Zulu Sotho doll "Ngwana Modula " South Africa
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Rare Zulu Sotho doll. This doll is part of a stylistically mysterious group known as the Enigma Dolls, a mixture of Sotho and Zulu styles. As explained in the article in ‘evocation of the child ,fertility figures of the southern african region' (johannesburg art gallery ibsn0798138300) of which this model is the cover, they write that the beading motifs are more Zulu (Matebele) but the shape is more Sotho the V-shaped face would be explained by a missionary: F Porte on mission in bosutholand in 1880 (cf F Porte ‘les réminiscences d'un missionnaire du basutholand 1881-1895. Le sotho collection, anthropological studies The social center). He indicates that the faces of the young girls were disfigured by V-shaped tattoos. He indicates that they drew a line from ear to ear, passing halfway between the lip and the chin. After puberty, a line was added that passed under the jaw line. So the double line represents South Sotho scarification and should be identified as such, the problem is that the dolls are more Zulu in their decorationthere are several possibilities: Zulu soldiers fled after expeditions where they lost the battle and fled into the Sotho region to avoid death. This would explain why they maintained their traditions of Zulu women beading Sotho dolls. Another possibility is that certain Sotho groups lived in Zulu country, such as the Tlokwe who lived there and married Zulu women who created Zulu-Sotho dolls. Ex French collection.