Figure (kgöngwana-tshingwana/Ngwana sehô)

The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Figure (kgöngwana-tshingwana/Ngwana sehô) as sculpture (Southern Africa, Lesotho, Southern Sotho-style maker · 1800s–1900s).

WHY IT’S INTERESTING

Recent scholarship suggests that these figures do not represent a child, but rather, an adult woman who hoped for one. In Sotho belief, the image of a person can be used to impact their seriti , a concept related to one's personal energy.

SERENDIPITYA little unexpected

FamiliarWeird

A CLOSER LOOK

The museum identifies this sculpture as Wood, glass beads, cloth, thread, and copper alloy.

The museum's collection notes: Historically, figures made from bundled reeds or bead-covered wooden forms––such as this example––were linked to fertility in Sotho communities. A man carved the wooden core, while a woman covered it with fabric and beads. The small size of the glass beads indicates their age, while the patterns can be linked to Sotho aesthetics. Like the beads, the round metal disc that functions as the figure's face would have been imported. While no longer used, records indicate these figures may have been used in several contexts associated with conception, including the initiation ceremonies of young girls, divination rites, or as gifts to brides who mig

FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE

The Cleveland Museum of ArtFigure (kgöngwana-tshingwana/Ngwana sehô)

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