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Monday, September 19, 2011

How do they do that?



The women here amaze me. We see this all the time. The other day, I saw two women carrying large loads down a steep hill. I needed my hands just to follow them down the path. 

This woman is carrying a large duffle bag on her head while crossing the border between Lesotho and South Africa. We are crossing the Celadon river going towards South Africa. 

Notice the traditional blanket around her waist. Probably about 60% of the men and women in Maseru, and about 95% of the people in the rural parts of Lesotho, wear the blankets daily. They are worn pinned at the shoulders or pinned around their waist. Both men and women wear them in the same ways. I have heard that there is a meaning to how the blanket is pinned, but I do not know what that is. There is no meaning to the color and pattern, like the kilts worn in other regions of the world. Every year a new design is introduced to celebrate the King's birthday. 

For more information see http://www.malealea.co.ls/basotho-culture/basotho-blankets.html. This link has a lot of very interesting information on the blankets. I could repeat it in the blog, but would basically just be cutting and pasting. Best to give credit to the true writers.


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