Research Catalog

African painted houses : Basotho dwellings of Southern Africa

Title: African painted houses : Basotho dwellings of Southern Africa / Gary N. van Wyk.
Author: Van Wyk, Gary.
Publication: New York : Harry N. Abrams, 1998.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Use in library	NA7468.6.L4 V36 1998	Off-site

Description

168 pages : illustrations (some color), maps; 27 cm

Summary

Traditionally, Basotho women grow the crops that sustain the family while the men tend the cattle that are their wealth. Like many peoples around the world who live off the land, the Basotho seek the protection and intervention of their ancestors with the forces of nature to insure adequate rainfall, plentiful sunshine, and a peaceful environment. Uniquely, these "prayers" are regularly expressed as inscribed and painted designs on the broad, flat walls of their one-story houses. In recent times the lives of Basotho families have changed considerably, but the women still tend the homesteads and paint their houses freshly every year, for rain washes away the designs over time.
In this book van Wyk explores the early history of the people - the story of the remarkable king, Moshoeshoe, who united them and kept them independent - and the ceremonies that persist even in the modern world. He describes and illustrates with his color photographs male and female diviners and healers, and the sacred landscape that the people revere. Best of all, excellent photographs of the houses and the painters illustrate the fascinating text.

Subject

Note

Bibliography (note)

ISBN

LCCN

97036230

OCLC

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library