Friday was a holiday in South Africa and, although nobody seemed to know what holiday it was, the area offices were closed. So, the couples from the DRC took yet another p-day outing. It seems that we're using up all of the p-days we missed in the year of 2011 at once while in South Africa. Since there aren't places to visit in the Congo and we really don't have a full work load here, we're taking advantage of exploring Johannesburg while we can.
LESEDI
South African Cultural Center
As you entered the compound there were many crafts, both new and ancient, made by each tribe. We had fun looking at them but resisted the urges to buy. After all this is a tourist place and things were pricey.
There were beaded things of all kinds made mostly by the Zulus and Ndelebe. I loved the little black dolls.
You can buy instruments, masks, dolls, carved wooden figures, fabric, clothing, and beads, beads,beads!
After a brief greeting we then went on a guided tour
of small villages representing each tribe.
ZULU
These are the warriors of South Africa. They were such fierce warriors that during colonial times, with metal spears and animal skin shields, they defeated the British, who were armed with swords and muskets .
The Zulu village was guarded by a warrior both day and night and only the word of the chief could give you permission to enter the village. It didn't appear to me that the stick barrier at the entrance was really particularly good security, but it must have worked for them.
They lived in dome-shaped houses with very low doors which left enemies vulnerable when entering and offer additional protection. The women wove mats for sleeping and on which they used under their work during the day since all their cooking and washing were done outside in the dirt.
Zulu warriors were hunters and raised cattle. They wore clothing of skins and worked to create metal
weapons and shields made of hides. Zulu women wore beaded clothing, did household tasks, hauled water and worked the gardens. Now they're colorful plastic beads. In early days they were made of stones.
An unmarried woman wore beaded skirts, tops, and other adornments. When she married a red woven hat was sewn to her head and remained there unless there was a divorce. The girl in the picture in the middle is holding a wooden "pillow" that was used by a married woman when sleeping so that her hat could hang over and used by her husband as a stool during the day. She also received a leather skirt fashioned by her husband as a wedding gift, which she wore after her marriage.
BASOTHO
The Basotho tribe were the peaceful people who lived in the mountains, in what is now the small country of Lesotho. They wear unique pointed hats that represent the mountains where they live and beautifully colored, patterned blankets. Their homes are also pointed to represent the refuge of the mountains where they moved to avoid conflicts with other tribes. The house with painting is the home of the medicine man.
The main-stay of their diet is corn, which is stone ground. They also raised cattle. They cooked in a communal fireplace which was made in the shape of a cross, allowing them to build the day's fire in whatever place was best suited for the weather conditions of the day. The fire was built in one part of the cross so that the wall of the fire pit acted as a wind break to protect the fire.
PEDI
As you look at the pictures of these people you will note that the men are wearing kilts. During colonial times the British were warring with all the native African tribes. When they went to battle with the Pedi, they enlisted the aid of the Scotts. At the battle they put the Scottish in their kilts on the front lines and the British soldiers behind them. When the king of the Pedi saw the skirts, he told his people not to kill the "women," but to wait for the men who were behind them. So, the Scottish in their "skirts" moved forward and won the battle with the Pedi tribe. To honor the cleverness and the great skill of the Scottish, the Pedi adopted the wearing of kilts.
The Pedi decorate their houses, made from mud and cow manure, with beautiful earth-toned, geometric patterns, The staple grains used in their diets were crushed to make their porage using a mortar and pestle.
To tempt the visitors they offered us one of their favorite treats, caterpillars, which the Congolese also eat. They didn't have too many takers among the visitors, but a little boy in the village was thrilled to get one.T
he last thing we were told was that they decorated the ground in front of their homes and in open public areas with designs made by the women of the village using cow dung! Can you imagine how Brent reacted when the woman poured out the green, slimy mixture and started finger painting geometric designs in it? Wipes! Wipes!
XHOSA (said with a tongue click for the x)
The Xhosa tribe's true claim to fame is that this is the tribe from which Nelson Mandella came. They come from the beautiful hills and coastlines of the Eastern cape of South Africa. They are known for their painted faces, wooden tobacco pipes and chest beating dances.
Smoking tobacco is done by both men and women of the Xhosa tribe. The men use short pipes and the women use long pipes. All are decorated with rows of beads. When the tobacco is put in the bowl of the pipe, it's closer to the smoker and therefore stronger in the men's pipes. The women's smoke is weakened by the length of the pipe it goes through before reaching the smoker. A long pipe is also believed to make the women hold the bowl lower and farther from a baby on the mother's back, thus being felt safer for the baby.
The shelf built into the wall contains oil lamps, wooden bowls and gourds used for liquid storage. Grinding stones are used to mill the grains and the round pot is a beer pots.
NDELEBE
The Ndelebe tribe is a very small tribe. They are characterized by their brilliant colored homes, blankets and jewelry. They wear very large necklaces, leg bands and bracelets made of beads and heavy blankets in bright colors. Their traditional dolls are a trademark of their tribe. Before the coming of the British colonizers the Ndelebe people lived in simple thatched huts. After learning to make brick houses, this tribe began building square, brick homes and decorating them with beautiful, brightly painted designs.
The marimba band was a fun addition to our visit as they played against the background of the brilliantly colored Ndelebe wall and during the dancing.
These two ladies sat on the cement all day long making beaded items to sell in the shops.
It was a very warm day, but they continue to wear the heavy necklaces, leg bands and blankets of the Ndelebe. I especially like their Linga Koba dolls. During courtship a young man puts a doll outside the young woman's home. This is his proposal of marriage and if she takes the doll into her home she has accepted his proposal. When preparing for the marriage she cares for and names her doll. This will be the name used for her first child. It's an African "must have."
After the tour we went into a theater for
singing and dancing by each tribe
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