Zulu Isicholo Headdress Hat Married Woman Red African Art

Description

Title
Zulu Isicholo Headdress Hat Married Woman Red African Art
Type of Object
Hat/Headrest
Country of Origin
South Africa
People
Zulu
Materials
Cotton, fibers, possibly hair
Approximate Age
Mid 20th century
Height (in)
18
Width (in)
2.5
Overall Condition
Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.   Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.  We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings.  Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.
Damage/Repair
**STAND NOT INCLUDED***
**STAND NOT INCLUDED***
We do not recommend laundering textiles, and do not accept returns of textiles which have been laundered in any manner.  Even dry cleaning is too much for some of these antique textiles.  For some of them, a very gentle HAND washing  (NEVER MACHINE, on any setting)  in cool water with a very gentle detergent works, but even then, dyes may not be colorfast, and fabric may be less strong than it appears.
Additional Information:
Married Zulu women always keep their heads covered in public. For ceremonial occasions, they wear elaborately woven red hats with beadwork attached. It is then sewn into the hair of the wearer. Red powder is periodically reapplied. If the dried plant happens to have tiny yellow flowers in amongst the leaves then it's impepho (Helichrysum odoratissimum) which is used primarily as a ritual incense by Zulu diviners but is also used as a perfume and insect repellent: often found in bedding and pillows as well.
A similar headdress is published in Hlengiwe Dube,
Zulu Beadwork
Talk with Beads
, AfricaDirect Inc., 2009, p. 63
About the Inkehli/Isicholo headdresses  Hlengiwe wrote: "This one has beaded headbands (umqhawazi and isembozo). It is made out of dried grass. intertwined with red cotton and human hair and covered with red ochre, which refers to the living cow and also evokes the blood of the earth.In areas such as Eshowe the headdresses are made with lots of beadwork. As a signifier of respect for the new husband and the in-law family, a woven fibre beaded headband 9Umqwazi) is added to the base of the headdress. In some areas, the ochre colour headdress is adorned with elaborately stylized beadwork decorations and studs. The width of the isiholo is about 42 cm. The word Inkehli comes from the word Khehla meaning "to be ut". It conveys the fact that the woman is no longer among the Unmarried women-amaghikiza; she belongsto the new stage of life, the married woman-umfazi.' p. 61
On p. 67 she wrote: " Previously, women never removed the headdress from their head once they got married, even when sleeping. Thus the headdress played an important part as a pillow a night. Traditionally, the Zulu woman commissioned two headdresses  before her marriage, one for herself and one for her future husband. These could be identical in design; or a woman might choose to acknowledge her husband's status by giving him a more intricately designed headdress than her own. The man sometimes used it as stool during the day."
For wonderful pictures of women wearing this type of hat see:
Hlengiwe Dube, Zulu Beadwork, p.63;
Magubane, Peter, DRESS and ADORNMENT in
SPEAKING WITH BEADS
,
pp.28, 60, 64
p. 63.
**127697**
All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2021
Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers!
Please visit our About Us page.
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 5,000 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 used 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
Go to Africa Direct Store