Painted House of the Ndebele

The Ndebeles are an African ethnic group living in South Africa and Zimbabwe known for their artistic talent, especially with regard to their painted houses and colorful beadwork.

The Ndebele people were formidable warriors who often subdued the smaller chiefdoms and assimilated them into Ndebele society. Intermarriages ensued and cultural exchanges happened. It is believed that early Ndebele house structure and house-painting strategies were adopted as a result of these relationships. According to a few sources, the Ndebeles suffered a horrible defeat in a war against the Dutch-speaking settlers – the Boers, just before the start of the twentieth century. Forced into an oppressive life, the Ndebele people started using expressive symbols to secretly communicate with each other. These paintings became an expression of both cultural resistance and continuity. The Boer farmers did not understand the meaning and viewed this cultural art as decorative and harmless and thus allowed it to continue.

The wall paintings are always done by the women, and this tradition and style is passed down in the families from generation to generation by the mothers. A well-painted home indicates the female of the household is a good wife and mother. She is responsible for the painting of the outside gates, front walls, side walls, and usually the interior of her home.

The women paint their homes with chicken feathers and are known for their attention to detail, particularly in making straight lines. In addition to geometric patterns and bright colours, Ndebele house paintings are also known for their geometric designs. The patterned walls are a result of the wall colour being a dark grey. This was a style popular in the 19th century. Ndebele wall paintings are considered to be a rare and beautiful form of art.

Ndebele house paintings are made with clay and cow dung which is then applied like paint. The Ndebele people use this as an opportunity to express themselves through painting, where each house’s design has its meaning and story. It is believed that family members will be blessed by their ancestors after completing one of these paintings.

There are different styles and methods of Ndebele house painting:

Bathonga: The Bathonga style is the best–known and basic type. This painting is painted entirely in red, white and black colours. The base coat of these paintings is a solid black (made from mixing wood ashes with cow dung). Then the inside of the house (the ceiling) is painted white. Finally individual details like animals, people and flowers are added to give expression to the meaning of that specific house’s design. These paintings come in various sizes; sometimes they are as small as 3 feet by 3 feet, but sometimes they can be much larger than this and cover an entire wall.

Tarai: This style of Ndebele house painting is made in different sizes, with the largest paintings sometimes up to 4 ft wide by 6 ft long. The outside of the house is painted in white mixed into yellow. The inside of the house is painted entirely in shades of yellow. Small details are then added to this layer, such as animals, people and flowers which are given expression through different shades of red paint. This type uses an extra layer of material to reinforce the design on all four walls, giving it a smooth finish instead of the patchy surface characteristic of many other types.

Shanga: The Shanga style is a simple and decorative art form that uses a combination of chalk and chalk dust in different shades of blue and yellow. The outside is entirely painted in these two colours, which are mixed with different shades of blue to give the rabbits and other small characters on the wall design. As this is an entirely decorative painting, it doesn’t have any significance except as decoration for the house.

Metshi: This style uses a mixture of mud and cow dung, shaped into balls and then covered with clay, mixed with colours to make layers.