2 x ISICHOLO headpieces - South Africa

2X ISICHOLO – Ochre, cotton, plant fibers – Zulu – South Africa

The hats are beautifully decorative and are still worn by Zulu women in South Africa.

These Zulu hats (isicholo) were made in KwaZulu-Natal at the beginning of the 21st century.
The hat is made of palm fiber and cotton, and is rubbed with ochre. The brim is trimmed with red cotton.

This type of hat evolved from a hairstyle worn by married Zulu women of the same name, Isicholo. In the early 19th century, when the Zulu forces were defeated and their homeland was taken over by the British, Zulu women began wearing hats that imitated this hairstyle, rather than the hairstyle itself.

These hats were usually made in a basketry shop and then wrapped with ochre rope or red yarn and fastened with a woven headband.

Zulu women still wear these hats on important occasions, especially in the Msinga district, the seat of the Zulu king.

Also a very nice accessory for walls.