Listen to the pronunciation
| What is this? | Headband |
| isiZulu Name | Umqhele |
| isiXhosa Name | Not yet documented. |
| English Name | Headband or crown |
| Which cultural group created this? | Zulu |
| Who made this? | Not yet documented. |
| When was it made? | Not yet documented. |
| Where was it made? | Probably KwaZulu-Natal |
| Measurements | Not yet documented. |
| How was it made and what is it made of? | Main structure made of twine with animal hair sewn all around the exterior part. |
| What colour is it? | Twine: brown Hair: yellow-brown |
| What sound does it make? | Not yet documented. |
| Physical description | Head ring or crown made with twine and animal hair. Crown has a c-shaped structure where twine (vegetal?) supports the shape. Animal hair is sewn on to it around the exterior area. Both ends are joint by a piece of braided (vegetal?) twine. |
| Where is it now? | Iziko Museum, Cape Town, South Africa Museum ID: 8054 |
| How did it get there? | Not yet documented. |
| Why is it important? | This type of crown or head ring is part of the traditional Zulu attire, but other African cultures also use it. They were used to adorn baby boys immediately after birth as a symbol of gender. They were unadorned until the person wearing it reached the age of 40. When a regiment reached 40, they went out in a hunting party and returned, bringing the hunted game to the king. Depending on the type of antelope that dominated the hunt, the king would decide with what antelope the regiment could adorn their crown. The head ring was adorned once and wore only on ceremonies, and it was sewn onto the person’s hair, as isicoco. Once your antelope was chosen, the king would give the regiment permission to get married to a certain maiden regiment raised by the king, which might be of any age. Men used the same type of crown as boys. But chiefs’ and kings’ crowns were different. The kings’ crown was made out of leopard skin because kings’ names were mostly associated with those animals. It was called ingonyama (leopard) and him imbube. Another associated word is indlovu. The king also wore an apron called ivala. The frontal part (isinene) was mostly made out of the genets’ skin, the cape velvet. Monkeys were associated with the royal house attire. Also associated with the royal house attire was the ‘purple lorry bed’ (called a torago or igwalagwala). Those red feathers are not worn or adorned by anyone except the royal family. |
| Notes | Not yet. |
| References | Amagugu Ethu Workshop, Recording STE021 min. 50:02 to 56:02: Boyzie Myeni, Mbongeni Nomkhonwana, Skhumbuzo Miya, Thulani Thusi and Wilfred Mchunu |
| Who described this? | Described during the Amagugu Ethu Workshop by Boyzie Myeni, Mbongeni Nomkhonwana, Skhumbuzo Miya, Thulani Thusi and Wilfred Mchunu. Described for the website by Clara Giménez-Delgado (August 18, 2020). |