Object Details
- Ndebele artist
- Label Text
- The word nyoka literally means "snake." It refers to the physical appearance of the long, rectangular beaded panels that are identified with Ndebele brides, but it does not seem to imply anything snakelike about the garments' wearers. Unlike Western bridal veils, these Ndebele creations were worn after the wedding on important occasions. There seems to have been quite a lot of variation on how they were worn: attached to a headpiece, draped from the shoulders as a cape, even worn down the front of the body.
- Description
- Long rectangular beaded panel of small white glass beads with multicolored central geometric motif of a diamond bordered on top and bottom by six open rectangles. At the bottom is a central projecting tab with multicolored beaded geometric bar design and an openwork section along the bottom of the main panel and tab. The panel hangs from a beaded cylindrical holder.
- Provenance
- Constance Stuart Larrabee, South Africa, 1937-1949 to 2000
- Exhibition History
- TxtStyles: Fashioning Identity, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 11-December 7, 2008
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Constance Stuart Larrabee
- Early to mid-20th century
- Object number
- 2000-27-34
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Textile and Fiber Arts
- Medium
- Glass beads
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 202.6 x 35.4 x 2.6 cm (79 3/4 x 13 15/16 x 1 in.)
- Geography
- South Africa
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- Object Name
- nyoka
- National Museum of African Art
- Topic
- Marriage
- Adornment
- Female use
- geometric motif
- male
- Record ID
- nmafa_2000-27-34
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys762ac84f8-87e6-404a-ad79-8e43cd7b8c57
