African Valentine
The Zulu men and women of KwaZulu-Natal have always been renowned for making colourful and intricate beaded creations.
These unique and beautiful trinkets are not just limited to jewellery. With great dexterity and skill, the Zulus can create almost anything out of bead, thread or wire. Apart from ornate necklaces, earrings, bangles and ankle bracelets, artisans also construct beaded bowls, cups, baskets, handbags, entire garments, sculptures and even… love letters.
Long before westerners turned to greeting card companies to communicate their love to a special person on Valentine’s Day, Zulu maidens have been following in the footsteps of their ancestors by spelling out their love with tiny seed beads. These missives, officially known as Ibheqe but typically sold as souvenirs to tourists under the appealing name of ‘Zulu Love Letters’, are rectangular beaded flaps attached to a narrow beaded band that is worn around the neck as a necklace. For tourists’ ‘sakes, the flap is sometimes attached to a safety pin and attached to a card on which the meaning of the Love Letter is explained.
All the different coloured beads used in the Love Letter have specific meanings – much like a special code or an unspoken language. Traditionally, a Zulu maiden would carefully select the colours to send a particular message to the unmarried young man who is the object of her affection. Each colour can have positive or negative connotations, so she could sometimes even use it to express anger or frustration.
Therefore black beads used in the Love Letter can either signify marriage and regeneration; or sorrow, despair or death. Blue beads could mean that she is requesting something, possibly his fidelity. On the flip side, it could also signal a feeling of hostility towards him. Yellow means health, fertility; or, negatively: thirst, badness and withering away. In this instance, red also means love and passion. On the other hand, red beads could also spell out anger, heartache or impatience. White – the colour code for spiritual love, purity and virginity – is the only colour in the Zulu Love Letter beaded language that has no negative implication.
Zulu maidens combine the colours in various ways to express a certain sentiment. Although many intricately beaded patterns are used, the main shape used in all Zulu Love Letters is the triangle. In the Zulu culture, the triangles found in beaded Zulu Love Letters have various meanings. The three corners of the shape symbolise father, mother and child. An inverted triangle signifies the unfulfilled male principle (i.e. an unmarried man). If the apex points downwards, it implies the unmarried female. If it is the shape of two triangles joined along the base to form a diamond, it means that a woman is ‘complete’ or married. (Yes, the Zulus add much value to marriage. Once married, you immediately have status in the community, therefore it is something that young people are encouraged to aspire to.) If the two triangles are positioned in such a way in that it meets at the apexes (like an hourglass) it means that a man is married.
Yet no matter how carefully one tries to interpret the meaning of the colours and shapes, the true meaning of a Zulu Love Letter is often obscured by the many proverbs and imagery of the spoken Zulu language and culture. Luckily no understanding is required in order to enjoy and appreciate such an artfully created, hand-crafted object. Whether on a safety pin or as a necklace, Zulu Love Letters make truly wonderful gifts and will serve as a lasting memento of your visit to a very special place.
