Context (Display)
Exhibited: on display in the South Africa cube case, Maudslay Hall, from ?2012 onwards.
Event Date 2012
Author: Eleanor Beestin-Sheriff

Context (CMS Context)
This object was collected by Julia Tanner while undertaking fieldwork in South Africa from March-May 2000. The fieldwork was financed by UCMAA’s Crowther-Beynon Fund, in order to research and update UCMAA’s South African collections.

This brooch was purchased on 17/5/2000 at Indaba Curios, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa.

These items are amongst the most common tourist objects in South Africa. They are produced en masse and sold in most gift shops.
Event Date 5/5/2012
Author: maa

Description (CMS Description)
Small, square-shaped brooch on safety pin, made of blue, yellow, red, green and black beadwork. Three bead and seed tassels adorn the base. This type of brooch is called a Zulu love letter. The brooch is pinned on to a printed card. On the reverse of the card is written: 'THE ZULU LOVE LETTER STORY. To anyone acquainted with African Handcrafts, mention of Zulu beadwork conjures up visions of colourful and decorative ornaments, the most fascinating being the Zulu Love Letter ('iNcwadi Kuthanda'). Glass beads originally found their way into Zululand from the Portuguese Trading Station at Delagoa Bay, and then later through European traders who settled in Zululand. When the young Zulu men left home to work on farms or distant towns, they had no knowledge of writing by which messages could be recorded, and so developed a form of symbolism, whereby messages were conveyed between lovers in 'the language of beads', and thus was born the Zulu love letter. The Zulu maidens would 'write letters' in beads to convey messages from the heart, or gentle reminders to their distant loves. The first, and most simple 'letter' was made by threading different coloured beads onto a single strand, and 'reading' the colours from end to end. Later, the love-letter took on the form of an ornamental square and the 'message' is read from the outer edge towards the centre. They developed a simplified 'dictionary' of colours, the meanings of which were derived from nature. It is impossible to give an exact interpretation of these colours, as they vary from area to area, but a general guideline of the most commonly used colours are given here. Handmade in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa'. The front of the card reads: 'THE ZULU LOVE LETTER STORY. WHITE (iThambo/Bone) - Represents purity, cleanliness, true love and hope. BLACK (iSitimane/Shadow) - Grief, loneliness, disappointment ('My heart has become as black as the rafters of the roof, as I hear you have another maiden'). RED (iGazi/Blood) - Indicates intense love, longing ('My heart bleeds for you'). RUBY (uMlilwane/flames) - She burns with love, as the flames of a grass fire. YELLOW (iNcombo/Young corn) - Represents Wealth (or lack of it!). GREEN (uKuhlaza/New grass) - Implies love-sickness, jealousy. ('I have become as thin as a blade of new grass from pining for you'). BLUE (iJuba/Dove) - Symbolizes faithfulness. Also calmness/cleanliness, as in the clear blue sky. ('If I were a dove, I would fly the endless skies to you'). LIGHT TURQUOISE (iFefe/Pigeon) - He talks too much (fefeza), and cannot keep a secret! DARK TURQUOISE (iJubatondo/Pigeon) - Impatience. ('I am losing hope that you will ever marry me'). PINK (iSiphofu/Poor one) - Signifies abject poverty. She doubts he will ever afford to pay her 'Lobolo' (Bride price, paid in cattle). PURPLE (obu-Khwebezane) - New friendship. BROWN (Nhlabathi/Soil) - My love is like the earth which gives rise to new life. STRIPED BEADS (Ntothoviyane/ Striped Grasshopper) - Implies doubt, or accusations of fickleness, or two-timing. ('You are like the ntothoviyane, springing from bush to bush').
Event Date 5/5/2012
Author: maa