OUR COLLECTION — AFRICA — SOUTH AFRICA 460. NDEBELE NATIVITY
This Nativity consists of dolls and angels from the Ndebele tribe in South Africa. The dolls have been grouped together to resemble the figures in a Nativity set: Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, a shepherd, and three angels. But in reality, the women of the Ndebele tribe only make female dolls so every doll in this scene is technically a female doll. We purchased the dolls separately and grouped them into a Nativity scene because we greatly admire this artform. The doll representing Joseph stands 13.5 inches tall. The beaded giraffe made by Ndebele women of Mpumalanga Province stands 17 inches tall.
The Ndebele is a small tribe in South Africa located near the much larger Zulu nation. The Ndebele are famous for the bold, colorful geometric patterns painted on their architecture and for the women’s neck rings made of copper and brass. They also wear beaded aprons with colorful geometric designs and metal rings around their legs.
The Ndbele women make female dolls for other women and girls to commemorate a special occasion, such as births, initiation ceremonies, courtship, weddings, and anniversaries. The style of our “Joseph” and “shepherd” dolls is called an Initiation Doll. This doll is made in the traditional dress of a married woman. The style of the apron signifies that she has borne a child within wedlock and symbolizes her status as a parent. The style of our “Mary” doll with the long beaded strands is called a Linga Kobe Doll. Every four years, hundreds of Ndebele boys spend two winter months in a secret place in the mountains undergoing the wela, their initiation from boyhood to manhood. During this time, the mothers of the initiates wear linga kobe, strips of beadwork that stretch from their headdresses to the ground, to show that their sons are away in the mountains. Linga koba translated means long tears—tears of sadness at losing a boy and tears of joy at gaining a man.
The Ndebele is a small tribe in South Africa located near the much larger Zulu nation. The Ndebele are famous for the bold, colorful geometric patterns painted on their architecture and for the women’s neck rings made of copper and brass. They also wear beaded aprons with colorful geometric designs and metal rings around their legs.
The Ndbele women make female dolls for other women and girls to commemorate a special occasion, such as births, initiation ceremonies, courtship, weddings, and anniversaries. The style of our “Joseph” and “shepherd” dolls is called an Initiation Doll. This doll is made in the traditional dress of a married woman. The style of the apron signifies that she has borne a child within wedlock and symbolizes her status as a parent. The style of our “Mary” doll with the long beaded strands is called a Linga Kobe Doll. Every four years, hundreds of Ndebele boys spend two winter months in a secret place in the mountains undergoing the wela, their initiation from boyhood to manhood. During this time, the mothers of the initiates wear linga kobe, strips of beadwork that stretch from their headdresses to the ground, to show that their sons are away in the mountains. Linga koba translated means long tears—tears of sadness at losing a boy and tears of joy at gaining a man.