Heirachies of Womanhood and the Apron's of Nguni Women

Like the Ndwende, Zulu people from the Mapumulo area also wear marriage shawls. Mapumulo shawls can be indentifued by the beautiful white beadwork and specific colour combinations they use.

An Apron worn by a Zulu woman from Msinga expecting her first child.  A wild antelope has to be hunted by the family and decorated in the colours of the area.  Care is taken not to have geometric designs. The apron is worn with the head of the antelope facing downwards to welcome her first born child. Upon birth some beads are removed from the surface of the skin to make her first girdle. The skin become a blanket for the child. It is completely inspired by the traditions of San and Khoe people, only in this case, the white beads refer to the ancestors. 

Throughout South African cultures traditional healers or sangomas exsit. Sangomas are powerful and skilled healers who work with plant medicine and can communicate with the ancestors to heal and help their clients. Xhosa sangomas often wear a skirt like this one.

This colourful garment is the Front Apron for a young girl from the Nongoma area. Nongoma is known for the  Umkhosi woMhlanga or Royal Reed Dance Festival which takes place in early September every year. The Reed Dance is performed by Zulu maidens to celebrate the Zulu nation.

Traditional Zulu marriage skirt made from one of the marriage  lobola cows which has  sacrificed by the wearer's father and blackened with carbon and fat as a show of respect to the ancestors. 

A picture of a magnificent Amangwane marriage skirt with tassels and leather belt all reminiscent of the 60’s. The husband wears a similar leather belt with tassels as well. It is the traditional wear of the people from the Drakensberg since migrant labour became the normal way of supporting the family.

Marriage apron of Ndeblele woman worn for wedding and special occasions. The Ndebele were widely dispersed over huge white farms a major war and created an entirely new form of dress and ceremonies that were intended to result in the unity of the Ndebele Nation. They painted their houses in designs signifying events, abstraction and eventually what they wished their future houses and villages to be. They then transferred this pictures on to their items of dress. 

A Lighabi is a front apron worn by a young Ndebele women who have reached maturity. By wearing this apron, a young woman indicates that she is ready for marriage

Amongst the Shangana Tsonga, ceremonies happen in an Nhanga, a guarded women’s initiation hut. Secret musical rites of passage take place in these spaces which, along with other rituals and lessons, render youn girls eligible for lobolo, bride price negotiation.