Inspiration

The Suicide Series, has two major direction which I had tried to both address and explore, which were the perspectives of the of the loves ones and of that of the suicide victim. These I expressed through using mainly two suicide methods those being that of hanging and overdose. For this series, I had wanted to use the actual materials connected to the suicide as my design director for the narrative execution. This decision was primarily driven by the notion that I wanted the viewer to view the reality of the subject and not to simply hint at nature of this kind of death. 

What inspired this specific series were some of the bridal kidnapping documentaries which I had watched, where families of some of the victims of became so overwhelmed what their lives and become and opted to end their lives. In one particular series, the mother of the kidnapped bride actually stated that her daughter had not committed suicide, but was in fact murdered by her kidnappers as they had stripped the life from her while still alive.

Design

Having had personally known someone who had opted to their peace in death, I understand the sensitivity of the subject and just how it can affect those left behind and I had decided to use that to draw from in order to explore the poetry and jewellery of that angle. I therefore decided to once again adopt a concept used by Byrne, where she used honey comb on various body parts so as to express an allergic reaction to bee. Similarly I also decided to use actual rope to create neckpieces, which will then express suicide by hanging. 

When creating the jewellery and writing the poetry for this collection, I decided to use the visual aid of a collage. I had somehow tried to place myself in the bride’s shoes, so as to use her pain as a source of creation.  The collage was meant to replicate a final written goodbye from the umakoti.
a. The rope version

b. The Pill version

Beaded version

For the beaded version of The Living Grave Series, I had also decided to use the same concept of the v shape when structuring the piece, as seen in figure 1. Once again trying not to create a morbid manifestation of the narrative, I chose to place the emphasis of how this unborn seed (a bead) is attached to this piece anchoring its development and forming part of who she will become. 

Figure 1: Ndongeni, S (2019). The living grave series, beaded neckpiece.  

For the third version of the series seen in figure 2, I wanted to play with the idea of that there are all these women who all have had a unborn soul attached to them and although they may come from different walks of life, their pain somehow makes them through their grief. I tried to express the idea of the many unborn children through the use of the multiple and the lives of the women is expressed through the weaving which goes in multiple directions yet meeting at certain points in the formation.  

Figure 2: Ndongeni, S (2018). The Living grave series, Silver and red beaded neckpiece.

Bridal journey/ tale

Although this research report is based on the bridal narrative, it will, however, be mainly addressing the plight of the Xhosa umakoti. As addressed in a later section, Christianity is the main religious denomination which has had an influence on the Xhosa culture and this report will, therefore, be outlining the Christian perspective of marriage rather than the more westernized or universal marriage concepts. For discussion purposes this report will be adopting the Xhosa and Christian perspective of a marriage union, those being heterosexual marriages, a marriage between man and woman (Goodacre,2007; Church, 2002).

For the umakoti who  practices and observes the Christianity,their bridal journey will involve the following:
a. Ukwenda/ Xhosa marriage customs
b.  Christian marriage customs.

Barbara Stutman

Stutman is a contemporary female artist and jewellery designer who uses her work to comment on female issues mainly using symbolism^[1] and irony within her jewellery work; which are an extension of her sculptures and paintings. 

This report has used Stutman as one of the contemporary examples as her work exhibits narrative characteristic’s which are similar to what this paper will be addressing. Therefore in Chapter Two, the report will provide a brief introduction and background on Stuntman’s work; while also discussing her work in the sequence below. 

1. Which Issues does she address in her work?
2. How does she deal with them?

                                 i.            Which materials has she used and why?

                               ii.            Which Techniques has she used?

                              iii.            What kind of Imagery andsymbolism has she used?

3. How is her work similar to mine?

Ukuhlonipha

The word ukuhlonipha means respect. Within the Xhosa culture respect is one of the most important things to show both towards others and to one’s culture. However for purposes of this report only some of the most crucial aspects of ukuhlonipha ka makoti will be addressed, such as the dress code, iqiya and eye contact.

• Dress code

The picture below on the right is of my grandmother who is wearing traditional mainly worn by older wives and women. Like the picture of the women on the left, the clothing still has the distinct Xhosa lines at the bottom, the middle panel and the black turban. As seen in the picture, she has covered he shoulders, as a sign of respect as she was attending an event. My aunt on the other hand is wearing a more contemporary take to the traditional outfit, since she is wearing a version of the turban.

Then	Now
Figure 1 CSIR. Traditional Xhosa dress	Figure 2 Bacela, V. Traditional Xhosa Dress

• Iqhiya

In the Xhosa culture, the turban is called Iqhiya and not merely as means decorate, but is worn as a sign of respect for towards their in-laws and their husband. (S, 2007). However, I personally believe that Christianity had its influence on this particular practice the same way it had in their dress code (Hodgson, 1997; Magubane, 1998).

Then	Now
Figure 3 Young Gcaleka wife (Costello, 1990)	Figure 4  Contemporary Xhosa Dress [ONLINE}[1]

With accordance to tradition, younger woman had to wear less elaborate headdresses, as the more elaborate headdress styles were reserved for older women due to their seniority. The above picture, is of a young married woman from the Gcaleka Xhosa tribe, as seen in the picture, her headdress is simpler.    

• Eye contact

With accordance to the Xhosa culture, a married woman is not allowed to make eye contact with other men, including her husband, at times even with older women within her new family as it is seen as a sign of disrespect (S, 2007).

Umakoti/ bride

Figure 18: Ndongeni, S. (2015) Umakoti clothing.

In many other Nguni groups, dress and accessories carried a narrative or visual symbolism for the wearer; though several of these have been lost due to modernization of the world. Nonetheless symbolism of dress and accessories still play an important role within the Xhosa culture especially when it comes to a marriage and being umakoti.

One of these is the headdress which is a symbol of respect towards both elders within the marital home and one’s husband (CSIR, 2018). Within each division of the tribes, various colours, clothing and beads hold various significances and when designing my final collection this will play vital role in the formation of my pieces (Magubane, vanishing cultures of south africa, 1998).

Ukuthwala-(bridal abduction)

Figure 1 James, A. Bachelors stage a kidnapping.  [ONLINE]

The bridal practice of ukuthwala (bridal abduction), has formed part of many South African native cultural groups, and has still remained as a cultural marriage practice in several places within the Eastern Cape (Froko, S. M. 2016). As the Eastern Cape is predominately a Xhosa populated part of the country, the report will be exploring this practice through the Xhosa culture. There are not many positives when it comes to the practice of bridal kidnapping, therefore this report will instead introduce the historical justification for the practice.

1. Historical bases

It is believed that the practice of ukuthwala in South Africa originated with the Xhosa people (Mwambene & Sloth-nielsen, 2011). Initially the practice came about in cases when either the girl’s family or both families, would be against a marriage or would not come into agreement with labola, and then the couple would stage this abduction, in order to force their  families to allow the marriage to take place.

Although not inherently a form of an abusive abduction, it has mutated into a form of marriage which results in abuse, violence and in many unfortunate cases resulted in rape. Traditionally the practice may be conducted in one of two ways; there are cases where the girl’s family has consented to the marriage and the abduction of their daughter. In this case, the two families have met without consulting the girl in question and have even concluded with the lobola negotiations in most of these cases. Then the two families for whatever the reasons may  be agreed to a specific date on which this abduction would take place (Modisaotsile, 2013).

2. Negatives

In a paper written by Nomusa Mphanga (Maphanga, 2011), one of the drawbacks of the custom of ukuthwala was that men soon abducted the young girls as a result of a spiteful kind of love. The aim was no longer to preserve a custom, nor was it a sign of respect for either the young woman nor their families, it was all about breaking her virginity in order to force the family to permit the marriage.

The sad reality of our society is that a woman is judged more harshly than a man; to the extent that even in cases when she has been violated she is forced to either hide what has taken place or bare the stone of society. Until the recent events which have transpired in our country, it was easy to get away with rape. However now, women have had enough and have learned to voice out their frustration, nonetheless this was not always the case.

When the custom of ukuthwala began to become distorted, it forced the woman, the young girl to not just suffer the pain of rape, but to be sentenced to a life with her rapist all in the name of persevering the dignity he had stripped away from her (Maphanga, 2011; South African Abductions: young girls forced into marriage, n.d.).

The practice of ukuthwala has now become an illegal practice within South Africa and many countries throughout the world. There were cases where the man’s family are in agreement and have not met with either the young girl nor her family and simply decide to ambush her at their earliest convenience, to then inform the girl’s family once they have kidnapped her of what they have done.

 No matter what the circumstance is, when the girl is unaware of this sort of marriage, it may be traumatic for her, as she is taken against her will and then forced to become a wife to someone she may not even know, and at times a man who is 15 to 40 years her senior.

Caged bird formation

ILobola/ bride price

The practice of paying lobola or dowry is one which is regarded as an integral part of many African marriages; it is, in fact, a practice which is not limited or exclusive to African cultures but is part of other cultures in the world such as the Indian culture and the Jewish people, who refer to it as dowry  (Gullapalli, 2009) (Liebenberg,n.d.).

 

Figure 1 Tina, T. (2018) Three uncles negotiating lobola. [ONLINE] ^[1]

1. Positives

The importance of the payment of the bridal price is seen as an act of respect for the bride and her family; as it is seen as a gesture of gratitude while also displaying his fidelity and commitment to his bride and also displaying good care of her by proving that he values her. Contrary to many false beliefs, the bride price is not a payment of the daughter nor is it the purchase of a bride, it is, however, a gesture which displayed the man would be capable of providing for the bride and that he and his family were people of substance (Magubane, 2001). Also, it was a security bond posted by or on behalf of the bridegroom as a pledge of good treatment; a man was not likely to abandon such a substantial investment, and in most societies, if a divorce resulted because of abuse and ill-treatment, all or most of the lobola was forfeited.

 

Since lobola is a gesture most families do not require the full payment to be made before marriage as it is believed that since no true price can be placed on their priceless daughter. A man can never fully pay lobola but is however responsible to make payments (for a lack of word) to the family for life. These payments come in the form of making sure that the needs and wants of the bride’s family are taken care of when they arise, these thus count as the bottomless lobola price the husband is to pay for the daughter he has taken as a wife (Ngema, 2013).

  i.            Negatives

Although meant to be a gesture of gratitude and a symbol that the daughter will be well taken care of; like many things within society this practice has been abused and the process has been polluted by many people to satisfy their own personal desires and interests. These have been done through the demand of a bridal price which is beyond the means of what the man can afford, or in some cases families may require the man to pay an amount which is too high as the family considers their own personal needs and wants.

In other instances, the process becomes tainted as the daughter becomes a bargaining chip or even an object to be sold to the highest bidder and her family disregards what is in the best interest of their daughter to make money off her marriage. An example of such cases would be the process or the marriage which is the result of ukuthwala (bridal abduction).

Another way the best interest of the bride does not play a key factor is when the family forces her to marry for money or status rather than to marry for love. This type of marriage is then regarded as forced marriage, rather than arranged marriage.

The payment of lobola has been one of the many factors within the African native cultures which has aided in the difficulty of divorce. With a process so flawed and ungoverned by neither law nor many restrictions besides what families decide is just and fair payment, should such a practice be found to be relevant in this contemporary and liberal world we live in? It actually should still be practiced as there are several consequences that are directly linked to the refusal to partake in the practice. One of these being that the couple may not be fully received by both families if they do not choose to adhere or observe important cultural practices. The wife may be ostracized by other family members of the husband’s family and may not be considered a true makoti within the family.

Umakoti/ bride

 I have found that there are rules to be followed and even a specific hierarchy even among the brides within the family, which is determined by many factors one of these being how long one has been married; thus giving umakoti that has been married longer superiority over a recently married umakoti., this is regardless of the wife’s age.

As part of being umakoti, you are in some ways treated as a new born, in the sense that when you become a new member of the family and are welcomed into the family, you are given a new name and brand new clothes. As you are no longer a girl but a wife, you are then given instructions by the family on how to conduct yourself within the family and depending how strict the family is, you are given instructions on how to conduct yourself outside the family, this is called ukuyala. 

Once this process has been conducted, according to tradition, you are to no longer to be referred to as your birth name, but you may however be called your clan name, and the new wife is to no longer refer to her husband by name especially in front of others, she is to call him bhuti or Tata ka so-and-so (so and so father, the name of the their first born child).  He on the other hand may call you by name; however the name his family has given you. There is so much more involved in the making of umakoti, however for purposes of this report, when I refer to umakoti unless stated, I am referring to someone who has been married for 15 years or less, as a wife who is married longer is regarded as umfazi. 

Restructure

 In terms of my theme or title of my thesis... that is still being built, broken down and rebuilt and then torn down with each day, but i feel like I am starting to find a more exact direction to it now. I want to focus on Narrative Bridal Jewellery. But, I am still trying to figure out or break-down what I mean by that, in terms of narrative. I have thought about using some of the myths, superstitions and marriage/ wedding traditions. But what is bridal, wedding and marriage and what do I mean by these words? Am considering at conducting a narrative exploration on modern day marriage vs traditional customs of marriage. Trying to trace to see if there is really a disconnect between a wedding and marriage, the approach is broad. For now, I have just decided to compile to see what is and has been said about marriage and then will decide which type of narrative aspect of marriage/wedding I want to focus on.