Inkciyo - The Magic Of Old Xhosa Bead Work - And Its Value On The African Arts Market Today

I want to seize the moment to thank our readers for the appreciation and interest they have shown in our article "The Significance of Beads and Bead work in the Xhosa Culture".

When preparing and writing this article, I was not aware, that it would fall into and fill a niche of interest on the Internet and that it would bring us hundreds of new readers. We thank you for all your emails and again we can only say, you are the ones, who inspire us and make us come up with new ideas for the Mdantsane Way Magazine.

Because of my passion for old African Trade beads, African Art and Jewelry I have been ordained to continue writing on this topic and I thoroughly enjoy doing so, but we will get a little bit philosophical today.

The Province of the Eastern Cape is home to many ethnic groups, and although it is the poorest  province in South Africa, it has an incredibly rich culture and African heritage. 

Genuine old Xhosa bead work pieces, coming from the villages and the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, that have been used in traditional ceremonies are extremely hard to find and are seldom sold to foreigners or even locals. Their symbolic value is priceless. The fact, that a piece has been used continuously in rituals and initiation ceremonies makes it "holy" in a way.

The Tradition Is Alive

The tradition of beading is alive throughout the Eastern Cape and beaded jewelry and adornments have taken on modern shapes and designs. Bead work can be bought everywhere, on the street markets, in shops, airports, hotel boutiques and even in shopping centers. 

Many designs are exact copies of the bead work pieces created from the 1930's onwards in the Eastern Cape, when glass beads became a definite part of the traditional way of dressing in the Xhosa culture.

But it is rare to find old Xhosa bead work pieces for sale on the market, that are 50 to 70 years old.

The genuine old pieces are treated as heirlooms and they are treasured by their owners and kept in the families.

Old Xhosa bead work radiates some sort of magic, that is hard to grasp. Holding them in your hands, you can feel the pulse of the culture and the heritage they embody. They have transcended the lives of the many people who have worn them at very important, life changing stages in their lives. 

Am I romantic, or even a poet? Yes sure I am - but I believe, that this is true. The feeling a person has, when wearing a piece of jewelry, a special piece of jewelry made for a specific occasion, descends into the piece of jewelry.

Today we are dedicating time to a very special type of bead work item worn traditionally since centuries by the young girls of the Xhosa and Thembu clans - the Inkciyo.  The Thembu speak the Xhosa language but they belong to an independent kingdom.

An old Inkciyo exhibited in the King Williams Town Museum in the Eastern Cape Of South Africa

The Inkciyo is a sort of apron, specifically made for the young girls who have reached the stage of becoming a woman. 

Amongst the Thembu and Xhosa people, when a young girl gets her first period, she withdraws for a whole month from the members of her community. She goes into seclusion. 

She becomes a Ntonjane. Ntonjane is a term, that could best be described as the life stage of evolution from an insect pupa into a butterfly.

It is the transition phase where a girl matures to a woman. During this important time, the girl is instructed in the tasks, accepted behavior, costumes and responsibilities, that a Xhosa woman has to comply with in her culture. 

Usually, a woman from her father's family, for instance the sister of her father guides her during the period of seclusion and teaches her everything she needs to know for her life as a woman. Her first task is to bead her Inkciyo or "cache sexe" (the french expression for a pubis apron), which is the only garment she is permitted to wear, except for a blanket.

A Thembu Girl Wearing The Inkciyo

During the one month long period seclusion the girl wears nothing but the Inkciyo. Her breasts are bare and she stays in her natural beauty. 

The period of Ntonjane seclusion ends with a celebration and a feast welcoming the girl into womanhood.

After the seclusion, has ended the apron is not worn by the girl anymore. Most of the time it is kept and passed on to the next girl, who has reached the stage of becoming initiated.  After all girls of the family have matured and there is no girl left to inherit the apron, it stays in the family as a heirloom.

But often the Inkciyo is taken apart and the beads are re-used for beading a new Inkciyo for another girl when her time comes to be initiated.

 

I have also heard the saying, that some Thembu women wear them under their full skirts. 

The Ritual Is Important

Understanding the tradition of handing down an item from one person to the next in a family for a certain ritual, makes it also clear why heirlooms are more than symbolic objects and why they have spiritual, emotional and mystical qualities as well. This does not only apply to African societies.

Just think of the engagement ring your husband gave you and that your granddaughter is now wearing. Or the wedding dress made of old ivory colored, lace that hangs neatly packed away and untouched in a cupboard in your basement or in a store room. And nobody is allowed to touch it without your permission.

Think of pressed flowers, that a woman has kept for many years between the pages of a book. The flowers do not only serve as a memory to her. When she is looking at them, her hair already grey, they seem to carry the words, that once accompanied them, when they were given to her by the one she loved.

I believe that whatever you do in great passion, deep sincerity and with a strong belief transcends the object, that you use while doing it. That is the essence of a ritual. Through your own inner conviction and determination the ritual gets the strength and power, which in turn flows into the objects, that are used to fulfill the ritual. The ritual itself gets reinforced through the spiritual power of the whole community believing in it.

Still many people use lucky charms in 2013.

It is understandable now, why people, who think this way are willing to spend enormous amounts of money on old genuine bead work, African artifacts, masks etc.of different origins.

Not only the object is acquired but with it comes the power, the tradition of a foreign place and  the strength of it.  

The International African Art Market

Looking at the dynamics of the international trade of African artifacts, including trade beads and beaded jewelry, it is easy to see, that many people in this world believe in the soul of an object.

On the international online market place E-bay many traders deal with items coming from Africa since years and some have acquired great expert reputation by now. Xhosa bead work jewelry pieces and adornments range among the most desirable and fetch prices of several hundred dollars per piece.

Africa Direct is a trader operating on E-bay since 1997, specialising in African Trade Beads, African Art and African Jewelry. With a feedback of 43367 and 99,8% positive rating they are counted amongst the power sellers on E-Bay.

They have been honored with E-Bay;s hall of fame awards and by E-bay giving works through which they have raised more than 86.000$ for charity. Africa Direct is owned by two American women Elizabeth Bennett and Sarah Luther.

It all began after a year of wandering through Southern Africa in their van with their multi-racial family, they say!

A delightful apron made out of cotton thread fringes decorated with glass beads with strip of yellow beads. The strap of yellow beads has ritual purpose. The yellow color is said to induce fertility ( see Marie-Louise Labelle, Beads of Life, p. 121).

Here is what they have to say about their passion: "African art, trade beads and ethnic jewelry are both business and passion for Sara and me. We started buying African art twenty years ago as gifts for our children, four of whom are adopted and are African-American. We had been active in anti-apartheid politics for some time. In 1994, when Mandela was elected, we took the three still-at-home kids out of school and moved to southern Africa for eight months. We bought a used food panel van, converted it into a camper and traveled fifteen thousand miles through South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Swaziland. We weren't consciously beginning a business...but we noticed we were buying more than we could keep, give away, or sell at garage sales. In the beginning, we did shows and held open houses. Now, most of our sales are online".

Xhosa beaded pubis apron Inkciyo by E-bay seller Africa Direct

"We go on six-week buying trips to Africa every few years, and bring back containers. We also have African traders in our driveway almost daily. We buy from more than one hundred traders (including two women!) who come from both coasts, fly in from France and send shipments from Africa. We care about supporting living artists, and buy from co-ops in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Swaziland and other places."

Some of the most beautiful old beaded Xhosa adornments and jewelry pieces have certainly found their way into homes in foreign countries.

Glass beads, Cotton threads, buttons made of mother-of-pearls

 

Beaded detail of an Inkciyo sold by Africa Direct on E-Bay

 

African Elegance - Looking Back At The Work Of Photographer Alice Mertens

The objective of today's article is to introduce you to the photographic work of Alice Mertens (1915 -2001). Looking back in history, at all times and throughout the centuries, under any type of government, no matter how oppressive and segregating it was, there were people, who were genuinely interested in the culture and traditions of others living around them, although they themselves did not belong to the same clan, tribe, cast or ethnic group. Their curiosity was stronger than the ideology, that was preached to them. 

Some of them felt inspired enough to document what they encountered and the experiences, that came from these encounters.

Alice Mertens might have been one of those people. She dedicated part of her time and life to photograph and capture for later generations the tribal life of the Xhosa people in the Transkei.

The Photographer Alice Mertens captured true African Elegance

Now who is Alice Mertens? What are these guys talking about today? The woman died in 2001 having reached the honorable age of 86 years! We have never heard of her! Of what relevance is this to us today? 

We reply: Of great relevance! Remember the article "Our Place Of Origin". The images we have published in the article have touched the hearts of many of our readers. Remember the beautiful Fingo woman with the child on her back. Her eyes are fixed on something, that we can not see, her look is focusing on an object in the distance. Or may be she is just focusing on the land, where she lived. And remember the proud Pondo man!

Mdantsane being a predominantly Xhosa township has of course been influenced in its evolution by the Xhosa tradition and customs. Although many of them are still alive, many old traditions have fallen away.

From The Out Of Print Book "African Elegance" by Alice Mertens and Joan Broster

In the out of print book "African Elegance", a collaboration between Alice Mertens and Joan Broster the costumes, bead work and customs of Xhosa tribal life in the Transkei region are recorded and documented. The images of Alice Mertens take us back into a time now lost, seen through the lens of Alice Mertens camera.

The beauty of traditional African tribal dress

The two women, Joan Broster and Alice Mertens, portrayed the Gcaleka, Tembu, Pondo, Bomvana and Fingo peoples, who have lived in the area of the Eastern Cape of South Africa for decades.

"African Elegance"was published in 1974 and since the time of its publication, many of the traditional tribal costumes have changed under the influence of Western culture.  

African Elegance was a collaboration between Alice Mertens and Joan Broster

Back to the question who was Alice Mertens?

Not much public information is available about her life. We know, that Alice Victoria Mertens was born in Namibia in February 1915. Shortly before WWII, she studied photography at the Reimann School in Berlin in Germany. 

A time gone by

She became a professional photographer and in the years between 1964 and 1980 she worked as a journalist in Cape Town. Alice Mertens traveled extensively in Southern Africa, taking picture of the landscapes, its wildlife and the people living there.

The International Court of Justice in La Hague used the images of Alice Mertens in 1964

 
Many of her photographs were used at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 1964. Between 1959 and 1975, she authored or co-authored eleven books.  One of these books was "African Elegance".
Mrs.Mertens lectured in the Arts Department at the University of Stellenbosch. She donated her collection of slides and photographs to the Duggan-Cronin Museum in Kimberly.

The traditional Xhosa dress has undergone change over time under the influence of Western Culture

Looking at her images today,.... Are they priceless, extraordinary or does it just seem like that to us, because we the spectators are looking at an era in retrospective, a time that we have not been part of?
Was she just a woman who loved to photograph, thereby becoming a witness to a time, that is long gone by for us others, who were born after her.

But then, who of us is really aware and conscious, that the moment we are living right now is special and that it will vanish and pass? That it will fly away from us like a bird. Everything will change and only our own pictures will tell us later, that we have lived our own "time gone by".

Books like African Elegance remind us us the beauty of an" untouched Transkei"

Alice Mertens, a passionate photographer had the eye and the patience to get shots like these.

Transkei, the land of the forefathers

African Elegance can fetch up to 150 US$ on the Internet, if you can get it. If you can and have the money, then it is an acquisition worth to join your bookshelf or to give it as a present to a good friend or a loved one. It is unlikely, that you will find in a junk shop or second hand shop.

Traditional dress of the Xhosa Women

African Elegance has detailed explanations and it does give you an insight into the diversity of tribal dress in the Transkei in the past.

The copyright of all the images we have uploaded belongs to Alice Mertens and they are solely shown here for their beauty, with the intention to honor this great photographer, who has kept safe a part of the Xhosa culture, even if it is only with pictures. We do not claim any rights to them.  

 

Alice Mertens a great photographer of the past

The ShweShwe - Pride Of The Eastern Cape

The shweshwe has been around in South Africa for a long time. The shweshwe fabric, locally produced in the Eastern Cape province is something to be proud of. 

Worn proudly by South African women of all color, it is a part of South African culture and heritage. Like many other products, that can be found on the African continent, it arrived there through colonial trade relations, that were established many years back. The shweshwe's character and style has changed over the years under African influence.

ShweShwe - Proudly worn by South African women of all color

Originally the indigo cloth, as it is called as well was a rather traditional type of fabric. The typical use for the fabric was for traditional ceremonies in the rural areas of South Africa, predominantly in the Eastern Cape. 

This ensured a constant demand for the fabric and and assured its survival through the years. In the beginning this product was not affected by the laws and subtle forces of fashion.

Special designs and patterns were created for occasions like birthdays of royalties, marriages and festivals. Similar to the the African Wax, the shweshwe fabric has a story to tell about the one who wears it.

Special designs for special occasions in South Africa - in this picture the pattern shows the traditional hat of Swaziland 

 

However, the shweshwe has long claimed the catwalks of the international fashion scene. African designers have created exciting and extravagant couture representing the spirit of 21st century South Africa. Today we are looking into the history of this unique fabric

The shweshwe was originally a rather traditional type of fabric

The history of the shweshwe is a very exciting one and it all started with a gift from nature - the indigo plant. Indigofera tinctoria bears the common name True indigo.

Indigoferes tinctoria - the true indigo

  

The Arab and Phoenician trade knew about the indigo plant as early as 2400 BC. Yes that is amazing! But the indigo cloth arrived in South Africa only after a sea port was established at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. The slave trade was in full swing. And the indigo cloth left its mark on many segments of the population.

The slaves were dressed in indigo clothes. The women of the Voortrekkers also had their dresses made from this fabric and to some extent the fabric was used by the Khoi-San people as well who inhabited the Cape. Even soldiers wore shirts made from indigo cloth

It all started with a gift from nature - The Indigo Plant

Much of the indigo cloth of that time was shipped from Holland and from India to the Cape of Good Hope. The cloth was either a simple deep blue or it had small sized patterns printed on. 

In some of our museums, the King Williams Town Museum and The Reinet House in Graaff Reinet are two to name here, settler's women dresses are exhibited, that proof that there were already floral patterns in circulation at the time.    

More modern retro orientated pattern were developed only at a later stage on

Then, during the 18th and 19th centuries European Textile manufacturers developed a block and discharge printing style for indigo cotton fabric. In 1962 a German chemist developed a synthetic indigo color.

Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color. Historically, indigo was a natural substance extracted from plants. Blue dyes were once rare and achieved high prices on the market.

Today it is hardly impossible to buy naturally dyed indigo fabric. Nearly all indigo dye produced today — several thousand tons each year — is synthetic. The color resembles the blue of blue jeans.

 In the 18th century discharge printed fabric was manufactured in Czechoslovakia and Hungary by Gustav Deutsch and was exported to the African market. Before the second World War started Gustav Deustch left Germany and set up a factory in Lancashire in the UK. The factory, machinery and the expertise was later purchased by a company called Blue Printers Ltd. in Wigan.

The demand for the indigo cloth had grown so much that at one time there were four companies producing this type of fabric.

The largest of these four created a brand name, that is known nearly by everyone who loves shweshwe in South Africa - THE THREE CATS.

Three Cats has been exporting its fabrics for several decades to South Africa.

The Three Cats, one of South Africa's most famous shweshwe trade labels

SO far so good but how did the indigo cotton came to his South African name shweshwe?

There was once a great African king named Moshoeshoe.
Moshoeshoe was born in what is called to day Lesotho. He was born in 1786 at Menkhoaneng and died in 1870.
Moshoeshoe was the son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bamokoteli sub-clan. During his youth, he was very brave and once organised a cattle raid against Ramonaheng and captured several herds. As was the tradition, he composed a poem praising himself. He said he was "like a razor which has shaved all Ramonaheng's beards", referring to his successful raid.
In Sesotho language, a razor makes a "shoe...shoe..." sound, and after that he was affectionately called Moshoeshoe: "the shaver".

He also referred himself as the person of Kali, thus showed that he was a descendant of the Great Kali or Monaheng who is said to be the ancestor of most Bakoena people in Lesotho with the exception of the senior Bamolibeli.
In his early childhood, he helped his father gain power over some other smaller clans. At the age of 34 Moshoeshoe formed his own clan and became a chief. He and his followers settled at the Butha-Buthe Mountain.

Moshoeshoe - alias Mshweshwe

He was also referred to as Mshweshwe

In the early 1840's Moshoeshoe received from French missionaries a piece of indigo cloth as a gift. The French missionaries had laid the foundation of a long passion of the African people for this type of fabric. This preference for the indigo print prevailed during the entire 19th century until today. 

In the Xhosa language the indigo print was termed Ujamani.

In the 19th century the indigo was available throughout the Eastern Cape as a trade cloth and German settler women also loved to dress themselves in this type of fabric because it resembled the " Blaudruck" (blue print), a fabric that was popular in Germany at the time.   

A beautiful shweshwe panel in yellow and brown color combination

The local production of shweshwe in South Africa started in 1982 when Da Gama textiles, a factory situated at the entrance to Mdantsane received an investment from the UK based company Tootal. The blue print was produce then under the name of The Three Leopards which was the South African version of the three cats. It was then that Tootal introduced also a new range "Toto"and two new colors, brown and red. 

Ten years in 1982 later Da Gama purchased the sole rights to the Three Cats range.

Red was introduce by a UK based company Tootal

Da Gama Textiles still produces the original German print, Shweshwe or Ujamani. at a factory in Zwelitsha in the Eastern Cape.
The production of this fabric is done by feeding the cloth through copper rollers which have patterns and designs etched on the surface, allowing a week acid solution to flow into the fabric, bleaching out the distinctive white designs. 

The shweshwe found other ways of use and made its entrance into the world of design and interior decorating

The shweshwe can be easily identified for its panels and an intricate overall design

The shweshwe has a very distinct smell and pre-wash. The reason for this can be found in its history. During the several weeks long voyage from England to South Africa, starch was used to protect the fabric from the elements and the salt of the sea and gave it the characteristic stiffness it still has today.
When the shweshwe is washed it looses all stiffness and turns into a soft cotton cloth. The colors do wash out with time.

The common trade marks of the shweshwe are today, the three cats, the three leopards and and Toto 6 Star. It is easy to identify if they are authentic and original shweshwe because they are all stamped on the back.

A rich chocolate brown and more pattern than you can think of

And one is more beautiful than the other!

Your choice now!

Traditional Pondo Dancers

The following images of traditional Pondo Dancers in their ceremonial clothing were taken by Rob Mellin in 1976 in King Williams Town. We are pleased to show more of the work of ex Daily Dispatch Photographer Rob Mellin, who has documented many parts of the Xhosa culture during several decades.
To read more about Rob Mellin click here.

Pondo Dancers in King Willimas Town in the 1970's

Traditional Dancer

Detail of a traditional beaded necklace worn at ceremonies

Traditional beaded bag

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF ROB MELLIN

Looking Back, The Transkei Elections 1963

It is estimated that more than 50 % of  the inhabitants of the Mdantsane township today are under the age of 18 years.

The images shown here were taken 48 years ago in 1963 during the Transkei elections. The Transkei was the first of the ' Bantustans States " set aside for Africans by the South African Apartheid Government. The Bantustan were supposedly self-governing but they were in reality controlled by Whites.

Waiting To Vote

Transkei women dressed in the traditional Xhosa costume are waiting outside a polling station during the Transkei Elections in 1963. More than two thirds of the Transkei electorate voted, despite Apartheid Government restrictions at the time on political rallies and meetings.  

Showing The Passbooks

African votes register for the Transkei elections in 1963.

(Pictures are from Time Life Library, South Africa, 1963)

Mothers Of A Nation

When looking at these beautiful pictures I want to say the biggest assets of any nation are probably their mothers. That's my personal opinion of course.

After I have shown you their dresses let me show you now their faces.

               

They stand for peace rather than war, for patience, for love and strength.

They should lead more.  

With this post I am thanking all of them for being so patient with me and allowing me to take their portraits on their special day.

I am extremely happy with these shots because they came out so real and are full of emotion.