izibulo: (first born child)
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Figure 1
- This is a first born child of a family, Umntwana.
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Figure 2
- This is a young mother with her first born child. she is wearing two
necklaces. and her first born child is wearing string of beads called (Amaso)
on his waist and a necklace similar to one of her mother’s necklaces.
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| figure 3 - a string of beads called (amaso) |
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| figure 4 - a necklace of small round lengths of apanthous root worn by the young mother. |
The first stage I will discuss of
the Xhosa man milestones is Umntwana
(child). It refers to a baby from 0 -3 years old.
Izibulo
(first born) Is the name that refers to a first
born baby of a family. Izibulo do not
wear any distinctive adornments to show that he is the first born (see fig 1), but his
mother does wear adornments that are associated with her first born child. Umntwana wears a string of beaded (Amaso) on his waist of
which these beads come from a specific tree. (see fig 3).
According
to (Elliot 1967:57) “The string of beads worn by the child on his waist called (amaso) (see fig 3)are
believed to offer magical powers and protection to the child”. He also confirms that
“a necklace of small round lengths of apanthous root (see fig 4)as thick as her finger and nearly as
long, each usually painted white with clay or chalk worn by the young mother is the
sign that she is nursing her first child” (see fig
2). I will be looking at
these pieces of jewellery that signifies his status and the role they play in
his young life.
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