Proud of indigenous knowledge

 

Hailing from the small town of Kwaggafontein in Mpumalanga, Thulisile has over the years received several scholarships as a result her strong work ethic and academic achievements.

 

She obtained all her qualifications from the NWU with distinction. She is currently working towards her PhD at the NWU, focusing on cosmic influences on Ndebele ethnomathematics.

 

“This is the time for Africans to write their own history and tell their own stories,” Thulisile says.

 

“I want to remain in the field of indigenous knowledge systems in order to preserve, protect and promote this wealth of information.”

 

 

 

The shape of beauty

 

Let’s look at the calculations a beadworker has to make to create certain shapes

 

Triangles

If a beadworker wants to create a triangle, she first has to decide how wide the base must be, and then divide the number of beads forming this base in two, in order to find the centre. Keeping in mind how many beads there are on either side of the centre, she then subtracts one bead on either side until she reaches the top of the triangle.

 

Squares and rectangles

When it comes to creating squares and rectangles, there is no subtracting or adding of beads involved – the beadworker only has to calculate the number of beads needed to form the sides of the shapes. The artist can then choose to add other shapes inside the square or rectangle when completed.

 

Zigzag patterns

Artists also use zigzag patterns which are found in two shapes. The first one is where the two arms meet at a sixty-degree angle before turning into a different direction.

 

The second type is when one arm moves in a side inclination to a required height before meeting the other arm. This results in a sharp angle of about forty-five degrees with the other arm in vertical position. In order for a zigzag pattern to lean towards the right-hand side, the artist has to constantly increase the number of beads on the left-hand side, each line having one extra bead than the previous line.

 

Chevrons

Chevrons commonly tilt at 45-degree angles on both the left and right sides. The most important measurement in chevrons is the width of the first pillar (the flat side of the chevron) because all calculations rely on it. The artist counts the beads in the first row up to where she would like the chevron to be. After changing to the chevron’s colour, she starts to subtract one bead (of the flat side of the chevron) to have the pillar tilting to the left, and vice versa.