Vintage South African Xhosa Young Woman's Beaded Inkciyo Apron. A particular piece of clothing worn during ceremonial dances, as much for fashion as for the sound the beads make during the movement. 

Size: 18 x 10 1/4 in. 

The Xhosa are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group in South Africa, primarily living in the Eastern Cape. They are known for their language, isiXhosa, which incorporates Khoisan click sounds, and their rich cultural heritage, which includes traditions like the Great Cattle Killing and various forms of beadwork, face painting, and initiation rites. The Xhosa have a history of conflict with European settlers and were historically associated with the “Red Blanket People” for their traditional ochre body paint and blankets. Today they are the second largest ethnic group in South Africa and have begun to open up their traditional dances, feasts, and ceremonies to outside viewers as tourism has increasingly become a necessary economic aspect of their modern life, with their woodwork, pottery, weaving, and especially their beadwork collected all over the world. 

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