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Introducing the exquisite Zulu Beadwork Loveletter, a unique and heartfelt way to express your love and affection. Handcrafted by skilled artisans in South Africa, this love letter is made with colorful beads and intricate patterns that are rich in cultural significance. Each bead is carefully strung together to form a beautiful message of love, whether it's for a significant other, family member, or friend. The intricate patterns are inspired by traditional Zulu beadwork, a craft that has been passed down through generations and has deep meaning within Zulu culture. The Zulu Beadwork Loveletter is not only a beautiful piece of art but also a meaningful symbol of love and connection. It can be displayed in a frame, hung on a wall, or simply gifted as a heartfelt message of affection. With its vibrant colors, stunning design, and rich cultural significance, the Zulu Beadwork Loveletter is the perfect way to show your love and appreciation in a truly unique and meaningful way. Zulu beadwork has been valued as currency, as decoration, and as a marker of identity. Disingwayo the uncle of Shaka and Shaka himself, controlled the bead trade and monopolized not only the beads themselves but also the colors and designs available to groups within Shaka’s control. Beadwork became a status symbol and an important item of personal expression as well. Stylistic variations of beadwork such as pattern, color and color sequence indicate area or group affiliation. Colors and patterns take on more personally expressive meanings as in the case of Zulu “love letters.” Zulu beadwork has been valued as currency, as decoration, and as a marker of identity. Hlengiwe wrote (pp.43-46): "Bead adornments are closely associated with courtship and marriage, and the period of maximum adornment spans the time of feminine fertility. This has led to a fascination surrounding the question of the beaded “love letter” and to the popular misconception that every piece of beadwork is decipherable in the same way as written correspondence. However, it is true that the Zulu love letter - incwadi yothando ucu or ubhala abuyise - meaning “one writes in order that the other should reply”- has a symbolic message associated with certain types of beaded necklaces. Love among the Zulu people was a very private matter. A traditional woman would never say “yes I love you”, because love must always be kept secret. Love messages are transmitted in a most confidential manner, i.e. through beads. Traditional Zulu women always respect their husbands and believe that if they want anything they may write a letter made from beads to pass the message. Provenance: These are from the collection of Dori Angus Verhoeg from Mbabane, Eswatini.
Dori was a beloved friend of ours. We met her in 1994 when we lived in Southern Africa, driving around with our three youngest children in a uséd camper van. We met Dori at the wonderful gallery she ran, Indiglizi. She died several years ago, and her children, Anthony and Sonia Angus made her collection available to us when they closed the gallery this year due to COVID. Dori had an infallible eye. We are rarely able to get old Zulu pieces and look forward to offering them to you.
CLM0421 **137533** All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2023 Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers! Please visit our About Us page. |
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Africa Direct, Inc. has been selling on eBay since 1997 and has received more than 56,000 positive feedbacks. It is owned by Eliza and Sara, who began the company after spending a year wandering southern Africa in a camper van with their multi-racial family. They have been honored with eBay's Hall of Fame award, and by eBay Giving Works, through which they have raised more than $125,000 in charity auctions. Customer Service: We treasure our many long term customers, and will try to make you one of them! If you have problems, please tell us... we care! Handling Time: We ship daily except Sundays and holidays. Most orders go out the same day, and all go out within 48 hours. Returns: We want you to be happy with your purchase. You're welcome to return an item within 30 days in the same condition you received it--just let us know you're returning it. You may have either a credit or a refund for your purchase price, not including shipping both ways. If your original payment was made through PayPal, we'll refund you through PayPal; if you paid us directly with your credit card, we'll refund the credit card. Combining Shipping: You are welcome to wait to pay, and to combine multiple items for shipping. We ask that you keep each order to 10 days or 10 items, whichever comes first--then start another order. When you're ready, just send us a list of item numbers or an invoice request and we'll send you an invoice. You can pay by Paypal or credit card. U.S. Shipping: Our staff take great care in packing our artwork, much of which is antique, irregularly-shaped, and fragile. The cost of labor and the special packing materials uséd is reflected in our shipping price. Our U.S. shipping charges also include insurance; we self-insure on smaller orders. For these reasons, our shipping and handling charges may be more than the price of postage. . International Shipping: We ship dozens of international orders each week, to customers on every continent except Antarctica! The shipping charges included in our listings are for U.S. orders. Contact us for shipping charges to your country. We offer uninsured USPS First Class airmail, insured Priority airmail, and insured Express airmail to most parts of the world, depending on the weight, volume, and value of an item. We also ship via FedEx or DHL on request. Import duties, taxes, and charges are NOT INCLUDED in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding / buying. These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up -- do not confuse them for additional shipping charges. And please do not ask us to mark merchandise values below the actual value or mark items as "gifts"--U.S. and International government regulations prohibit such behavior. Newsletter, previews and special offers: Sign up for our newsletter |