pair of beaded anklets

unrecorded Sotho or Xhosa artist, artist

pair of beaded anklets, late 1800s–1965

Where object was made: Tranksei, Union of South Africa (present-day South Africa)

Material/technique: mother of pearl; beading

Dimensions:
Object Length/Width (Length x Width): each 30 x 3 cm
Object Length/Width (Length x Width): 1 3/16 x 11 13/16 in

Credit line: Gift of Anne Hart

Accession number: 2007.3307.a,b

Not on display

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Zulu and other southern African artists have a long history of beading traditions. Beginning in the 1400s, artists replaced wood, shell, bone, seed, and stone beads with brightly colored glass beads introduced by Portuguese, English, and Dutch colonizers. The geometric designs could communicate a lot about the wearer of these items, and the colors hold symbolic meaning. Today, beadwork provides important financial support for artists, who now use plastic beads for items made for tourists.