A Beaded Lifestyle
....Bead-style Era....
Ndebele women traditionally adorned themselves with a variety of
ornaments, each symbolising her status in society. After marriage, dresses
became increasingly elaborate and spectacular. In earlier times, the
Ndebele wife would wear copper and brass rings around her arms, legs and
neck, symbolising her bond and faithfulness to her husband, once her home
was built. She would only remove the rings after his death. The rings
(called idzila) were believed to have strong ritual powers. Husbands used
to provide their wives with rings; the richer the husband, the more rings
the wife would wear. Today, it is no longer common practice to wear these
rings permanently. In addition to the rings, married women also wore neck
hoops made of grass(called isirholwani) twisted into a coil and covered
in beads, particularly for ceremonial occasions. Linrholwani are sometimes
worn as neckpieces and as leg and arm bands by newly wed women whose
husbands have not yet provided them with a home, or by girls of
marriageable age after the completion of their initiation ceremony
(ukuthomba). Married women also wore a five-fingered apron(called an
itjhorholo) to mark the culmination of the marriage, which only takes
place after the birth of the first child. The marriage blanket
(untsurhwana) worn by married women was decorated with beadwork to record
significant events throughout the woman's lifetime. For example, long
beaded strips signified that the woman's son was undergoing the initiation
ceremony and indicated that the woman had now attained a higher status in
Ndebele society. It symbolised joy because her son had achieved manhood as
well as the sorrow at losing him to the adult world. A married woman
always wore some form of head covering as a sign of respect for her
husband. These ranged from a simple beaded headband or a knitted cap to
elaborate beaded headdresses(amacubi).
As the years progressed, beadwork started being incorporated into everyday life. Beadwork entered the fashion industry, home-decor industry and even the beauty pageant industry. One thing is for sure, beads will always have a story to tell❤.