The Xhosa live in south-east South Africa, and in the last two centuries, throughout the southern and central-southern parts of the country.
The Xhosa people are divided into several tribes with related yet distinct heritages. The main tribes are the Mpondo, Mpondomise, Bomvana, Xesibe, and Thembu.
In addition, the Bhaca and Mfengu have adopted the Xhosa language. The name “Xhosa” comes from that of a legendary leader called uXhosa. There is also a fringe theory that, prior to that, the name Xhosa came from a word meaning fierce or angry in some San language. The Xhosa refer to themselves as the amaXhosa, and to their language as isiXhosa.
Population: 8 104 752 (2011 Census)
Languages: isiXhosa and English
Regions where Xhosa people live: Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
Famous Xhosa people: Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Desmond Tutu and Brenda Fassie.
Traditional attire: Young girls will be draped with ochre-coloured blankets; a tribal elder will walk past wrapped in his blanket, with his face covered in white clay; a married woman will linger at the stall, carrying a large beaded bag and puffing on a long-stemmed wooden pipe.
Xhosa traditional dress comes in various shades, shapes, sizes and hues – each with its own particular message.
In the silent but unmistakeable stylish language of clothing, you can see that a lady is married because her head is covered. If her turban dips below eye level, it means she has just married. Only young girls may go around bare-breasted.
In most Xhosa communities, it is all about the headpiece. The more elaborate the hat, the more senior the wearer.
Watch these videos on Xhosa culture in South Africa:
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