Material Culture Venda Woman's Dress
Woman photographed prior to 1928, after girls had passed through Domba.
The Bantu Tribes of South Africa - A. M. Duggan-Cronin
Images taken in 1949 by B. Tyrrell and P. Jurgens showing two stages of post Domba dress.
Photographed by Barbara Tyrrell and Peter Jurgens Barbara Tyrrell wrote of the 3 women below left: Left: Mother of a young baby wears a thong around her waist to prevent the baby crying when she is away. Centre: A post-initiate of Vhusha school wears thahu and stands in humble attitude. Right: Post-initiate of Bomba wears "the feather" and her woman's backskirt. She stands respectfully, awaiting gifts.
Tribal Peoples of Southern Africa - Page 51 The Bantu Tribes of South Africa - A. M. Duggan-Cronin Doll type objects called thahu were worn under a beaded open worked belt on a girls rears pointing downwards. An example was recorded the Barbara Tyrrell watercolor above, as well as photographed by Duggan-Cronin, dolls worn on three others.
Open worked beaded belts collected in Venda by Paul Mikula of the Phansi Museum. Mention is made of thahu in Evocations of the Child, page 172 in an article entitled Musidzana wa Tshirova - The girl who has a medicated rod.
Above - three examples of thahu in the Phanzi Museum Collection - Durban Above, three examples of thahu, one wooden, another beaded and on of clay. Centre example collected by Paul Mikula from Lowani Ralimaoi at Makhubela in 1999 - circa 1976.
Thahu were worn as adornment. It is suggested they were specifically there to promote fertility. The article Musidzana wa Tshirova makes further suggestion that these phallic objects are the representation of a male genital organ and the tassels, semen, the latter most likely no more than the authors fantasy and/or false discovery.
Venda women wore extraordinary beaded belts, snuff tins and blanket pins. Beaded tin panels were worn on the chest and called "Khambana Ya Fola". Bead colours chosen and beading techniques used resembled those of the Venda's North Sotho and Shangaan neighbours. However, on closer inspection details are easily identifiable to be Venda. Venda Wood Carving We propose and suspect that the "Master of the Round Mouth" was of Venda origin. Read on to learn why...
Examples of wooden chain links in a Private Collection Woodwork in Venda has identifying fingerprints unique to the Venda people. During the 1920's, anthropologists from the National Cultural History Museum in Pretoria, field collected eight very long wooden chain link sets, each carved from a single piece of wood. They collected the items in Venda. Unlike Tsonga chain linked objects of far lesser proportions, each of these links had two flared points, one on either side. Additionally, most chain examples terminated with phallic protrusions on either end. (above right)
Double Pointed Link We know of three other examples. The centre chain (above) was part of the J. R. Ivy collection and measures 7.2 meters. The dark example (above) came from an East London estate and measures 6.45 meters. The third was sold at the S. Welz Sothebys ex Norman C. Bloom Estate sale in 2003 and measured 5.47 meters. (below)
Norman C. Bloom Estate Wooden chain links of this magnitude were not necessarily curios made for trade to Europeans. Had they been, far more examples should have surfaced in antiquity markets. More likely, their use was as status objects by any culture, as they were admired by all those who came in contact with them. A number of ladles of Tsonga design are known with typical Venda links. These may overlap from one tribe to another, but we feel the shape of the links are a give away.
Private Collection Assuming the defining point of attribution to Venda is the link "form", then previously unidentified objects may be attributed to the Venda. A good example would be the smaller chain link with Janus faces carved on either end. Private Collection There are a number of known staffs, made by the carver of those which follow. (or carvers) In each case, Janus faces resembling the smaller chain linked face example, were included at each staffs mid section. Private Collection The staff above may be of earlier vintage than those below. If two separate carvers were responsible for these, they would have at the very least, been inspired by the other's carving tradition. Alternatively, the same person may well have carved both at different points of his career. Before dismissing this, consider that artists of European origin often changed style or techniques during their careers. Modern day academics tend to ignore the likelihood of African artists doing exactly the same. Had they not, their usual line of "from the same school as" would in many cases fall away. In our opinion, the carvers of all 3 staffs may be the same person. The clue is the naively carved Janus faces, in relation to the far more detailed head finials surmounting each staff. In all cases, the carver changed style between the two areas on a single staff. At the same time, the Janus sections of the staffs match the work of the smaller chain links, also Janus.
Private Collection
Another...
The Master of the Round Mouth - Collection Terence Pethica Below (centre) is a plate from Snelleman and Mullers work Industrie des Cafres du Sud-Est de l'Afrique, published between 1891 and 1892. The figures on either side of the plate, as well as the neck rests further down, are in the collection of the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde in Leiden Germany. The Master of the Round Mouth Holy - Plate 135 Industrie Des Cafres - Plate 27 Holy - Plate 137 Other figures by the Master Private Collection The figure above is undoubtedly by the "Master of the Round Mouth", visually confirmed by the Snelleman and Muller figures. The example represents a respected African sporting a head ring, dressed in European attire. Wearing a foreign uniform does not mean the figure is a curiosity carved for a European clientele. The uniform's inclusion simply confirms the carver had been in contact with Europeans by the time the figure was made and that he felt such dress or fashion to be a worthy addition to his artwork. The AKM figure may be a Matano used at the Domba initiation school. The figures attire strongly resembles that of the instructor which Barbara Tyrrell photographed at the domba, shown again hereunder. In this man's case, the uniform was most probably of personal choice.
Master of the Domba - Photograph by Barbara Tyrrell and Peter Jurgens Master of the Domba - Circa 1949 Below are two other figures by the hand of the "Master of the Round Mouth". The Campbell Collection - Durban East London Museum Collection Both figures depict Africans and thus are likely to be Matano figures as well. A underlying humour found in each of these works, as well as the variety of subjects he produced, reconfirms the artists status as that of a "master carver".
Mapungubwe Rhino - 1050/ 1270 AD The headrests (below) are the property of the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde and were also collected by Snelleman and Muller. The Art of Africa - Masks and Figures from Eastern and Southern Africa - Holy - Plate 140 In all likelihood, the two collectors met the carver when passing through Pretoria in the late 19th century, as they attributed the objects to Maraba-stad in the former Transvaal. At the time, Marabastad was a culturally diverse community. The carver would have been attracted there by a growing European market, which explains why the four Rijksmuseum objects show a relative lack of patina, in comparison to the other known figures. The master carver would have encountered Tsonga people in Marabastad, all of whom would have influenced the other. The interaction accounts for the Tsonga styled neck supports worked into each headrest. At the same time, it helps to explain the lack of patina on the earlier mentioned chain linked ladle. Click the images to view a rare copy of Industrie des Cafres du Sud-Est de l'Afrique Another aspect to consider is the origin of the carved round mouth itself, in context to early collected Southern African art . The open mouth design with exposed teeth is relatively rare. The numbers suggest this carving style is area specific. Below is a staff surmounted with a male head. It not only includes a round mouth, but displays a north Sotho styled coiffeur, placing this into an area specific location.
Private Collection Another round mouth staff is shown, below right. Note the upraised or pronounced head-ring, a feature the Master of the Round Mouth included in his staffs. In our view this fashion was once also Venda specific. Private Collection Above left is a more recent contemporary carving by John Mudau. Mudau was an active carver in Venda from 1983, until his death in 1987. Nick Cumming Collection This staff dates to the mid 20th century. If it were not for the Venda drum included in the composition, one might attribute the carving to East Africa. Venda styled drums were found well into Mozambique, so the the fez cap may indicate South East African attribution. At the same time, Masters of the Domba wore colonial attire and owned related staffs. Venda wooden chain links link Venda art to the Master. Domestic Artifacts Another Venda fingerprint are carved raised ladle rims found on spoons, as seen in the centre image below. Private Collection - ex/ Natal Museum - ex Kinkaid Smith Collection Private Collection This Venda trademark is not new, which the early collected example to the right confirms. The photograph (below right) shows a Venda girl with utensils of daily use, including baskets, pots, calabashes, a mortar and stomper. On her head is a typical Venda basket used to carry prepared meals. Rain-Queens and Python Dance – Plate 71 - Katesa Schlosser Typical Venda pots can be seen above. Noteworthy exceptions follow. The two figured pots on the left are the works of Noria Mabasa and found within the confines of her home. The pot on the right was field collected amongst the Venda. Click thumbnails to view Venda Pots or Sorghum Stomping - Peter Jurgens Neck rests were used to support the head in an effort to protect a persons coiffeur. The incised pattern below is similar to that found on the keys of Venda xylophones. At the same time the relationship to Zimbabwe's Shona peoples is reconfirmed.
National Cultural History Museum - Pretoria Venda Battle Axes Early collected Venda battle axes were styled much like others in Southern Africa. Their function was to display rank or authority, much like a staff or sceptre. Below, a Venda Vhahwira of an initiation school holds a typical example firmly to his side.
The Bantu Tribes of South Africa - A. M. Duggan-Cronin The drawings and images of Southern African battle axes below, were published in The Zulu Battle Axe by Tim Maggs of the Natal Museum. Below - battle Axes depicted in Southern African Rock Paintings
Southern African Battle Axes in Museum Collections
Battle axes were held in high esteem by the Venda community. The influx of Europeans from the early 19th century had a dramatic effect on their appearance. The bayonet form evolved, which had a facsimile of European bayonets used for stabbing.
Attribution Tsonga Related - Private Collection Initial contact with whites occurred when Voortrekker leader Louis Trichardt came to the area in 1836. In 1848, the trekkers established a settlement named Schoemansdal. The Venda chief Makhado harassed them to such an extent, that the town was abandoned in 1867. This harassment was continued by Makhado’s son Mphephu, and eventually led to the Mphephu War. As a result, Mphephu was defeated and fled to Zimbabwe. The battle axe below, was owned by a Dutch immigrant from Petersburg. The hilt is surmounted with a double steeple church and decorated with brass nails. Private Collection The Berlin Mission Society had a presence in Venda from 1850. Mission stations were to be found on both sides of the Soutpansberg mountains. Not supriseingly, both of the following axes were re-discovered in a German context. Private Collection Wolf-Dieter Miersch Collection The addition of churches onto Venda battle axe finials underlines fascination craftsmen had with items of European design. In earlier times, the brass and copper decorations, as well and the sheet iron type steel used on the circle blade, were foreign. Of late, many incorrectly attribute battle axes of bayonet form to the Venda. Axes surmounted with Tsonga neck rests confirm that bayonet battle axes were more widely used. Without a church or headrest depicted, attribution should be determined through provenance alone. Wolf-Dieter Miersch Collection | 