Randy Harris 11.20.21

1/22/22, 1:55 PM Eric Mbatha - Revisions

the Campbell Smith Collection (see ReVisions pp. 230-231, (plate 211) These

are all prints dating from the beginning of Mbatha’s involvement with the

Evangelical Lutheran Art and Craft Centre at Rorke’s Drift. As has been

previously noted, Mbatha was one artist who had an exceptionally long

relationship with the Centre. It is now known that he had some training at the

Polly Street Art Centre in Johannesburg under Cecil Skotnes in the 1960s, and

that he was part of the second intake of students at Rorke’s Drift in 1971.

However, prints by him dating from 1970 such as Family IV, suggest that he

may have even started informally at Rorke’s Drift before this.1

Although formal similarities with the more mystical works of Mbatha’s associates
Dan Rakgoathe (qv.) and Cyprian Shilakoe (qv.) can be observed, Mbatha’s own
etchings by comparison seem rooted in the anecdotal present. In Family IV, he
initially started by drawing with an etching needle into a plate wholly covered in
stop-out varnish. The plate was then placed in the acid bath to establish the
lines. It was then thoroughly cleaned. More stop-out varnish was applied with a
small hard brush in certain areas. The plate was then gently heated and
exposed to resin dust and acid baths to obtain varying degrees of aquatint
effect. Young Ones and the Gods shows use of similar etching techniques, but
with much less use of intaglio line. Although the title suggests a mystical
dimension, this is not altogether evident.

Principal Otto Lundbohm gave his etching press to Cyprian Shilakoe (qv.) when
he left Rorke’s Drift. When Shilakoe died, he left it to Eric Mbatha who later gave
it to Dumisani Mabaso. In 1982 Mabaso established the Squzu Studio in
Soweto, where he installed it. The Squzu Studio still operates in Bertrams,
Johannesburg.

1. See Elizabeth Rankin and Philippa Hobbs. 2003. Rorke’s Drift: Empowering Prints, Double Storey Press,
Cape Town, p 217-218.

Hayden Proud 2/5

Ben Arnold
Omar Badsha
Hilda Bernstein
Willie Bester
Gerard Bhengu
Gregoire Boonzaier
Arthur Butelezi
Chauke Family
W.H. Coetzer
Peter Clarke
Welcome Danca
Sibusiso Duma
Diederick During
Dumile Feni
Emily Fern
Judith Gluckman
Constance Greaves

revisions.co.za/biographies/eric-mbatha/#.YexhN_5MFD8

Certificate of Authenticity

This is to certify the artwork pictured below, entitled

Musicians

Artist: Abiola Akintola
Original acrylic on board

Image Size: 30”x48”
Custom Framed

______________________________________________
Archie Listenbee II - CFO

Dealers in Fine Paintings - Lithographs - Oils - African and Asian Sculpture

2108 Busse Hwy (773) 301-3022

Des Plaines, Il 60016 [email protected]

1/22/22, 1:47 PM About ABIOLA AKINTOLA |

PORTFOLIO  ABOUT CONTACT

ABOUT ABIOLA AKINTOLA



Artists’ Bio.(Robert. C . Morgan}

The Nigerian-born artist Abiola Akintola — referred to simply as “Abiola” — began his formal
study of art at a very young age. His early training enabled him to learn the anatomical parts of
the figure quickly and thereby to grasp the importance of drawing a line that would activate the
appearance of the figure in space. The youthful artist paid close attention to his instructors as
he drew the proportions of the body with remarkable accurately, assimilating the head, shoul-
ders, arms, torso, and legs as a total biomechanical structure. His teachers encouraged him to
give any drawing of the human body an appearance of energy and dignity. Although Abiola
was persistently involved in drawing and oil painting throughout his years of schooling, he ulti-
mately decided to take a college degree in sculpture. While he enjoyed painting on a flat sur-
face, he was also driven to work on material forms in actual space. Thus, sculpture allowed

abiolaart.com/about-me/ 1/2

1/22/22, 1:47 PM About ABIOLA AKINTOLA |

him to weld cast and weld, to create complex cubist angles, and express the joy of movement

as it related to the human likeness.

For most of his career, including his time in Chicago — where Abiola has lived for more than
two decades — he has worked both as a painter and sculptor. He uses a variety of materials,
including paint, metal, wood, clay, and discarded objects that he finds on the street. His interest
in working with found objects, such as discarded soda cans from which he extracts shredded
metal, has given him the label of “the Green Revolution Artist.” As an artist Abiola works from
the point of view of expressionism, meaning that the artist is searching for a way to express his
ideas and emotions through his materials. Ultimately, the artist is given to a total involvement in
the creative process. This is what intrigues him the most.

EDITORIAL

Currently Being Updated. Check back soon.

EXHIBITIONS

Currently Being Updated. Check back soon.

© 2017 ABIOLA AKINTOLA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WEB DESIGNED BY TS DESIGN STUDIO

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Certificate of Authenticity

This is to certify the artwork pictured below, entitled

Still Life

Artist: Zel Yarnbao
Original oil on canvas, Circa 1950

Image Size: 20”x24”
Custom Framed

______________________________________________
Archie Listenbee II - CFO

Dealers in Fine Paintings - Lithographs - Oils - African and Asian Sculpture

2108 Busse Hwy (773) 301-3022

Des Plaines, Il 60016 [email protected]

Certificate of Authenticity

This is to certify the artwork pictured below, entitled

Pool Scene

Artist: Frank Morrison, 2004
Limited Edition Lithograph

Image Size: 26”x34”
Custom Framed

______________________________________________
Archie Listenbee - CFO

Dealers in Fine Paintings - Lithographs - Oils - African and Asian Sculpture

2108 Busse Hwy (773) 301-3022

Des Plaines, Il 60016 [email protected]

1/24/22, 8:18 AM Frank Morrison – Frank Morrison Studio

FRANK
MORRISON

STUDIO

Home Gallery Commissions About Frank
Events Contact us

Frank Morrison

Frank Morrison (b. 1971) started his journey as a graffiti artist in New Jersey, 1/3
tagging walls with spray paint. However, it was the opportunity to tour with

https://morrisongraphics.com/pages/about-frank-morrison

1/24/22, 8:18 AM Frank Morrison – Frank Morrison Studio

music artist Sybil as a breakdancer, an influential high school art teacher, and a

visit to the Louvre Museum in Paris that opened him up to new artistic and

creative avenues.

An early indoctrine into hip-hop culture can be seen through Morrison’s work,

which has been dubbed a mash-up of urban mannerism, graffiti and abstract

contemporary, and reflects deeply on the lost of human stories from past

eras. 

Morrison strives to capture people as they are, translating emotions through his

paintings and leaving a memoir of our life and times today. His work depicts

African-American livelihood in a way that is both familiar and comforting to

those who often feel histories have been forgotten and culture has been

usurped.  

Citing both Ernie Barnes and Annie Lee as forebearers of this tradition,

Morrison remarks on his practice, “My work dignifies the evolllution of everyday,

underrepresented people and places within the urban landscape. I seek to both

highlight and preserve the soul of the city through the lens of hip-hop culture

and  urban iconography. I want people to experience the visual rhythms that

choreograph life for the average, everyday person.”

Morrison’s work has been featured at Art Basel, Scope Miami and Red Dot art

fairs, and shown at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

(sponsored by ESSENCE ART and Toyota) and Mason Fine Art Gallery (Atlanta,

Georgia). His solo exhibitions include “Frank Morrison: Live, Love and Jazz”

(2013) and “Graffiti” (2014), both at Richard Beavers Gallery (Brooklyn, New

York).

The William H. and Camille O. Cosby Collection, and the private collections of

art patron Peggy Cooper-Cafritz and athlete Derek Jeter include work by

Morrison. He has als been commissioned to create works for recording artist,

producer and art curator Swizz Beats, and Emmy Award-winning writer and

producer Jordan Peele’s film “Get Out”.

An acclaimed illustrator Morrison’s work can be found in numerous award-

winning children’s books including Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award

winner Jazzy Miz Mozetta, NAACP Image Award winner Our Children Can Soar

and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, Little Melba and her Big Trombone. His

literary client list includes international book publishers Penguin Books,

HarperCollins, Hyperion, Random House and National Geographic Kids.

Continuing to celebrate the teacher that changed his life by insisting he visit

his first art museum, Morrison signs each of his works “TTG (“Thanks to God”)

to also show his gratitude for God’s plan in positioning him where he is today.

“I know where I am is not by accident. I want to just be able to continue doing

what I do.”

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1/24/22, 8:18 AM Frank Morrison – Frank Morrison Studio

Frank Morrison lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and five children.

Search

Join our mailing list SUBSCRIBE
Email address

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Certificate of Authenticity

This is to certify the artwork pictured below, entitled

The Family

Artist: Michel Matthonat
Original aquatint on rives paper

Image Size: 13”x17½”
Custom Framed

______________________________________________
Archie Listenbee II - CFO

Dealers in Fine Paintings - Lithographs - Oils - African and Asian Sculpture

2108 Busse Hwy (773) 301-3022

Des Plaines, Il 60016 [email protected]

MICHEL MATTHONAT

Michel MATHONNAT burner, lithographer.

Born in Moulins in 1944, he began painting in 16 years and then joined the School of Fine Art in mills 18
years.

In 1967, he worked in the workshops Rigal in Paris and Cadaquès, working increasingly drawing,
printmaking and watercolor.

He discovered burning in color and aquatint, he affectionates process.

From 1971, he began writing to the black, allowing it, for a long and meticulous work of cradle to play
with between shadow and light.

Wanting to further his research he will make his plans according cradles and combs suited to its very
personal way to burn, perfectly controlled in the illustration of the book.

His first book "Happiness of the day", unpublished poems by Jean Cassou, frontispiece of Salvador Dali. ,
was illustrated in 1969, published by the association of Bibliophile "Impénitents", and submitted to the
bookstore Nicaise.

In 1971 it is the poetry of Leopold Sedar Senghor which inspired his imagination, with the album "Black
is Beautiful."

His burned more than 300 etchings, lithographs some many illustrated books, mixture of different
techniques linked inventivement: dry point, chisel, heavy water, how pencil and mezzotint (Black Way).

In addition to his work in printmaking, he paints, draws and from 1975, carries small bronze sculpture
that melts at the cire-perdue, and works in Italy by Venturi in Bologna.

In 1984, he was passionate about the technique in how to pencil and produces prints with stunning
rendition of his drawings at the mine lead and colored pencil.

One constant in his work, the quality of its work, its style of classicism, where nothing is left to chance at
ease.

His art inseparable from the art is the expression of a certain beauty and aesthetic plastic.

Certificate of Authenticity

This is to certify the artwork pictured below, entitled

Teachers & Students

Artist: Solomon Sekhaolelo
Original oil on paper

Image Size: 16¾”x17½”
Custom Framed

______________________________________________
Archie Listenbee II - CFO

Dealers in Fine Paintings - Lithographs - Oils - African and Asian Sculpture

2108 Busse Hwy (773) 301-3022

Des Plaines, Il 60016 [email protected]

Certificate of Authenticity

This is to certify the artwork pictured below, entitled

The Dance

Artist: Solomon Sekhaolelo
Original oil on paper
Image Size: 16”x23”
Custom Framed

______________________________________________
Archie Listenbee II - CFO

Dealers in Fine Paintings - Lithographs - Oils - African and Asian Sculpture

2108 Busse Hwy (773) 301-3022

Des Plaines, Il 60016 [email protected]

SOLOMON SEKHAOLELO

Solomon Sekhaolelo, an Ndebele artist, was born in 1937 in Heidelberg, Gauteng.

In 1947 his family moved to Soweto, where he went to school. He spent an incredibly happy childhood
with his family. As a young boy art interested him and in his spare time, he made clay sculptures and
weaved Sotho hats. He was constantly drawing and painting from books, using chalks. He is multi-
talented being a cabinet maker, tailor, pattern designer, musician who composes his own songs and is a
licensed fisherman.

Solomon is comfortable in several media but at his best when using oil paints. He is highly inventive in
his search for self-expression. He developed for example, the idea of using a gardener's insecticide
sprayer in a way that resembles so called "airbrush" work. His work can be described as sophisticated
and many of his paintings, particularly his more abstract township scenes, contain excellent formal
elements of composition, show great refinement of line and space, and there is a studied restraint in the
use of color. Other of his works are dreamscapes, portrayed in a personal manner with interesting
atmosphere. He can create over a wide range of subject matter and his work is always thoughtful and
well-conceived.

When he was twenty, he marketed his paintings in curio shops around Johannesburg. This was the
beginning of a serious professional career in art.

Exhibitions:

- Close to fifty group exhibitions around SA and in Germany

- 7 extremely successful one man shows

His work can be found in corporations overseas, locally as well as in private homes. His work is
represented at the University of Fort Hare.

SIGNIFICANT ART EXHIBITIONS

- 1980 GROUP EXHIBITION AT CARLTON CENTRE ASSOCIOTION OF ART

- 1983 GROUP EXHIBITION AT LIDCHI ART GALLERY (ATHENS)

- 1988 GROUP EXHIBITION OF ONE SPIRIT GALLERY WIK.COMMUNITY

- 1989 GROUP EXHIBITION IN SOWETO IMAGED IN LONDON

- 1989 GROUP EXHIBITION IN ATLANTA ATHLOPE UNIVERSITY IN THE

MEMORY OF THE LATE MR MARTIN LUTHER KING OF THE USA

- 1990 GROUP EXHIBITION AT ART AFRICA HALFWAY HOUSE

- 1990 EXHIBITION (ACFF) CENTRE NOTHINGHAM LONDON

- 1990 ONE MAN SHOW AT FRIENDS OF EARTH GALLERY IN AUSTRALIA

- 1992 LOCAL EXHIBITION AT ROSEBANK ANTIGVITY GALLERY IN JHB

- 1993 GROUP EXHIBITION AT BOTSWANA MUSEUM & MONUMENT GALLERY
- 1994 THREE SHOWS AT HOLDSWORTH GALLERIES WOOLAHRA 2025 LONDON.
- 1995 GROUP EXHIBITION JHB INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SERVICES
- 1995 GROUP EXHIBITION ART OF AFRICA 2709 S. FEDERAL HIGHWAY

IN DELERAY BEACH MIAMI FLORIDA, USA
- 1995 ARIQUE AFRIQUE ART INTERNATIONAL IN WASHINGTON D.C
- 1995 SANDTON ART GALLERY
- 1996 GROUP EXHIBITION IN GHAHMSTOWN INTERNATIONAL
- 1996 GROUP EXHIBITION IN ABSA GALLERY, JOHANNESBURG
- 1996 GROUP EXHIBITION IN ART AFRIQUE INTERNATIONAL LTD.

VIRGINIA MANOR ROAD, BELTSVILLE, WASHINGTON D.C
- 1996 GROUP EXHIBITION `OUT OF AFRICA` BANGOR DRIVE, FORT WASHINGTON
- 1996 GROUP EXHIBITION CAPE TO CAIRO IN EGYPT
- 1997 SPRINGS LIBRARY GALLERY
- 1997 ROODEPOORT ART MUSEUM
- 1997 GROUP EXHIBITION IN JOHANNESBURG 62 GALWAY ROAD PARKVIEW
- 1998 GROUP EXHIBITION AFRICAN WINDOW MUSEUM IN PRETORIA
- 1999 GROUP EXHIBITION NELSON MANDELA DAY IN MAURITIOUS
- 2000 S.A. ASSOCIATION OF ARTS-PRETORIA
- 2001 TOP OF AFRICA CARLTON CENTRE

Certificate of Authenticity

This is to certify the artwork pictured below, entitled

Young Man

Artist: Rozelli
Original oil on board
Image Size: 12”x16”

Custom Framed

______________________________________________
Archie Listenbee II - CFO

Dealers in Fine Paintings - Lithographs - Oils - African and Asian Sculpture

2108 Busse Hwy (773) 301-3022

Des Plaines, Il 60016 [email protected]

Certificate of Authenticity

This is to certify the artifacts pictured below,

African Zulu Cowhide Shield

Tribe: Zulu, South Africa
Cowhide, Wood, Hand-Woven

Size: 54” approx.

______________________________________________
Archie Listenbee - CFO

Dealers in Fine Paintings - Lithographs - Oils - African and Asian Sculpture

2108 Busse Hwy (773) 301-3022

Des Plaines, Il 60016 [email protected]

1/24/22, 8:18 AM Zulu people - Wikipedia

Zulu people

Zulu people (/ˈzuːluː/; Zulu: amaZulu) are a Nguni ethnic group Zulu people

in Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group AmaZulu
and nation in South Africa with an estimated 10–12 million
people living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Total population
14,159,000[1]
They originated from Nguni communities who took part in the
Bantu migrations over millennia. As the clans integrated together, Regions with significant
the rulership of Shaka brought success to the Zulu nation due to populations
his improved military tactics and organization.
 South 10,659,309 (2001
Zulus take pride in their ceremonies such as the Umhlanga, or Africa census)

Reed Dance, and their various forms of beadwork. to 12,559,000[1][2]
 Lesotho 180,000[1]
The art and skill of beadwork takes part in the identification of 167,000[1]
Zulu people and acts as a form of communication. The men and  Zimbabwe
women both serve different purposes in society in order to  Eswatini 107,000[1]
function as a whole. Today the Zulu people predominantly believe  Malawi 66,000[1]
in Christianity, but have created a syncretic religion that is 5,000[1]
combined with the Zulu's prior belief systems.[3]  Botswana
6,000[1]
Contents  Mozambique

History Languages
Origins
Strength of the Zulu Nation Zulu

Kingdom
Conflict with the British Religion
Absorption into Natal
Apartheid years Christianity, Zulu religion
KwaZulu homeland
Inkatha YeSizwe Related ethnic groups

Language Xhosa, Swazi, Hlubi, Southern
Ndebele, Northern Ndebele and
Ceremony
Umhlanga Ngoni

Beadwork Person Zulu
History People
Purpose Language UmZulu
Apparel Country AmaZulu
Colors of beads IsiZulu
KwaZulu
Clothing
1/13
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulu_people

1/24/22, 8:18 AM Zulu people - Wikipedia

Societal roles
Men
Stick fighting
Women

Religion and beliefs
Bride wealth
Notable Zulus
In popular culture
See also
References
Further reading
Novels
External links

History

Origins 2012 map showing the location of
Zulu people.
The Zulu were originally a major clan in what is today Northern
KwaZulu-Natal, founded ca. 1709 by Zulu kaMalandela. In the
Nguni languages, iZulu means heaven, or weather. At that time,
the area was occupied by many large Nguni communities and
clans (also called the isizwe people or nation, or were called
isibongo, referring to their clan or family name). Nguni
communities had migrated down Africa's east coast over
millennia, as part of the Bantu migrations. As the nation began to
develop, the rulership of Shaka brought the clans together to build
a cohesive identity for the Zulu.

Strength of the Zulu Nation

The Zulu nation's growth and strength was based on its military organization and skills during
Shaka's reign and that of his successors. The military was organized around the ukubuthwa ('to be
enrolled') system, which did away with initiation ceremonies for the most part. Each age-set, or group
of young men of the same age, was assigned to the same regiment - ibutho singular, amabutho plural -
according to the system. Girls were also subject to Ukubuthwa, but they were usually assigned to an
age group rather than a regiment. The amabutho were housed in military barracks - ikhanda singular,
amakhanda plural - located throughout the kingdom and under the command of a close relative or
someone appointed by the king.

The barracks were designed and laid out similarly to an umuzi, but on a much larger scale. Aside from
military duties, the izinsizwa 'young men' were also responsible for the repair and maintenance of
their barracks.

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1/24/22, 8:18 AM Zulu people - Wikipedia

Kingdom

The Zulu formed a powerful state in 1816[4] under the leader Utimuni, nephew of King Shaka,
Shaka. Shaka, as the Zulu commander of the Mthethwa Empire strikes a warrior pose
and successor to Dingiswayo, united what was once a
confederation of tribes into an imposing empire under Zulu
hegemony. Shaka built a militarised system known as Impi

featuring conscription, a standing army, new weaponry,
regimentation, and encirclement battle tactics. Zulu expansion
was a major factor of the Mfecane ("Crushing") that depopulated
large areas of southern Africa.[5][6] It is during this period when
Shaka deployed an army regiment for raiding tribes on the North.

The regiment which was under Mzilikazi disobeyed Shaka and
crafted a plan to continue raiding up-North forming another
dialect of Zulu language referred to as Northern Ndebele (Now in
Zimbabwe).

Conflict with the British

In mid-December 1878, envoys of the British crown delivered an
ultimatum to 11 chiefs representing the then-current king of the
Zulu empire, Cetshwayo. Under the British terms delivered to the
Zulu, Cetshwayo would have been required to disband his army
and accept British sovereignty. Cetshwayo refused, and war
between the Zulus and African contingents of the British crown
began on January 12, 1879. Despite an early victory for the Zulus
at the Battle of Isandlwana on the 22nd of January, the British
fought back and won the Battle at Rorke's Drift, and decisively
defeated the Zulu army by July at the Battle of Ulundi.

Absorption into Natal King Shaka

After Cetshwayo's capture a month following his defeat, the Zulu warriors in the late nineteenth
British divided the Zulu Empire into 13 "kinglets". The sub- century, with Europeans in the
kingdoms fought amongst each other until 1883 when Cetshwayo background.
was reinstated as king over Zululand. This still did not stop the
fighting and the Zulu monarch was forced to flee his realm by
Zibhebhu, one of the 13 kinglets, supported by Boer mercenaries.
Cetshwayo died in February 1884, killed by Zibhebhu's regime,
leaving his son, the 15-year-old Dinuzulu, to inherit the throne. In-
fighting between the Zulu continued for years, until in 1897
Zululand was absorbed fully into the British colony of Natal.

Apartheid years

KwaZulu homeland

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1/24/22, 8:18 AM Zulu people - Wikipedia

Under apartheid, the homeland of KwaZulu (Kwa meaning place of) was
created for Zulu people. In 1970, the Bantu Homeland Citizenship Act
provided that all Zulus would become citizens of KwaZulu, losing their

South African citizenship. KwaZulu consisted of many disconnected
pieces of land, in what is now KwaZulu-Natal. Hundreds of thousands of
Zulu people living on privately owned "black spots" outside of KwaZulu
were dispossessed and forcibly moved to bantustans – worse land
previously reserved for whites contiguous to existing areas of KwaZulu.

By 1993, approximately 5.2 million Zulu people lived in KwaZulu, and
approximately 2 million lived in the rest of South Africa. The Chief
Minister of KwaZulu, from its creation in 1970 (as Zululand) was Chief
Mangosuthu Buthelezi. In 1994, KwaZulu was joined with the province of
Natal, to form modern KwaZulu-Natal.

Inkatha YeSizwe

Zulu man performing Inkatha YeSizwe means "the crown of the nation". In 1975, Buthelezi
traditional warrior dance revived the Inkatha YaKwaZulu, predecessor of the Inkatha Freedom

Party. This organization was nominally a protest movement against

apartheid, but held more conservative views than the ANC. For example, Inkatha was opposed to the

armed struggle, and to sanctions against South Africa. Inkatha was initially on good terms with the

ANC, but the two organizations came into increasing conflict beginning in 1976 in the aftermath of the

Soweto Uprising.

Language

The language of the Zulu people is "isiZulu", a Bantu language;
more specifically, part of the Nguni subgroup. Zulu is the most
widely spoken language in South Africa, where it is an official

language. More than half of the South African population are able
to understand it, with over 9 million first-language and over 15
million second-language speakers.[7] Many Zulu people also speak
Xitsonga, Sesotho and others from among South Africa's 11 official
languages.

Map of South Africa showing the Ceremony
primary Zulu language speech area
in green Umhlanga

The Zulu people celebrate an annual event that was established in Zulu people gather at Reed Dance
1984 called the Umhlanga or Reed Dance. This event takes place ceremony.
at the royal capital near Nongoma.[8] This traditional ceremony is

performed by young women from all parts of the kingdom to
perform in front of the monarch and his guests.[8] The purpose of
this event is to promote pride in virginity and to restrain sexual
relationships.[9] Beadwork is a prominent attire that is worn at the

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1/24/22, 8:18 AM Zulu people - Wikipedia

Umhlanga. The beadwork is not only worn by the dancers, but by the guests as well. The Umhlanga is
not purely for a time of dance. The King also uses this time to speak to the young men and women of
the nation. The King discusses current political issues.[8]

Beadwork

History

The creation of beadwork dates back to the times of war for the
Zulu people. This particular form of beadwork were known as
iziqu, medallions of war.[9] Often worn as a necklace, the beads
were displayed in a criss-cross formation across the shoulders.
This assemblage of beads by the warriors represented a symbol of
bravery.[9] Before the use of glass was apparent to the Zulu,
beadwork derived from wood, seeds and berries.[9] It was not until
the arrival of Europeans that glass became a trade material with

the Portuguese, which soon became abundantly available to the
Zulu.[9]

Purpose Married Zulu women wearing
headdresses at annual Reed Dance
ceremony.

Beadwork is a form of communication for the Zulu people.
Typically when one is wearing multiple beads, it is a sign of
wealth. The more beads one is wearing, the wealthier they are perceived.[10] The beads have the
potential to convey information about a person's age, gender and marital status. The design of the
beads often conveys a particular message. However, one must know the context of their use in order
to read the message correctly.[11] Depending on the area in which the beadwork was made, some
designs can depict different messages compared to other areas. A message could be embedded into
the colors and structure of the beads or could be strictly for decorative purposes.[11] Beadwork can be
worn in everyday use, but is often worn during important occasions such as weddings, or ceremonies.
For example, beadwork is featured during the coming of age for a young girl or worn during
dances.[11] The beaded elements complement the costumes worn by the Zulu people to bring out a
sense of finery or prestige.[11]

Apparel Zulu beadwork necklace

Beadwork is worn by all men, women, and children at any age. 5/13
Depending on which stage of life an individual is in, the beadwork
indicates different meanings. Beadwork is dominantly worn when
young Zulu people are courting or in search for love affairs.[12]
The wearing of decorative beadwork can act as an attempt to grab
the attention of someone of the opposite sex.[12] Also, the gifting
of beadwork is a way of communicating interest with lovers.[12]
During the transition from single to married women, beadwork is
shown through a beaded cloth apron worn over a pleated leather
skirt.[10] As for older or mature women, beadwork is displayed in
detailed headdresses and cowhide skirts that extend past the knee.

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1/24/22, 8:18 AM Zulu people - Wikipedia

These long skirts are also seen on unmarried women and young marriageable-age girls.[12] Men are
more conservative when wearing beadwork.[12] However, when a young boy is seen wearing multiple

necklaces, it is a sign that he is highly interested by these gifts from various girls. The more gifts he is
wearing, the higher prestige he obtains.[10]

Colors of beads

Various forms of beadwork are found in different color schemes.
Typically, there are four different types of color schemes:

Isisshunka – white, light blue, dark green, pale yellow, pink,
red, black. This color scheme is believed to have no specific
meaning.[13]

Isithembu – light blue, grass green, bright yellow, red, black.
This color scheme derives from clans or clan areas.[13]

Umzansi – white, dark blue, grass green, red. This color Zulu beadwork necklace.
scheme also derives from clans or clan areas.[13]

Isinyolovane – combination of any colors not consistent with
other color schemes. This color scheme is often related to connotations of perfection and
charm.[13]

The colors of beads might hold different meanings based on the area that they originated from. It is
often at times that this can lead to misrepresentation or confusion when attempting to understand
what the beadwork is communicating. One cannot assume that the color system is standard across
South Africa. In some areas, the color green symbolizes jealousy in a certain area, but in another area
it symbolizes grass.[9] One must know the origin of the beadwork in order to interpret the message
correctly.

Clothing

Zulus wear a variety of attire, both traditional for ceremonial or
culturally celebratory occasions, and modern westernized clothing
for everyday use. The women dress differently depending on
whether they are single, engaged, or married.
The men wore a

leather belt with two strips of hide hanging down front and back.

In South Africa, the miniskirt has existed since pre-colonial times.

In the African cultures, such as the Basotho, the Batswana, the

Bapedi, the Amaswati and the AmaZulu, women wore traditional Zulu village women in traditional
miniskirts as cultural attire.[14] These skirts are not seen as clothing.

shameless but used to cover the women's genitals. The skirts are

called isigcebhezana and are essential in Zulu ceremonies. For
example, Umemulo is a ceremony for women who turn 21 years of age.[14] It represents a huge

transition in the woman's life because it is a symbol of her being ready to accept a boyfriend and even

get married. Additionally, each stage of a Zulu's life is determined by a specific type of clothing. For an

unmarried woman, she wears the skirt and nothing on the top, but as she grows up, the woman starts

to cover up her body because a time will come in which she will be a married woman and an old

woman. Nonetheless, a special type of clothing is reserved to pregnant women. When a woman is

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pregnant she wears an ‘isibamba (https://www.mrxstitch.com/zul
u-headdress/)', a thick belt made from dried grass, covered with

glass or plastic beadwork, to support her swelling stomach and its
additional weight.[15]

Societal roles

Men Interior space of a traditional

The Zulu people govern under a patriarchal society.[9] Men are beehive hut, or iQhugwane

perceived as the head of the household and seen as authoritative

figures. Zulu men identify themselves with great pride and dignity. They also compare themselves to
qualities of powerful wild animals such as bulls, lions and elephants.[9] The men contribute to society
by acting as defenders, hunters, and lovers.[9] The Zulu men are also in charge of herding the cattle,

educating themselves on the lives of disciplined warriors, creating weapons, and learning the art of
stick fighting.[9]

Stick fighting

The art of stick fighting is a celebration of manhood for Zulu men. These men can begin to learn this
fighting art form as young as the age of five years old.[9] There are multiple reasons why men learn
how to stick fight. For example, men may want to learn so that they can set right any wrongs or insults
made towards them.[9] Other reasons some men choose to learn are for sporting purposes, proving
skills or manliness, and self-defense.[9] The goal of stick fighting is to injure the opponent and
sometimes even kill.[9] There are rules of etiquette that must be abided by when stick fighting. The
men can only fight a man the same age as them. One cannot hit the opponent when they lose their
stick. Only sticks are allowed when fighting.[9]

Women

The women in Zulu society often perform domestic chores such as cleaning, raising children,
collecting water and firewood, laundry, tending to crops, cooking, and making clothes.[9] Women can
be considered as the sole income-earner of the household. A woman's stages of life lead up to the goal
of marriage. As a woman approaches puberty, she is known as a tshitshi. A tshitshi reveals her
singleness by wearing less clothing. Single women typically do not wear clothing to cover their head,
breasts, legs and shoulders.[9] Engaged women wear hairnets to show their marital status to society
and married women cover themselves in clothing and headdresses.[9] Also, women are taught to defer
to men and treat them with great respect. The women are always bound by a male figure to abide
by.[9]

Religion and beliefs

Most Zulu people state their beliefs to be Christian. Some of the most common churches to which they
belong are African Initiated Churches, especially the Zion Christian Church, Nazareth Baptist Church
and United African Apostolic Church, although membership of major European Churches, such as the

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Dutch Reformed, Anglican and Catholic Churches are also
common. Nevertheless, many Zulus retain their traditional pre-
Christian belief system of ancestor worship in parallel with their
Christianity.

Traditional Zulu religion includes belief in a creator God

(uNkulunkulu) who is above interacting in day-to-day human life,

although this belief appears to have originated from efforts by

Zulu worshippers at a United African early Christian missionaries to frame the idea of the Christian God
Apostolic Church, near Oribi Gorge in Zulu terms.[16] Traditionally, the more strongly held Zulu belief
was in ancestor spirits (amaThongo or amaDlozi), who had the
power to intervene in people's lives, for good or ill.[17] This belief
continues to be widespread among the modern Zulu population.[18]

Traditionally, the Zulu recognize several elements to be present in a human being: the physical body
(inyama yomzimba or umzimba); the breath or life force (umoya womphefumulo or umoya); and the

"shadow," prestige, or personality (isithunzi). Once the umoya leaves the body, the isithunzi may live
on as an ancestral spirit (idlozi) only if certain conditions were met in life.[19][20] Behaving with
ubuntu, or showing respect and generosity towards others, enhances one's moral standing or prestige
in the community, one's isithunzi.[21] By contrast, acting in a negative way towards others can reduce
the isithunzi, and it is possible for the isithunzi to fade away completely.[22]

In order to appeal to the spirit world, a diviner (sangoma) must invoke Zulu sangomas (diviners)
the ancestors through divination processes to determine the problem.
Then, a herbalist (inyanga) prepares a mixture (muthi) to be consumed
in order to influence the ancestors. As such, diviners and herbalists play
an important part in the daily lives of the Zulu people. However, a

distinction is made between white muthi (umuthi omhlope), which has
positive effects, such as healing or the prevention or reversal of
misfortune, and black muthi (umuthi omnyama), which can bring illness
or death to others, or ill-gotten wealth to the user.[18] Users of black
muthi are considered witches, and shunned by the society.

Christianity had difficulty gaining a foothold among the Zulu people, and when it did it was in a
syncretic fashion. Isaiah Shembe, considered the Zulu Messiah, presented a form of Christianity (the
Nazareth Baptist Church) which incorporated traditional customs.[23]

Furthermore, Zulu people also practice a ceremony called Ukweshwama. The killing of the bull is part
of Ukweshwama, an annual ceremony that celebrates a new harvest. It is a day of prayer when Zulus
thank their creator and their ancestors. By tradition, a new regiment of young warriors is asked to

confront a bull to prove its courage, inheriting the beast's strength as it expires. It is believed this
power then transfers to the Zulu king.[24]

Bride wealth

Zulu people have a system called ilobolo. This term is particularly used by Zulu people when it comes
to bride wealth. Every African ethnic group has different requirements when it comes to bride wealth.
In pre-capitalist Zulu society, ilobolo was inextricably linked to the ownership of cattle.[25] During
that time, there was not a fixed number of cattle required for the wedding to happen; it could be paid

before the marriage or during the marriage. The groom takes the cattle from his father's herd in order

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to perpetuate the family heritage. Nonetheless, this ritual has changed during colonization because in
1869, Theophilus Shepstone, then Natal Secretary for Native Affairs, formalized the ilobolo payment

to 10 cattle for commoners (plus the ingquthu cow for the mother), 15 for hereditary chief siblings and
20-plus for the daughters of a chief.[25] They found it too lenient to let the groom give whatever

amount he wants, so they decided to establish a specific number of cattle that would be needed before
or at the start of the marriage. This has been accepted by Zulu men who were educated in mission
schools, but according to more ritual people this became “untraditional”. Additionally, with the

instauration of the Natal Code, some Zulu men decided to settle another way in which they could

decrease the ilobo: offer a token payment or bring a present for the father of the prospective bride in
order to decrease the ilobolo amount to be paid.[26] The payment of ilobolo can be difficult for some
families, but as it is often considered a symbol of pride and respect, many are willing to maintain this
tradition as long as possible.

Notable Zulus

In popular culture

Films

Zulu, Cy Endfield (1964)

Zulu Dawn, Douglas Hickox (1979) Traditional Zulu dance

Ubuhle Bembali, Emmanuelle Bidou, Centre national de la
cinématographie, Paris, 2002

Amours zoulous, Emmanuelle Bidou, 2004

Shaka Zulu, Joshua Sinclair, South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, 1986

Novels

When the Lion Feeds, Wilbur Smith, 1964
The Covenant, James A. Michener, 1980
Zulu, Caryl Férey, Gallimard, 2008

Video games

Sid Meier's Civilization

See also

Battle of Blood River
Gumboot dance
Inkatha Freedom Party
List of Zulu kings
Nguni
Shaka Zulu
Ukusoma
Zulu language

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References

1. "The Zulu people group are reported in 7 countries" (http://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/1611
2). Retrieved 29 November 2016.

2. International Marketing Council of South Africa (9 July 2003). "South Africa grows to 44.8 million"
(https://web.archive.org/web/20050522081642/http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/de
mographics/census-main.htm). www.southafrica.info. Archived from the original (http://www.south
africa.info/ess_info/sa_glance/demographics/census-main.htm) on 22 May 2005. Retrieved
4 March 2005.

3. Groenewald, H. C. (2003). "Zulu Oral Art" (https://doi.org/10.1353%2Fort.2004.0017). Oral
Tradition. 18 (1): 87–90. doi:10.1353/ort.2004.0017 (https://doi.org/10.1353%2Fort.2004.0017).
ISSN 1542-4308 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1542-4308).

4. Bulliet (2008). The Earth and Its Peoples. US: Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 708. ISBN 978-0-
618-77148-6.

5. "Shaka (Zulu chief)" (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/537814/Shaka/537814rellinks/R
elated-Links). Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 30 October 2011.

6. W. D. Rubinstein (2004). Genocide: A History (https://books.google.com/books?id=nMMAk4VwLL
wC&pg=PA22). Pearson Longman. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-582-50601-5. Retrieved 26 June 2013.

7. "Ethnologue report for language code ZUL" (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?cod
e=zul). www.ethnologue.com.

8. {{Preston-Whyte, Eleanor (1994). Speaking with Beads. New York, New York: Thames and
Hudson. pp. 1–96. ISBN 0-500-27757-5.}}

9. Derwent, Sue (1998). Zulu. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik Publishers. pp. 103–109. ISBN 1-
86872-082-9.

10. Boram-Hayes, Carol (Summer 2005). "African Arts". Borders of Beads: Questions of Identity in the
Beadwork of the Zulu-Speaking People. 38 (2): 38–49+92–93. JSTOR 3338083 (https://www.jstor.
org/stable/3338083).

11. {{Preston-Whyte, Eleanor (1994). Speaking with Beads. New York, New York: Thames and
Hudson. pp. 1–96. ISBN 0-500-27757-5.}}

12. {{Preston-Whyte, Eleanor (1994). Speaking with Beads. New York, New York: Thames and
Hudson. pp. 1–96. ISBN 0-500-27757-5.}}

13. Preston-Whyte, Eleanor (1994). Speaking with Beads. New York, New York: Thames and Hudson.
pp. 1–96. ISBN 0-500-27757-5

14. Sanders, Mark (22 March 2016). Learning Zulu. Princeton University Press.
doi:10.23943/princeton/9780691167565.001.0001 (https://doi.org/10.23943%2Fprinceton%2F978
0691167565.001.0001). ISBN 9780691167565.

15. "Traditional Zulu Clothing" (https://eshowe.com/traditional-zulu-clothing/). Eshowe. Retrieved
26 October 2019.

16. Irving Hexham (1979). "Lord of the Sky-King of the Earth: Zulu traditional religion and belief in the
sky god" (https://www.ucalgary.ca/~nurelweb/papers/irving/skyking.html). Studies in Religion.
University of Waterloo. Retrieved 26 October 2008.

17. Henry Callaway (1870). "Part I:uNkulunkulu" (http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/rsa/index.htm). The
Religious System of the Amazulu. Springvale.

18. Adam Ashforth (2005). "Muthi, Medicine and Witchcraft: Regulating 'African Science' in Post-
Apartheid South Africa?" (http://web.uct.ac.za/depts/cas/default.php?pageName=social.php).
31:2.

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19. Molefi K. Asante, Ama Mazama (2009). Encyclopedia of African religion, Volume 1 (https://books.

google.com/books?id=B667ATiedQkC&q=zulu+ancestor+isithunzi&pg=PT209). Sage.
ISBN 9781412936361.

20. Axel-Ivar Berglund (1976). Zulu thought-patterns and symbolism (https://archive.org/details/zuluth

oughtpatte0000berg). C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. p. 85 (https://archive.org/details/zuluthoughtpatt
e0000berg/page/85). ISBN 9780903983488. "isithunzi."

21. Abraham Modisa Mkhondo Mzondi (2009). Two Souls Leadership: Dynamic Interplay of Ubuntu,

Western and New Testament Leadership Values (http://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za:8080/dspace/bitstrea
m/10210/3240/1/Mzondi.pdf) (PDF) (Thesis). submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the

degree of Doctorate in Theology, University of Johannesburg.

22. Nwamilorho Joseph Tshawane (2009). The Rainbow Nation: A Critical Analysis of the Notions of
Community in the Thinking of Desmond Tutu (http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/3761/t

hesis_tshawane_n.pdf?sequence=1) (PDF) (Thesis). submitted in fulfillment of the requirements

of the degree of Doctorate in Theology, University of South Africa.

23. "Art & Life in Africa Online - Zulu" (https://web.archive.org/web/20070531061804/http://www.uiow
a.edu/~africart/toc/people/Zulu.html). University of Iowa. Archived from the original (http://www.uio
wa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Zulu.html) on 31 May 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2007.

24. Bearak, Barry (8 December 2009). "Spilling the Blood of Bulls to Preserve Zulu Tradition" (https://

www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/world/africa/09safrica.html). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331
(https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved 9 December 2019.

25. Rudwick, Stephanie; Posel, Dorrit (2 January 2014). "Contemporary functions of ilobolo

(bridewealth) in urban South African Zulu society". Journal of Contemporary African Studies. 32
(1): 118–136. doi:10.1080/02589001.2014.900310 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F02589001.2014.90

0310). ISSN 0258-9001 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0258-9001). S2CID 145116947 (https://api.

semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:145116947).

26. Posel, Dorrit; Rudwick, Stephanie (18 August 2014). "Marriage and Bridewealth (Ilobolo) in

Contemporary Zulu Society". African Studies Review. 57 (2): 51–72. doi:10.1017/asr.2014.47 (http

s://doi.org/10.1017%2Fasr.2014.47). ISSN 0002-0206 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0002-0206).
S2CID 146749403 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:146749403).

Further reading

Nathaniel Isaacs, Travels and adventures in eastern Africa, descriptive of the Zoolus, their
manners, customs, etc. etc. : with a sketch of Natal, Edward Churton, Londres, 1836, 2 vol.

(in French) Adulphe Delegorgue, Voyage dans l'Afrique Australe : notamment dans le territoire de
Natal dans celui des Cafres Amazoulous et Makatisses et jusqu'au tropique du Capricorne,
exécuté durant les années 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843 & 1844, A. René, 1847, 2 vol.

Henry Callaway (R. P.), The religious system of the Amazulu : izinyanga zokubula, or, divination,
as existing among the Amazulu, in their own words, J.A. Blair, Springvale (Natal), 1870, 448 p.
(rééd. ultérieures)

Canonici, Noverino Noemio. Tricksters and trickery in Zulu folktales. Kwazulu-Natal University:
PhD diss., 1995.

Canonici, Noverino. "The trickster in Zulu folktales." Alternation 1, no. 1 (1994): 43–56.

David Leslie, Among the Zulus and Amatongas : with sketches of the natives, their language and
customs; and the country, products, climate, wild animals, &c. being principally contributions to
magazines and newspapers, Wm. Gilchrist, Glasgow, 1875, 436 p.

James Anson Farrer, Zululand and the Zulus : their history, beliefs, customs, military system,
home life, legends, etc., etc., and missions to them, Kerby & Endean, Londres, 1879, 151 p.

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(in French) Paul Deléage, Trois mois chez les Zoulous et les derniers jours du Prince impérial, E.
Dentu, 1879, 370 p.

(in French) Bénédict Henry Révoil, Les zoulous et les cafres : mœurs, coutumes, guerre avec les
Anglais, etc., Librairie de J. Lefort, Lille, 1880, 196 p.

Walter Robert Ludlow, Zululand and Cetewayo : containing an account of Zulu customs, manners,
and habits, after a short residence in their kraals, with portrait of Cetewayo, and 28 illustrations
from original drawings, Simpkin, Marshall, and Co, Londres, 1882, 219 p.

(in French) Émile de La Bédollière, Au pays des Zoulous et des cafres, Barbou, Limoges, 1882,
88 p.

Josiah Tyler (Rev.), Forty years among the Zulus, Congregational Sunday-school and publishing
society, Boston, Chicago, 1891, 300 p.

Donald R. Morris, The washing of the spears : a history of the rise of the Zulu nation under Shaka
and its fall in the Zulu War of 1879, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1971, 1965, 655 p.

Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, Zulu shaman : dreams, prophecies, and mysteries, Destiny Books,
Rochester (Vt), 2003 (éd. 1996 : Song of the Stars), 224 p.ISBN 978-0-89281-129-8

Jonathan Sutherland et Diane Canwell, The Zulu kings and their armies, Pen & Sword Military,
Barnsley (South Yorkshire, England), 2004, 198 p. ISBN 978-1-84415-060-1

Alex Zaloumis, Zulu tribal art, AmaZulu Publishers, Le Cap, 2000, 301 p.

(in French) Véronique Faure, Ethnicité et stratégies nationalistes : les Zoulous et l'Inkatha,
Université de Bordeaux 4, 1996, 2 vol., 712 p.

(in French) Philippe Gervais-Lambony, L'Afrique du Sud et les États voisins, Paris, Masson &
Armand Colin Éditeurs, 1997, 253 p.

(in French) François Lafargue, Les Zoulous en Afrique du Sud : Éveil d'un pays, réveil d'une
ethnie, Centre de recherches et d'analyses géopolitiques, 1996, 708 p.

(in French) Tidiane N'Diaye, L'Empire de Chaka Zoulou, L'Harmattan, Paris (Collection Études
africaines) 2002, 250 p.

(in French) Tidiane N'Diaye, L'Éclipse des Dieux, Éditions du Rocher, Paris 2004, 317 p.

(in French) Sylvain Guyot, Rivages zoulous : l'environnement au service du politique en Afrique
du Sud, Karthala, 2006, 250 p. ISBN 978-2-84586-767-3

(in French) John Mack, Les Zoulous, Granger frères, 1981, 48 p. ISBN 978-0-88551-503-5

(in French) Jean Sévry, Chaka, empereur des Zoulous : histoire, mythes et légendes,
L'Harmattan, 1991, 251 p. ISBN 978-2-7384-0836-5

Ian Knight, Zulu Rising: The Epic Story of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift, Macmillan Edition, 2010
ISBN 978-1405091855

Novels

Walton Golightly, The People of the Sky, Quercus, 2013
(in French) Philippe Morvan, Les fils du ciel (The sons of the sky), Calmann-Lévy, 2021

External links

Media related to Zulu at Wikimedia Commons
History section of the official page for the Zululand region (http://zululand.kzn.org.za/zululand/abo
ut/), Zululand.kzn.org
Izithakazelo (http://www.wakahina.co.za/), wakahina.co.za

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Certificate of Authenticity

This is to certify the artifacts pictured below,

Hunters Tunic

Tribe: Bamana, Mali
Fabric, wood, bone, leather, hair, mirror

Size: 36"x48" approx.
Custom Framed

______________________________________________
Archie Listenbee II - CFO

Dealers in Fine Paintings - Lithographs - Oils - African and Asian Sculpture

2108 Busse Hwy (773) 301-3022

Des Plaines, Il 60016 [email protected]

1/24/22, 8:12 AM Bambara people - Wikipedia

Bambara people Bambara, Bamana

The Bambara (Bambara: ߊ߲ߣߊߡߓ, romanized:  Bamana or ߊ߲ߣߊߡߓ
ߊ߲ߣߊߡߊ߲ߓ Banmana) are a Mandé ethnic group native to much
of West Africa, primarily southern Mali, Guinea, Burkina
Faso and Senegal.[4][5] They have been associated with the
historic Bambara Empire. Today they make up the largest
Mandé ethnic group in Mali, with 80% of the population
speaking the Bambara language, regardless of ethnicity.

Contents Bambara people in upper Sénégal river valley,
1890. (illustration from Colonel Frey's Côte
Ethnonym occidentale d'Afrique, 1890, Fig.49 p.87)
History
Culture Total population
5,000,000[1] (2019)
Religion
Social structure Regions with significant populations
Caste
The Ton Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Burkina Faso,
Art
Notable people Niger, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Gambia
See also
References  Mali 6,705,796 (33.3%) [2]
Further reading
External links  Gambia 22,583 (1.3%) [3]

Ethnonym Languages

According to the Encyclopedia of Africa, "Bambara" means Bambara language, French
"believer" or "infidel"; the group acquired the name because
it resisted Islam after the religion was introduced in 1854 by Religion
Tukulor conqueror El Hadj Umar Tall."[6]
Islam

Related ethnic groups

Mandinka people, Soninke people, other
Mande speaking groups.

History

The Bamana originated as a royal section of the Mandinka people. They are founders of the Mali

Empire in the 13th Century. Both Manding and Bambara are part of the Mandé ethno-linguistic
group, whose divergence is dated to at least about 7,000 years ago,[7] and branches of which are
associated with sites near Tichitt (now subsumed by the Sahara in southern Mauritania), where urban
centers began to emerge by as early as 2500 BC. By 250 BC, a Mandé subgroup, the Bozo, founded the

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city of Djenne. Between 300 AD and 1100 AD, the Soninke Mandé dominated the Western Mali,
leading the Ghana Empire. When the Mandé Songhai Empire dissolved after 1600 AD, many Mandé-

speaking groups along the upper Niger river basin turned inward. The Bamana appeared again in this

milieu with the rise of a Bamana Empire in the 1740s, when the Mali Empire started to crumble
around 1559.

While there is little consensus among modern historians and ethnologists as to the origins or meaning
of the ethno-linguistic term, references to the name Bambara can be found from the early 18th
century.[8] In addition to its general use as a reference to an ethno-linguistic group, Bambara was

also used to identify captive Africans who originated in the interior of Africa perhaps from the upper
Senegal-Niger region and transported to the Americas via ports on the Senegambian coast. As early as
1730 at the slave-trading post of Gorée, the term Bambara referred simply to slaves who were already
in the service of the local elites or French.[9]

Growing from farming communities in Ouassoulou, between Sikasso and Ivory Coast, Bamana-age
co-fraternities (called Tons) began to develop a state structure which became the Bambara Empire

and later Mali Empire. In stark contrast to their Muslim neighbors, the Bamana state practised and
formalised traditional polytheistic religion, though Muslim communities remained locally powerful, if
excluded from the central state at Ségou.

The Bamana became the dominant cultural community in western Mali. The Bambara language,
mutually intelligible with the Manding and Dyula languages, has become the principal inter-ethnic

language in Mali and one of the official languages of the state alongside French.

Culture

Religion

Although most Bamana today adhere to Islam, many still practise
the traditional rituals, especially in honoring ancestors. This form
of syncretic Islam remains rare, even allowing for conversions that
in many cases happened in the mid to late 19th century. This
recent history, though, contributes to the richness and fame (in
the West) of Bamana ritual arts.

Social structure Bambara Female figure, Mali Late
19th to early 20th century. Wood.
Bamana share many aspects of broader Mandé social structure. African Art Museum, Smithsonian.
Society is patrilineal and patriarchal. Mandé culture is known for
its strong fraternal orders and sororities (Ton) and the history of 2/5
the Bambara Empire strengthened and preserved these orders.
The first state was born as a refashioning of hunting and youth
Tons into a warrior caste. As conquests of their neighbors were
successful, the state created the Jonton (Jon = slave/kjell-slave),
or slave warrior caste, replenished by warriors captured in battle.
While slaves were excluded from inheritance, the Jonton leaders
forged a strong corporate identity. Their raids fed the Segu
economy with goods and slaves for trade, and bonded agricultural
laborers who were resettled by the state.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambara_people

1/24/22, 8:12 AM Bambara people - Wikipedia

Caste

Traditionally, Mandé society is hierarchal or caste-based, with nobility and vassals. Bamana political
order created a small free nobility, set in the midst of endogamous caste and ethnic variation. Both
castes and ethnic groups performed vocational roles in the Bamana state, and this differentiation
increased with time. For instance, the Maraka merchants developed towns focused first on desert side
trade, and latter on large-scale agricultural production using slaves captured by the state. The Jula
specialised in long-distance trade, as did Fula communities within the state, who added this to cattle
herding. The Bozo ethnicity were created largely out of war captives, and turned by the state to fishing
and ferrying communities.

In addition to this, the Bamana maintained internal castes, like other Mandé peoples, with Griot
historian/praise-singers, priests, metalworkers, and other specialist vocations remaining endogamous
and living in designated areas. Formerly, like most other African societies, they also held slaves
("Jonw"/"Jong(o)"), often war prisoners from lands surrounding their territory. With time, and the
collapse of the Bamana state, these caste differences have eroded, though vocations have strong
family and ethnic correlations.

The Ton Bonnet ritual MHNT

The Bamana have continued in many places their tradition of
caste and age group inauguration societies, known as Ton. While
this is common to most Mandé societies, the Ton tradition is
especially strong in Bamana history. Tons can be by sex (initiation
rites for young men and women), age (the earlier young men's Soli
Ton living separately from the community and providing farm
labor prior to taking wives), or vocation (the farming Chi Wara
Ton or the hunters Donzo Ton). While these societies continue as
ways of socialising and passing on traditions, their power and
importance faded in the 20th century.

Art

The Bamana people adapted many artistic traditions. Artworks were created both for religious use
and to define cultural and religious difference. Bamana artistic traditions include pottery, sculpture,
weaving, iron figures, and masks. While the tourist and art market is the main destination of modern
Bamana artworks, most artistic traditions had been part of sacred vocations, created as a display of
religious beliefs and used in ritual.

Bamana forms of art include the n’tomo mask and the Tyi Warra. The n’tomo mask was used by
dancers at male initiation ceremonies. The Tyi Warra (or ciwara) headdress was used at harvest time
by young men chosen from the farmers association. Other Bamana statues include fertility statues,
meant to be kept with the wife at all times to ensure fertility, and statues created for vocational groups
such as hunters and farmers, often used as offering places by other groups after prosperous farming
seasons or successful hunting parties.

Each special creative trait a person obtained is seen as a different way to please higher spirits. Powers
throughout the Bamana art-making world are used to please the ancestral spirits and show beauty in
what they believed in.

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Notable people Bambara mask with
a stylistic
Kaladian Coulibaly, King of Segou representation of an
Mamary Coulibaly, Emperor antelope, National
Kalidou Koulibaly, Senegalese footballer Gallery for Foreign
Kafoumba Coulibaly Art
Rokia Traoré, Malian musician
Sammy Traoré
Cheick Doucouré
Bertrand Traoré
Alain Traoré
Kandia Traoré
Jimmy Kébé

See also

Bambara language
Bambara Empire

References

1. Bambara at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2019)

2. "Mali" (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mali/#people-and-society). www.cia.gov/.
Retrieved November 19, 2020.

3. "Distribution of the Gambian population by ethnicity 1973,1983,1993,2003 and 2013 Censuses -
GBoS" (https://www.gbosdata.org/topics/population-and-demography/distribution-of-the-gambian-
population-by-ethnicit). www.gbosdata.org. Retrieved 2021-06-17.

4. "Tribal African Art Bambara (Bamana, Banmana)" (http://www.zyama.com/bambara/index.htm).
Zyama.com - African Art Museum. Retrieved 2008-07-08.

5. den Otter, Elisabeth; Esther A. Dagan (1997). Puppets and masks of the Bamana and the Bozo
(Mali) - from The Spirit's Dance in Africa (http://www.euronet.nl/users/edotter/mali/mali.html).
Galerie Amrad African Arts Publications.

6. Editors: Appiah, Anthony; Gates, Henry Louis, Encyclopedia of Africa, Volume 1, Oxford
University Press (2010), p. 150, ISBN 9780195337709 [1] (https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=A
0XNvklcqbwC&pg=PA150)

7. D.F. McCall, "The Cultural Map and Time Profile of the Mande Speaking Peoples," in C.T. Hodge
(ed.). Papers on the Manding, Indiana University, Bloomington, 1971.

8. Labat, Jean-Baptiste (1728). Nouvelle Relation de l'Afrique Occidentale 3 Vol. Paris.

9. Bathily, Abdoulaye (1989). Les Ports de l'Or Le Rouyaume de Galam (Sénégal) de l'Ere
Musulmane au Temps de Nègriers (VIIIe-XVIIe Siècle). Paris.

Further reading

Imperato, Pascal James (1970). "The Dance of the Tyi Wara". African Arts. African Arts, Vol. 4,
No. 1. 4 (1): 8–13, 71–80. doi:10.2307/3334470 (https://doi.org/10.2307%2F3334470).
JSTOR 3334470 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/3334470).

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1/24/22, 8:12 AM Bambara people - Wikipedia

Le Barbier, Louis (1918). Études africaines : les Bambaras, mœurs, coutumes, religions (in
French). Paris. p. 42.

McNaughton, Patrick R. (1979). "Bamana Blacksmiths". African Arts. African Arts, Vol. 12, No. 2.
12 (2): 65–66, 68–71, 91. doi:10.2307/3335488 (https://doi.org/10.2307%2F3335488).
JSTOR 3335488 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/3335488).

Pharr, Lillian E. (1980). Chi-Wara headdress of the Bambara: A select, annotated bibliography.
Washington, D.C.: Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. OCLC 8269403 (https://www.w
orldcat.org/oclc/8269403).

Roberts, Richard L. (1987). Warriors, Merchants and Slaves: The State and the Economy in the
Middle Niger Valley 1700-1914. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-
1378-2.

Roberts, Richard L. (1980). "Production and Reproduction of Warrior States: Segu Bambara and
Segu Tokolor". The International Journal of African Historical Studies. The International Journal of
African Historical Studies, Vol. 13, No. 3. 13 (3): 389–419. doi:10.2307/218950 (https://doi.org/10.
2307%2F218950). JSTOR 218950 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/218950).

Tauxier, Louis (1942). Histoire des Bambara (in French). Paris: P. Geuthner. p. 226.

Wooten, Stephen R. (2000). "Antelope Headdresses and Champion Farmers: Negotiating
Meaning and Identity through the Bamana Ciwara Complex". African Arts. African Arts, Vol. 33,
No. 2. 33 (2): 18–33, 89–90. doi:10.2307/3337774 (https://doi.org/10.2307%2F3337774).
JSTOR 3337774 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/3337774).

Zahan, Dominique (1980). Antilopes du soleil: Arts et rites agraires d'Afrique noire (A.
Schendl ed.). Paris: Edition A. Schendl. ISBN 3-85268-069-7.

External links

Who are the Bamana? - Princeton Online (https://web.archive.org/web/20061026221627/http://ww
w.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/bamana.htm)
Photo documents of Bambara art and other information regarding other African tribal art (https://w
eb.archive.org/web/20080303010618/http://www.origomundi.com/)
Civilisation et art bambara (ou bamana) (https://web.archive.org/web/20110421075003/http://afric
art.net/pages/baminf1.htm) (in French)
Documentary on a rural Bamana village in Mali (http://www.inspiration-productions.com/afrique/fra
ncais/accueil_afrique.html) (in French)

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Certificate of Authenticity

This is to certify the artwork pictured below, entitled

Mother & Child

Artist: Robert Lowe
Original giclee on paper
Image Size: 12”x16”approx.

Custom Framed

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Archie Listenbee II - CFO

Dealers in Fine Paintings - Lithographs - Oils - African and Asian Sculpture

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