First brought to South Africa by settlers in the 1800’s, shweshwe fabrics were soon worn by the indigenous Xhosa people who adapted them to give them the distinctive African feel that they still have today. Originally the fabric was heavily starched to protect it from the damp as it travelled across the ocean in the holds of ships. The initial stiffness of the fabric caused the swishing sound of the women’s long, full skirts as they walked, hence the name “Shweshwe”.
Shweshwe fabric became hugely significant to the Xhosa people, so much so that it was regarded as barter currency and to this day it is worn at weddings and other celebrations.
Xhosa?
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. South Africa has 11 official languages! Fortunately one of those is English and many people speak it….
DID you know …?
Nelson Mandela is a famous Xhosa-speaker.
Xhosa people are found largely in the south-east of South Africa.Presently approximately 8 million Xhosa people are distributed across the country, and Xhosa is South Africa's second most common official language.
Here are a few handy words and phrases in Xhosa:
Interested to know what the names mean of the fabrics found in the Shweshwe range?
