South Africa Dolls KwaZulu-Natal Zulu People

Two female cloth dolls representing the Zulu people who mainly live in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. They both have the original paper tag attached which reads ‘The S.A. Red Cross Society Durban. This is a product of the Red Cross Rehabilitation Centre. We thank you for purchasing it and hope that you and your friends will continue to support us.’ On the back of the labels is handwritten text. For the doll on the left that is ‘Name of Doll, Buyisiwe, Brought Back’. On the label of the other doll is the text: ‘Name of Doll, Nokulunga, Goodness’. The red hat is called isicholo and is traditionally worn only by married women. The style of the headdress is usually determined by the clan to which the woman belongs. So Buyisiwe on the left is a married woman and Nokulunga on the right is an unmarried girl.

Folklore is in the air… uhm… ear!

Details

Object Dolls wearing traditional costume
Origin South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal
Culture Zulu people
Medium Felt, beads, yarn
Mark or Tag Paper tags
Made by Red Cross Rehabilitation Centre Durban
Size H 40 & 38 cm
Dated Not dated
Acquired Online early 2000’s

Postcard

Here’s a postcard that matches these dolls. It shows how the people living in South Africa are dressed in their traditional costume.

Text on the back of the postcard: ‘Bantu life. Zulu basket maker – Natal.’ Postmark 1959.

Happy collecting,