Ndebele Society
Inside an Ndebele Home
click to enlarge
The Ndzundza Ndebele are best known for their spectacular homes. Starting as simple grass huts, their homes evolved into the most distinctive in all of South Africa. Ndebele women painstakingly hand-paint elaborate designs on the inside and outside of their homes; a unique expression of personal creativity.
Ndebele Home...Before the Paint
click to enlargePainting an entire home can take months of work. All images are drawn free-hand; the only tools they use are paint brushes. Traditionally, the women used natural dyes. In modern times, latex paints prove a more reliable, less expensive alternative.
Floor of an Ndebele Home
click to enlargeThe walls of Ndebele homes are made of a mixture of dung, mud, and clay. The resulting mixture is strong and well-insulated. They use thatch roofs supported with sturdy wood beams.
The floors are decorated with patterns drawn in cattle dung. The floor on the left is "fresh" in more ways than one!
Earliest Ndebele Home
click to enlarge
Later Edition Ndebele Home
click to enlargeThe earliest Ndebele homes were simple grass huts (left). In their turbulent early history, they needed to be able to pack up and move quickly. These huts served that purpose As they began to build an empire, the Ndebele adopted a more permanent dwelling (right).
All Ndebele homes--traditional and modern--are located within a fenced compound. This compound will house the patriarch of the family, his wives and his children. If his sons have married, they will live with the father until the son acquires enough wealth (in terms of livestock and wives) to move out on his own. Additional relatives will live with the family as needed.
Like their homes, Ndebele women stand out from their South African counterparts. Adorned in extravagant outfits, a well dressed Ndebele woman can wear 50 lbs of clothing and jewelry at a time!
An Ndebele Married Woman
click to enlarge
The beaded blankets cover a married
woman's body as a show of modesty to her husband. Their beaded
front aprons have symbols similar to those found on their homes.
They finish the look with metal arm, leg, and neck bands and several
different types of beaded jewelry.
Single, unmarried women have different outfits altogether. They show their unrestricted status by bearing their breasts. Their beaded aprons are stiff and they wear large, colored leg bands. These pieces also indicate that she is mature and of marriageable age.
A Farmers Home Near Blapsfontein, 1998
click to enlarge
Some men wear a poriaan around their neck. Except for special occasions, the poriaan is typically the only piece of men's "jewelry".
As with most Nguni peoples, the Ndebele have a paternalistic culture. Women are responsible for maintaining the home and their families as well as taking care of her husband. Men are largely responsible for managing the family estate. This was traditionally measured in terms of cattle and other livestock.
A Patient Bead Worker
click to enlarge
Despite a decline in the tradition, Ndebele women remain among the best bead workers in the world. Working entirely by hand, these women painstakingly create elaborate designs in both jewelry and clothing.
Beadwork is important in Ndebele ceremonies as well. Women whose children have been initiated into adulthood wear special beaded headpieces to signify the event. Among certain clans, brides wear beaded veils which completely cover their faces. There are many other examples, and Ndebele women relish the opportunity to show off their talents.