The Xhosa Dolls - A Genuine Expression Of The Xhosa Culture In The Eastern Cape

Our portray of "The African Doll Maker" has become one of the most read articles of our magazine. Responding to our readers request, we are digging today a little bit deeper into the history and production of Xhosa Dolls in the Eastern Cape. 

Xhosa Dolls - Folk Art Dolls From The Eastern Cape, South Africa

The Xhosa Dolls of the Eastern Cape fall under a category, generally labeled "Folk Art Dolls". Folk Art Dolls have been produced by many communities all over this world, ranging from the native Americans to the Inuit people of Alaska. Dolls, that date back to the last century are highly sought after by doll collectors all over the world and fetch steep prices. 

What makes the folk art dolls so desirable is the fact, that they are exact copies of the traditional way of dressing of local communities.

The Xhosa dolls are exact copies of the traditional way of dressing of the Xhosa nation

Our Xhosa dolls, that we find in the Eastern Cape are no difference in this regard. They are representing the Xhosa Nation's traditional way of dressing right down to the last detail. 

The traditional dress of the Xhosa people has evolved over the years into beautiful, with beads and button adorned outfits, that are worn to special occasions like marriages and ritual ceremonies.

Has the traditional Xhosa dress its origin in the Victorian dress of the first settler women? We rather think no! 

 

It has been said that the traditional Xhosa dress has its origin in the Victorian dress worn by the first settler women, who came to this country. 

Although, this might be true for the dresses of the Herero women in Namibia, one can in a subjective way differ from this point of view. To us there is not really a great similarity between the way the Xhosa women dress and the way the settler's women dressed. It is true, that petty coats have been added over time and that traditional dresses have become longer but the similarity is much less significant that in the case of the Herero women's attire.

We think that the Xhosa dolls are a genuine expression of the Xhosa's way of dressing. And we dare to say a way of dressing, that has existed before the first settlers arrived in South Africa.

The Traditional dress is decorated with beads and buttons

Black tape is sewed onto the costume to embellish it. Beads and buttons serve as decorations.

During the last decade a small industry has risen in South Africa. 

Nowadays, a great number of self-help initiatives, NGOs and craft groups in the province of the Eastern Cape have trained women to sew Xhosa art dolls in the traditional way. 

Many of these projects have as a mission to generate income for unemployed women, thereby empowering them economically. Tourists have found a liking to these dolls and most of them are bought by foreigners visiting South Africa.

But it is hard to find genuine old dolls in the Eastern Cape.

Most of the early dolls were created from fabric, resembling rag dolls.

Traditionally the Xhosa art dolls were created from rags or fabric off cuts

We came across one very old doll in the King Williams Town Museum, that represents the genre of dolls one could probably find at the beginning of our century.

An early example of a Xhosa doll exhibited in the King Williams Town Museum

There are not many examples of early Xhosa fabric dolls and the one we have discovered in the Amathole Museum in King Williams town in the Eastern Cape is truly unique. 

Typically for the Xhosa dolls as well as for many other folk art dolls of different geographic origin is, that their faces are painted or stitched by hand onto the cloth.

A Historical Xhosa doll preserved in the King Williams Town Museum

At a later stage aspects of recycling were introduced into the production of the Xhosa dolls. Empty one liter coke and other cool drink plastic bottles are used today by many craft groups to create the body of the dolls. The plastic bottles are filled with small stones or gravel, thereby giving the doll gravity, so that it will not either fall over.

Detail of the Head Of A Xhosa Doll Of  Later Origin

A new era of recycled Xhosa art dolls - small stones add gravity to the empty coke bottle used as the body

This small unique doll, that could represent a Sangoma, is completely made out of recycled materials. The body of the doll consists of an empty spice-glass covered in fabric. The dress and her scarf are made out of rag cut-offs. The traditional stick she is holding is made from wood and a piece of a feather.
She wears a petty-coat made of the plastic of an old supermarket-carrier bag. The face and her arms are covered by black cloth.
This doll measures only 7,5" in height. 

The petty coat is made from a plastic shopping bag piece

The way African women dress has changed a lot in recent times and Xhosa dolls are produced nowadays in a way to represent the spirit of the 21th century Africa in their appearance. But without doubt, new or old, the charm, that they elude is irresistible.

The dress of this doll has captured all the details of a real traditional Xhosa dress.

Button Detail of a traditional Xhosa art doll dress