and worn by Ndzundza Ndebele women of South Africa. This art form emerged after the Ndzundza Ndebele peoples were defeated in the late 1880s by the Boers and physically dispersed. At around the same time, tiny glass seed beads from Europe became available through trade and Ndzundza Ndebele women began to bead bold geometric designs onto clothing. Not only did women stitch these eye-catching designs onto clothing, they also painted them onto the exterior walls of homesteads. Through art, the scattered nation retained its identity.

In the early 20th Century, beadwork designs were dominated by a white color field and included only a few randomly placed geometric designs rendered in color. After the 1930s Ndebele aesthetics changed. As more colors of beads became available on the market, women began to include a wide range of colors and filled the composition with larger geometric and figurative motifs.

The mapoto apron is one of three types of aprons worn by married women and is made by brides in preparation for marriage. The two side flaps at the bottom of the apron represent the marriage partners and the many small tassels between signify the expectation of children that the couple will bear.