Name/Title
African painted houses : Basotho dwellings of Southern AfricaEntry/Object ID
NA7468.6.L4.V36Description
Traditionally, Basotho women grow the crops that sustain the family while the men tend the cattle that are their wealth. Like many peoples around the world who live off the land, the Basotho seek the protection and intervention of their ancestors with the forces of nature to insure adequate rainfall, plentiful sunshine, and a peaceful environment. Uniquely, these "prayers" are regularly expressed as inscribed and painted designs on the broad, flat walls of their one-story houses. In recent times the lives of Basotho families have changed considerably, but the women still tend the homesteads and paint their houses freshly every year, for rain washes away the designs over time.Collection
Carol Westfall CollectionLexicon
Search Terms
architecture--africa, architecture--domestic, architecture and society, color in architecture, mural painting and decoration--lesothoBook Details
Author
Gary Van WykPublisher
Harry N. AbramsDate Published
1998Call No.
NA7468.6.L4.V36ISBN
810919907, 9780810919907LCCN
97036230Notes
Length: 168