(Adornment of the
Hakawana people)
The Phansi Museum will mount its second exhibition of the
year. Titled The New Kids on the Block,
it takes place in the Phansi goes
Phezulu Gallery.
This exhibition will introduce the public to the latest
treasures acquired for the Phansi Museum Collection. The exhibition comprises
life sized puppets of the Herero, Himba and Hakawana people from northern
Namibia adorned in ceremonial dress, beadwork and regalia. In contrast to the
magnificent attire of the Herero people, on display is an impressive wedding
dress dating back to the 19th Century worn by a Victorian English bride who stamped
her identity on the attire of the people of Namibia.
Way up, in the north of Namibia things have settled down
since the appalling wars of liberation and people are once again going about
their daily lives. The area there is remote and the population dispersed as the
soil has very little to share. The artefacts on display were collected in the
thriving little town of Opuwo with its three distinctly-dressed groups: the
Herero cattle farmers to the south east savanna, the Himba and the Hakawana
people who live in the desert and scrublands to the north and west. Side trips
to some of the distant homesteads in those areas uncovered impressive objects
of abundant skill and invention.
After the devastating genocide during the early 19th Century,
the proud Herero (meaning to throw an assegai) rebuilt their nation and adopted
the clothing of their victors and made it their own. Their own sense of beauty,
pride and presence transformed the clothing from the floor-length, staid and
oppressive fashions of the Victorian era into great stately statements of vivid
colour, joy and exuberance. Familiar of
the Herero people is their reinvention of the common headscarf into a
cow-horn-shaped head-dress, a symbol of their deep respect for their
partnership with the bovine members of the community.
The Himba people - although said to have the same
forefathers as the Herero - had nothing to pilfer from their foreign invaders
and continued to treasure and develop the traditional body décor of leather and
iron beads. Hairstyle and jewellery play a significant role among the Himba
people and indicate the age and social status within the community. The entire
Himba assemblage, including the body and adornments has a liberal mud bath of
ochre clay (a mixture of ground red rock and butter or fat) that protects the
body from the scorching sun, while keeping the skin clean and moist.
The Hakawana are noticeable by their magnificent beaded
belts, each one different, which hold in place strips of colourful textiles on
the lower bodies of the beautiful young girls. The spectacular hairstyles are
exceptional works of art, decorated here and there with tiny beads, charms,
bangles and necklaces fashioned by them with great skill from discarded bits of
plastic and tubing.
The exhibition will be opened by respected artist Fiona
Kirkwood on February 27 at 10h00 at the Phansi Museum and Community Art Centre.
Music will be provided by the Durban Music Schools’ Marimba Band. Refreshments
will be served. Entrance is free.
The New Kids on the
Block runs until March 31. Phansi Museum is situated at 500 Esther Roberts
Road, Glenwood. For more information contact the Director, Sharon Crampton on
031 206 2889 or email:admin@phansi.com
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