Sub-Saharan Africa · South Africa (Zulu) · Love
Incwadi yothando (“love letter” beadwork)
Beadwork made by young Zulu women for the men courting them; the name means “love letter”. Its colours were read together: in the one example our source gives, a green ring meant that a proposal had been accepted.Beadwork in a museum20th century; acquired 1966The Horniman Museum holds a piece of Zulu beadwork, numbered 24.5.66/1, that entered its collection in 1966. Pieces like it are panels of glass beads, made in the 20th century.Source: Horniman Museum, Zulu beadwork (24.5.66/1) ↗
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