Xhosa Stories

Beads are the material of dreams and stories. Introduced hundreds of years ago by Venetian tradesmen the Africans converted the coloured glass beads to a true artistic expression of their own. The colour scheme and the patterns of beads tell a story. In South Africa the Zulu have their beaded love letters and the Xhosa their necklaces, earrings and beaded applications on dresses and aprons.

Once I attended a show telling stories by beading at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. There the Wild Coast is not far where the green hills are dotted with Xhosa rondavels and the coast line is dramatic.  


©mudunwazib@brandsouthafrica.com
I got my beaded necklace from a dear friend, a Xhosa grandmother. For the annual Christmas holidays she had travelled to her home town in rural Eastern Cape and came back with the lovely present.  Katherine-Mary Pichulik at the Watershed of Cape Town's Waterfront offers a range of modernized beaded necklaces and bangles which are truly bold and beautiful. 






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