As we step into 2025, I find myself reflecting on the importance of etiquette at traditional ceremonies. How we present ourselves through dress, behaviour and even our words, both online and offline. Let us explore the significance of traditional attire, its deeper meaning and why it is essential to uphold the sacred guidelines that govern it.
Let me preface this by stating the glaringly obvious, isintu (southern African Nguni culture to be specific) is incredibly symbolic while remaining steadily conservative. The ways that people dress traditionally tends to tell us their place, role, position and stature in their families — and by extension in society.
For example, a young man who has just undergone his initiation and enjoyed his homecoming becomes ikrwala, a phase in his manhood which is characterised by distinct dress and etiquette.
Another example would be an initiate who is currently perusing their calling to be a sangoma or traditional healer. Initiates are often dressed distinctly and with red or white ochre smeared on their visible body parts. Post initiation, the recently initiated sangoma or ikrwala can also be identified by dress and accessories, often spotting the gall bladder of a goat (inflated like a balloon).
Even a newlywed makoti wears dresses in a particular way to honour her new position, in-laws, ancestors and both of their clans. Clothing is symbolic of life’s phases and accounts for transitional periods too.
Traditional attire becomes something so much more than just the randomised placement of garments on one’s body for aesthetic pleasure when we consider its significance. This is why it is important to know your garment history, who wears what and why.
Let me talk to you about umbhaco, a garment worn during celebrations and family gatherings with the exception of funerals.
Made from a fabric commonly referred to as intente and ichele (black strip on umbhaco), umbhaco tells us about marital and sociocultural status. For example, umbhaco wabafazi (married women’s traditional garments) includes iqhiya (a head wrap); incebetha (apron that sits above the bosom); a scarf to cover her waist/womb area, and the appropriate beads and adornments, specific to the family that she is married into. A wife is to have ibhayi (a shoulder scarf which forms part of the umbhaco) and to have her arms covered at all times.
A fun fact about why the womb area is covered by scarf. First it is to honour one’s husband — that they are the only one with the privilege of experiencing the pleasure of seeing their wife’s womb and buttock region. Second, the scarf or umbhinqo is designed to physically and spiritually preserve and protect the womb while also keeping it warm and habitable to prevent any womb-related issues. I would have forgotten this fact had it not been for a TikTok post by Anika Dambuza, also known as The City Makoti.
Dambuza has shared her journey as a new wife, thoughtfully embracing and learning from the teachings of her new culture and family. Through her platform, she has documented the significance of various garments worn by uMakoti, shedding light on their meanings and the traditions they uphold.
In today’s fast-paced world, where so much cultural knowledge is at risk of being forgotten, it is crucial to use modern tools and networks to educate and preserve heritage. The understanding of traditional garments and their connection to roles and identities has been eroded over time, leaving gaps in our cultural fabric.
I encourage each of you, regardless of your cultural background, to connect with your elders — ask them about the garments that define your heritage, the meanings behind them and their significance in marking various stages of life. Take the time to understand the appropriateness of specific attire based on one’s role and position within the family and community.
By learning these details we not only honour our traditions, but also ensure that the stories woven into our clothing are preserved and passed down for generations to come.
For now, thokozani.
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