The Xhosa Culture - A Grandfather Looks Back

The Xhosa Culture is a structure, that gives you a firm stand in life

A couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with a Xhosa Elder in Mdantsane. The conversation with the old man, who did not want his name mentioned or his picture to appear on our site (he said, he is too old for something like this) lasted nearly three hours, and was of an openness and spirituality that I have seldom experienced with a complete stranger.

The grandfather's words - as I call him - were simple but full of deep meaning and wisdom. He was not shy of talking. He was approachable. 

"Whatever I say and you want to write, you can write. How would I know in anyway what you write?", he said to me.

Nothing like the talk of the politicians, that we hear on TV everyday in the news, talk that last for minutes without saying or meaning something. Anyway, that is not what I wanted to talk about today.

I did not take notes or record the conversation, it was entirely unexpected and to recapitulate it and to bring his words to these pages is not easy, but so worth it. 

 

Our rituals involve a certain simplicity but demand strict respect.

The grandfather - my conversational partner was in his eighties and has experienced "a whole lotta life". Some of us can only wish for that.

"The Xhosa Culture", he said and looked at me, "is a thing, that is easy to explain. Don't let anyone tell you, that it is difficult to describe our way of life! It is not! At least the Xhosa Culture, that I know, that I was taught by my parents and that I grew up with is an easy thing."

"Why is it so easy?"

"Because everything is defined, it is a structure, it is a structure like an old mat woven with great skill according to a pattern that has evolved over centuries, that gives you direction and a firm stand in life. The rules and regulations, our Xhosa costumes are like the arms that embrace you during your whole life as a Xhosa man or woman.  

If you followed, what you have been taught, the knowledge your parents handed down to you, you could not fail in life. Because this knowledge made once sense in our environment and in our heritage."

The knowledge that was handed down from our parents made sense in our environment and in our heritage

What are the things you remember from your childhood, let me say the memories that got etched in your mind? By the way, how come you speak so well English? For such and old grandfather, I mean?

I wanted to learn the white man's language. To speak another person's language gives you power.

As a child I remember, that each homestead was an economic unit with its own land. My father was the head of the home, a role that he took incredibly serious, that was his life. My father had several wives and his wealth, the richness of our family was measured in cattle. Problems in the village or in the area were solved at the Chief's council. As a boy I was sometimes allowed to watch the men from a distance.

This was our system, this is what I saw everyday and it was the way it had to be. This was so full of sense to me at the time.

Each homestead was an economic unit

And later?

There are different phases in your life and of cause each one comes with a responsibility. I was a boy then, and life did not pose too many challenges. There was a lot of piece in my father's homestead except for some of the wives quarreling. But this was a problem my father was able to solve with ease.

Then I grew up and became a man,  I had many own children. I became a father.

But your life did not repeat itself in the same way like your father's life did, right?

Yes that is true, my life was very different than that of my father and my grandfather. When I was a parent myself I experienced 40 years of Apartheid when Xhosa speaking tribes became confined to the homelands and then to the independent states of the Transkei and Ciskei. 

The chiefs became administrators for the White government. But the areas designated for the Xhosa people could not really support all the people living there. Like many other men of my generation I became a migrant worker, seeking work in the city and coming home to his family once a year for vacation. This was a drastic difference between my father's life and my life.

The absence of a man from his family for an extended period of time always changes things for the good. A man who is not present can not rule, harmonize or solve the affairs and problems of his family. He will be a migrant in life as well.

Now, that your life was so different from your fathers life did you still stick with the costumes of your Xhosa culture, your system, that you call the structure and that gives a man a firm stand in life?

Oh yes, I did. I tried. That was what allowed me to keep my family together and to live in the spirit of my forefathers. Many other choose not to do so, or may be it was an involuntary process for them. When people give up their traditions it is not always a conscious thing. But for me I tried for follow in my father's footsteps. But I did not make everybody happy of cause.

What do you mean by that?

My children, some of my children revolutionized against me.( he laughed)

Are all your children still alive?

I had nine children. I still have five. Four are late. My children have children now. Am a grandfather and great grandfather.

Today, how is your life today as a grandfather and Xhosa elder?

I am an old man who has a long life behind him. The concept of the Elders is fading away. I am not sure if I am an elder. I am just an old man. It is a long while since somebody has asked me for advice or considered my opinion as important for his decisions. In fact this talk with you is the longest talk I had in a while.

But as a grandfather could you not pass on knowledge of the olden days to your children and grandchildren?

As a grandfather I lived actually through astonishing times. When I was an old man, I was allowed to vote for the first time in 1994 when South Africa became a democratic country thanks to Nelson Mandela and his fellows.  

The new South Africa is something that made me wonder. It was a good feeling and I really did not believe that the rulers of the country would still change. I have been used to the Apartheid system for so many years, that it seemed unlikely anything else would still appear in my life time. But you have to learn freedom as well. 

I have been used to the Apartheid system for so many years, that it seemed unlikely anything else would still appear in my life time. But you have to learn freedom as well.

  

Is life now more easier and more just for you in the new South Africa? And other old people?

No, not easier, Democracy brought new opportunities and freedom for all the people in South Africa. Some of us did experience better living conditions. But many still fight a battle for survival. You are only really free when you are free of worries that concern your survival.

I do live from a grant that the government gives me. And sometimes some of my children bring money and food. But some of them also ask me for money. 

Some experienced better living conditions in South Africa

Can we talk about the costumes of the Xhosa culture, that make up the structure you talked about. What costumes you think are the most important ones?

Of cause the rituals. 

But it is difficult to say which ones are the most important ones. The rituals "Isisiko" take place in every Xhosa household at moments that are important for the family. You know that. Still today it is like that. Usually this involves the slaughter of an ox or a goat in the kraal. Traditional beer is served to the guests.

Our rituals involve a certain simplicity but demand strict respect. If you forget or not commemorate a ritual when it should have been done, it will hinder or block you in your advancement to the next step in your life.

Like Abakwetha -the initiation of our young boys into men.

Is the ritual of Abakwetha still practised in the same way as when you were young?

You see this question people talk a lot about, also around me there are discussions. You can never say for sure because you only do this once. So what has changed since my time I do not know.But I know there was no alcohol involved in the bush shelters. We were told about manhood and adulthood and the manners you have to follow.

We did not eat meat and for sure we did not see a woman's face for the entire time.

I do not want to say what is wrong today but I have seen initates that were drunk. This in itself is a shame and an insult to the ritual. 

What does the future hold for the young? 

I do not want to be young again today. No matter under what rule you are born in your life there will be a certain amount of suffering and it is up to you if you take up the fight against it. But it helps if you know where you want to go to. It helps if you can imagine the course of your life. Many young ones can not.

Democracy brought new opportunities and freedom for all the people in South Africa. Some of us did experience better living conditions. But many still fight a battle for survival. You are only really free when you are free of worries that concern your survival.

 

And what does a future hold for a young woman in the Xhosa culture? Will she still be eager to marry young?

According to our traditions we do not marry members of our patent's or grandparent's clan's and tribes. Traditionally the bride moves to the groom's family. It is costum to seal the contract with the lobola, which is the bride price. A certain number of cattle is transferred from the groom's family to the bride's family. The number is negotiable. But today often money is paid instead. Young women do not like to be in polygamous relationships anymore and the wedding is conducted at the church. Sure there is a traditional wedding as well but the Xhosa people have definitely taken over Western costumes.  

Many women move to the city to find a job and marriage is not their first priority anymore. Life is like that, if there are other options you will consider them.

If there are other options you will consider them....

In my time a girl enhanced her beauty by beadwork but I do think this has also changed a lot.

In my time a girl enhanced her beauty by bead work but I think a lot has changed old image of a Zulu girl

Eating U-Smileys (Sheep head) in Fort Jackson - Different Cultures, Different Dishes

Today's article was written by the young volunteer Jonas Krombach and describes his culinary journey through the world of traditional Xhosa food. Here we go!

 

One of my reasons to do a voluntary year in another country was, that I wanted to get in contact with other cultures. Cultures I did not know before, such as the Xhosa-culture.

When I got the confirmation, that I would be going to Mdantsane for a year as a volunteer for a German Development organization to work with an environmental youth club at a local High School, I started to read about the Xhosa People on the Internet.

I learned quickly, that food plays a big role in the Xhosa culture, but also in general in South Africa.

Jonas Favourite Fat Cake With Liver Filling!!!

Well, I tried to find more information about typical Xhosa-dishes, but all I could find out was that the South Africans love to braai( barbecue) that they adore biltong( dried meat) and that there is Indian food as well, such as the Bunny Chow. 

But I found nothing about traditional Xhosa dishes such as Samp and Beans (Umngqusho), African Salad and Umfino - dishes that I know so well by now.

Theresa and Joans eating Umngusho, a traditional Xhosa Dish

Arriving in Mdantsane I settled down in my guest family’s home. 

When Nolubabalo, one of my guest mothers, said that she was going to cook something for dinner, I was excited and curious at the same time. I can still remember our first dinner. The whole family sat down together at the table and we ate pap with cabbage, butternut and everybody got some chicken as well. What a warm welcome!

The Open Air U-Smileys Restaurant in Fort Jackson An Industrial Area Close To Mdantsane

And as time went by I had the chance to taste the full variety of Xhosa dishes. My favourite dish is Umngusho. It reminds me somehow of the German traditional "lentil soup“. For those who do not know lentil soup I have made a photographic comparison between the two.

Lentil Soup versus Samp and Beans

Never Short of a celebration especially when food is involved

There is another dish I really fell in love with. Or I should better say got addicted to it. 

The Fat-Cake!!! ( Jonas, Jonas, Jonas......how come you did not pick up any weight?)

The Mamas at Inkwenkwezi High School (my former workplace) always sold it during the lunch break. There is a special relationship between the Fat Cake and me. I cannot describe it. But I just adore the Fat Cake! 

Especially the Fat Cake filled with liver. Mhhhhh!

Cutting U-Smileys - Sheep Heads are called like this because when cooked in hot water for a long time they shrink and their face or what is left of it takes on a smiling expression! So it is said!

All the African/Xhosa dishes I have mentioned in this article so far are "nice dishes". 

But there are a couple of dishes I did not manage to become accustomed to. I rather prefer to stay away from them.

Well there is The African Salad.  My guest family always screamed with laughter when they saw how I grimaced my face while I ate the dish. The taste was just always to sour for me!

The Last smile, served on a black trash bag..........Sheep head is a popular dish in the Xhosa culture

I want to end the article with the words of my project coordinator, Melikaya. 

On one of our last days in Mdantsane he said: "How can you leave South Africa without having tasted the Smiley!“ 

And he was right! How could we! And that is why we went with all the staff members to one of Mdantsane´s street kitchens and tasted uSmiley!!!

All I can say is that it was a unique experience I will never forget!

U Smiley

The Significance Of Beads And Beadwork In The Xhosa Culture

In the African context beads play a very important role. In African societies all over the continent beads have become a proud expression of cultural values over the centuries since they were first introduced by foreign traders and today they are much more than an adornment for clothes. 

We know, that glass beads were introduced by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century to Sub-Saharan Africa and they were used as a barter product in as exchange for desirable goods from the African motherland.  

Handbeaded anklets originating from the Eastern Cape - an modern expression of old tradition

But only at a much later stage in the 1930's beads became a very distinct means of cultural expression among the Xhosa speaking people in the Eastern Cape. Bead work became a craft form, practiced and perfected by skilled African artisans in the Eastern cape. This is true for many other African regions as well but we are interested in the specific meaning of beads in the Xhosa culture. Beads were used to decorate clothes and valuable traditional costumes and they were simply worn as jewelry.

Beaded jewelry pieces originating from the Eastern Cape are true masterpieces.

A Beaded Green Choker Or Necklace In Green With A Yellow Border

Detail Of A Beaded Xhosa Necklace

Today's beaded jewelry pieces, that you can find in the Eastern Cape make use of all color combinations. Traditionally only certain color combination were allowed. Jewelry pieces, that are created for traditional ceremonies are still made in white and turquoise. Before the arrival of the  beads in Africa the Xhosa people created beads and ornaments from organic, natural material, like grasses, insect cocoons, shell pieces etc. that could be found in the Eastern Cape

Handwoven organic bangles from the Eastern Cape, an old Xhosa tradition, that has endured the test of time 
(We have another interesting story for you just click on the link)

The first naturally hand made African beads we know of are probably the beads, that the San people made from the shells of ostrich eggs. 

Ostrich shell beads strung on sinew were traditionally made by the San people, they took a long time to make and were highly sought after by the Xhosa people. The image was taken at the East London Museum

In the Eastern Cape we have seen similar beads made from sea shells. Traditionally the Xhosa people, who lived close to the coast crafted these flat and square shaped looking beads.

Women In The Coastal Village Of Haga Haga Selling Handcrafted Jewelry Made from Sea Shell Beads

The Women Sell Handcrafted Jewelry Pieces To The Tourists, That Come To The Haga Haga Hotel

Like the ostrich shell beads the sea shell beads were carefully chipped, grounded and shaped to a similar size. Holes were drilled into them manually which took a long time. 

However ostrich egg beads traded higher in price than sea shell beads due to the scarcity of their natural occurrence and the fact that the shell of an ostrich egg was much harder to work with, than that of a sea shell. Ostrich egg shells were high in demand amongst the Xhosa people, who obtained them from the San people in exchange for cannabis sativa (hemp).

At a later stage colorants were used to change their appearance and today we find them replaced in many areas by Chinese plastic beads.

Earrings Made From Shell Pieces treated with a pink colorant

Bead work communicates the wearer's social status and his wealth. Certain colors and sizes of beads are directly linked to certain groups in society. Professions, like the one of a healer or diviner can be identified through the bead work its practitioners are wearing.

A White Hand Beaded Choker Ordered And Made For A European White Wedding

The social life of the Xhosa people is seen and organised as a series of distinct stages, each one invariably linked to a special ritual performance through which every person passes from the beginning of his life to the end of it. 
Passing from one stage of life to another is a complex concept firmly entrenched in many cultures.

"The passing" can be one of most important moments in some body's life because the person emerges cleaned and as a changed person. With that comes a new status and position in life, greater social responsibility as well as greater respect and acceptance in the community. Clearly defined responsibilities, obligations and privileges are linked to each life stage, thereby creating a sense of stability in the community and the social structure, the community has adopted.

Passing from one life stage to another is a complex concept firmly entrenched in the Xhosa culture

 
Often "passing" it is a symbolic act (for example the moment when a person receives for the first time the holy communion in the catholic religion) and in the case of the Xhosa culture passing from one stage to the next goes hand in hand with a change in dress, behaviour and bead work. We learned from Thembeka from Iza Crafts that this is the reason why the colors of beads used in traditional ceremonies and passing ceremonies can not be changed, because by doing so the ritual performance or the tradition would be broken. It can not be broken because it is like the holy gate through which the person has to walk.     

Designs have become bolder, brighter and larger but the beading technique stayed the same

In the past everything was very clearly organized in the Xhosa society and rules were laid down, that were not contradicted or opposed by the members of the society.

In the "old" Xhosa society a clear organisation and hierarchy laid down the rules, that were respected by all

  
Bead work, worn by traditional healers is distinctive and immediately identifies the wearer as a healer. The healer wears the signs of his profession. Novice healers wear single white strings of white beads around their heads, wrists, elbows and ankles, while experienced older healers have the right and privilege to wear much more opulent and elaborate bead work. They are also allowed to wear other colors. 
 
The color blue plays a very important in the symbolism of Xhosa bead work. The color blue is associated with the color of water and when a  healer wears beads of blue color it indicates, that he was immersed in a river or the sea.

The Cleansing - Xhosa Women At The Wild Coast In Quolora By The Sea

 

The Water Of A River Of The Sea Has The Power To Purify You

Without Purity No Healing Is Possible

The Color Blue Is Associated With The Color Of Water- And Blue Beads Are An Expression Of The Fact That the Healer Was Immersed in A River Or  The Sea

 
White is like in many other societies as well a symbol of purity and power. Amandla, the word that the whole world came to know through the struggle for freedom in South Africa - is the Xhosa word for power - a power, that comes from the ancestors and from god. Both purity and power are qualities a great healer has to possess. To perform the century old traditional rituals (Amasiko) the healer has to be pure and he has to be powerful to speak to the ancestors and to make the rituals effective.

White Is A Symbol Of Purity- A Traditional Healer From King Williams Town Wearing Elaborate White Bead Work

 

A Traditional Healer from King Williams Town - Bead Work Is more Than Symbolic. Beads Are Intrinsic To Healing

Many healers believe, that beads are not only symbolic but that are contributing to the healing process because they imbue the personal power of the healer.

The term Bantu speaking people comprises a great variety of ethnic groups residing in the Eastern Cape like the Mfengu, Nguni, Thembu, Xesibe, Bomvana, Bhaca etc. Each of these groups although belonging to a larger group have very different cultures, languages and also politically different views. Bead work also allowed for a clear distinction between these groups.

Beadwork was used to differente between different ethnic groups and different political convictions

Although glass beads were introduced as a trade commodity to Africa from European traders they form today an integral part of the Xhosa Culture. They are seen as "African" and they are. We have often talked about the fact that the value added to a product over the years turns this product into something else. Bead work is seen today as something traditional.  In every family you will find family heirlooms that have been handed down from the older generations to the younger ones and they are worn with pride.

Bead work jewelry has great commercial value today because of the new designs and the many ways it has been modernised.

 Beaded Hair band - widely available throughout the Eastern Cape

Large beaded colorful earrings

Multicolored necklace

Hand Ring of black and silver -  A modern take on the traditional way

For further insight into this topic we invite you to watch our short movie with 80 year old Thembeka Metele "The Traditional way Of Dressing In The Xhosa Culture" .

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