Zulu Exhibit at the Fowler Museum

Example of Zulu beaded work

The Zulu exhibit at the Fowler Museum was an interesting one. It focused on the use of craft in relation to status of the Zulu people. The exhibit displayed beautiful beaded belts and skirts the Zulu people would wear around their waists or chests to give attention to more sexual body parts. The beads were a sign of prestige, and certain colors worn presented a status symbol of sorts. Adornment and accessorizing were very important to these people. They used teeth, claws, and talons of predators in their clothing to show a sign of royalty and strength. Their personalities came out in their accessories. Men and a few women would carry knobkerries, carved staffs that were associated with power.

Walking through the exhibit, I wondered whether the British colonists picked up on the status differences through the Zulu’s manner of dress and adornment. We’ve been talking a lot about post-structuralism in class and how it relates to our dress in contemporary times, which is very different from when the British came to Africa in the late 1800s. I believe that, yes, they would have been able to see the socioeconomic differences between the Zulu people based on the way they adorned themselves. Sumptuary laws pretty much died out in the 1700s, but it was recent enough for the British colonists to still have a mindset that connected dress and status. 

Proof of my visit. No photography allowed inside