Xhosa head-dresses

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Cachet: The cachet is a detailed portrait of a Xhosa woman shown in profile, wearing a tall, dark cloth head-dress wound in layered folds and a mustard yellow shawl draped over her shoulders. Beaded necklaces and earrings are rendered in fine detail around her neck and ears, and her expression is warm, caught mid smile as she looks slightly downward. The illustration uses soft, naturalistic shading rather than flat colour, giving the portrait real depth and warmth. Below the image the cover reads "Xhosa head-dresses" in plain black serif type.

Info card

HEAD-DRESSES OF THE XHOSA WOMAN A Xhosa female, other than the very young, never goes bareheaded. She must cover her head as a token of respect for the head of her family and/or her husband or, in the case of an unmarried girl, her male friend. The particular style of head-dress worn signifies the status, seniority or age-group of the wearer. Quite often other items of traditional dress also have special meanings. 5c — EYAMAKHWENKWE — A girl who associates with bigger boys This head-dress defines the girl as being too young to marry. She is "just a child" in the eyes of her people. The head-gear consists of beadwork except for the tuft of animal hair at the side. It is bright and gay like the carefree, light-hearted nature of the girl herself. 15c — EYABAFANA — A girl who associates with young men A girl of marriageable age, being a senior, cultivates dignity and poise. Her head-dress commands attention and indicates importance. The diagonal band stabilizes the imposing head-dress in the wind. Her face is painted with clay to enhance her beauty. 20c — UMFAZANA — A young woman This style is worn by the newly married woman of junior status. The severe head-dress covers the forehead to just above the eyes out of respect for her father-in-law and her husband. The white-painted face and white block necklace indicate that she is nursing a baby. 25c — IXHEGOKAZI — An elderly woman The elderly woman gains status by having born children to her husband and by virtue of her seniority in years. With this goes the privilege of exhibiting her importance by means of her splendid head-dress. The solid blue-bead necklace is a religious symbol linking her with her ancestral spirits. COMMEMORATIVE COVERS THREE WOMEN — A sociable chat Xhosa women are inveterate smokers. Their pipes, made by their menfolk, are long-stemmed to prevent hot ash from falling on their babies. They prefer their own home-grown tobacco. The degrees of seniority of these women are reflected in the various sizes of their head-dresses. A YOUNG MARRIED WOMAN Her head-dress is neither the stark, tight-fitting cloth of the newly-wed nor the elaborately styled head-gear of the old matron. Her beadwork too is modest, as befits her status. DATE-STAMP — A Xhosa woman in her prime (Text by Aubrey Elliott)

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 28 August 1981 in Idutywa. The four stamps depict the head-dresses of Xhosa women at different stages of life, from Eyamakhwenkwe, worn by a young girl, through Eyabafana and Umfazana, to Ixhegokazi, worn by an elderly woman. Each head-dress style carries specific meaning tied to age, marital status and seniority rather than being purely decorative, with details such as face painting and necklace colour also signalling particular life stages, including the white painted face traditionally worn by a young mother nursing a baby.

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