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The colorful woolen blankets are worn as a national costume. Today they are secured with an over-sized safety pin...
Very nice photo of the blanket-wearing people, beautiful blankets
Very odd indeed to find this deep in south africa
It looks like medieval aglo-saxon fibulas
Could it be a a lost heritage of the very early english or dutch settlers in south africa?
Very possible, Ayis. Although the Basotho culture has very ancient antecedents, it was essentially a product of the chaos in South Africa during the 19th century. The Basotho people are an amalgamation of other Bantu peoples fleeing across the transvaal to escape war and cannibalism. Many of the cultural artifacts were introduced by traders and settlers, especially the blankets brought by English traders. The traders also brought beads, household items such as metal pots, and raw materials such as sheet metals. The above brooch was made by a Masotho person, but could have been fabricated from metals purchased from an English or French trader.