Woman from Giyani

Notes

Maswanganyi prides himself on his knowledge of local traditions, especially among the Tsonga-Shangane peoples. This work is one of a number concerned with women's roles in traditional society. It represents a married woman, column-like, because fashioned from a cylindrical log. She has been carved with rings around her legs, and black minceka (wrap-around cloths) draped around her body, over a yellow shirt. These elements together with the headband and the necklace are typical of Tsonga-Shangane married women's wear. Maswanganyi has carved raised maize cobs on the minceka reflecting the beaded and embroidered surfaces of actual cloths.

Provenance

Donated by Trent Read