FRAME: Reframing Our History of Women with 50 Artefacts.
As our contribution to #AccelerateAction for gender equality on International Women’s Day, we are excited to announce our collaboration with Europeana.eu to launch
FRAME: Reframing Our History of Women with 50 Artefacts.
This dialogue series will explore how problematic colonial framings of Zambian indigenous knowledge and artefacts continue to shape modern perceptions in Zambia.
Over the coming weeks, we will reveal 50 Zambian artefacts, each held in international museum archives for 100 years, unpacking and interrogating the meanings attached to them.
This campaign moves beyond static representation by engaging you in an interactive, co-creative process. We invite you to reflect on your own identity and experiences, questioning how history has shaped your understanding of gender, power, and culture.
A key component of accelerating action is transforming mindsets. Join us on this journey of knowledge and discovery.
SONA: Indigenous Writing Systems of Zambia: A Lost Language of Knowledge
What is it?
Long before the colonial introduction of reading and writing, some Zambian communities had their own sophisticated writing systems deeply tied to indigenous knowledge. These systems were especially connected to women, who played a central role in community livelihoods within the largely matrilineal societies of Southern Africa.
One of the most remarkable examples is Sona (or Tusona), a mathematical and symbolic writing system practised by the Chokwe, Luvale, and Luchazi people, who inhabit the borderlands of present-day Angola, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. A direct translation of the word Sona in English would be ‘letter’ or ‘number’.
Sona was more than just writing; it was a way of mapping knowledge, documenting how the community understood the natural environment, human nature, the animal kingdom, the cosmos, spirituality, and the cycles of life and death.
How Did It Work?
Sona was taught by community members who had mastered its symbols and meanings. Historically, this knowledge was first passed down by women, the original custodians, before being shared with men.
At its highest level, Sona was used in the sacred Mungongi initiation, a major rite of passage in the community. The symbols were created as intricate geometric patterns in the sand and were also etched into furniture, homes, wooden masks for the Makishi Ancestral Masquerade, and wooden writing tablets. These designs weren’t just artistic; they carried mathematical principles, references to the cosmos, encoded messages about nature and instructions on community life.
Is There Any Proof?
Evidence of Sona writing dates back centuries, though its exact origins are difficult to pinpoint. While the practice has become rare, it still survives among elders in these communities and some of its knowledge has been recorded by researchers and scholars, including Marcus Matthe and Paulus Gerdes. Publications exist on this subject, although they remain largely unknown outside research and academic circles.
How Was It Used?
This writing system wasn’t just for documentation, it was an educational tool and a storytelling medium, shaping important life moments, including:
✅ Rites of passage
✅ Healing rituals
✅ Spiritual ceremonies
✅ Marriage traditions
✅ Community education
What Materials Were Used?
Sona symbols were expressed in many forms to create a living and evolving archive of knowledge, including:
🟠 Wooden tablets
🟠 Etchings on homes and Makishi masks
🟠 Patterns drawn in sand
🟠 Tattooed body markings
🟠 Textiles and woven designs
🟠 Song, dance, and poetry
Where Are These Artefacts Now?
Many of these artefacts were looted during the colonial period and are now scattered across museums around the world, contributing to the distortion and erasure of this indigenous knowledge.
Origins
📍 Zambia, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo
Long before industrialised mining took hold in the late 19th century during colonisation, women in what is now Zambia and the DRC were already part of the science of copper extraction, as early as 400 AD.
This is a history that matters.
Before mining was formalised, and before women were excluded from the mines, they held the knowledge, led the rituals, and wielded the tools of mining alongside men. It’s a history still largely unknown.
This wasn’t just digging. It was a skilled, spiritual and scientific process, and women weren’t just involved, they were essential.
Dr. Joseph O. Vogel, an anthropologist at the Livingstone Museum in the 1930s-40s, documented research and artefacts pointing to women's roles in early copper production.
What Really Happened?
Indigenous communities had developed advanced techniques for mining and smelting copper ore, especially green malachite.
Women worked with men to extract ore by hand, using local stones.
Some tasks were reserved for women, forming an early division of labour.
Rituals played a major role, e.g., men abstained from sex before smelting, blending spiritual belief with science.
How Advanced Was It?
Clay furnaces smelted ore
Moulds made bangles, pendants, and currency bars
Copper, or "Mukuba", was traded across Katanga, Zimbabwe, and from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic
Women were a part of the continental trade economy, powered by indigenous technology and environmental knowledge.
Where’s the Evidence?
Digs in Zambia & DRC have dated artefacts as far back as 100 AD.
Scholars like Vogel, Bisson, Childs, De Barros, Burnham, and Money have all documented these histories.
Visual records show traditional mining was still in use into the 1940s.
What Was the Copper Used For?
Currency
Jewellery
Ritual objects
Everyday tools
Origin:
Zambia & the DRC
Sustainable Style: Indigenous Textiles in Zambia
What has come to be known as “traditional” cloth and textile, like the “chitenge”, did not originate in African culture; it was introduced via colonial trade routes in the 1900s. Before that, Zambian women were designers and keepers of a textile heritage rooted in the land.
Before fast fashion and printed fabric, Zambian communities created clothing and textiles using natural materials like bark, leather and straw. These methods weren’t just practical; they were creative, spiritual, and environmentally conscious.
Long before the 20th century, bark, straw, grass, and animal hide were used to make clothing, containers, and ceremonial pieces. The patterns were stories about the environment, beliefs, and everyday life; It was philosophy, art, and knowledge woven into cloth.
🌿 Bark Cloth
Made from indigenous trees, the crafting process involved men softening and shaping the bark, and women decorating it with embroidered symbols. Though nearly lost, the practice still exists in pockets of Zambia. In 2020, the British Museum documented and archived bark cloth pieces, some of the last of their kind.
🐾 Batwa Leather Cloaks
In 2019, the Women’s History Museum of Zambia uncovered an incredible find in Sweden: 100-year-old leather cloaks made by the Batwa people of Northern Zambia. Decorated with intricate geometric patterns, these cloaks were worn to shield women from harsh climates and to carry children. For over a century, no one in Zambia had seen these crafts until now.
Straw & Reed Costumes
Used during rituals and initiation ceremonies, these were made by soaking reeds and straw, softening and weaving them into dyed costumes. Women led this process, turning plants into wearable art with natural dyes and craftsmanship.
🧺 Basket Weaving
Still practised today, it is an ancestral art form among the Tonga women of the Gwembe Valley. It’s more than utility, it’s meditation and storytelling. Baskets carry symbolic meaning and reflect a woman’s role in the community. The practice also thrives across Zimbabwe, Malawi, Angola, and the DRC.
Let’s reframe indigenous textiles by remembering what was sustainable before it was trendy.
In a world where visible power dominates as the structure of authority, indigenous communities have always applied "invisible power", which was represented through the artefacts women owned and the way they adorned themselves or dressed. This was a way to symbolise authority that wasn’t openly displayed but was deeply respected and honoured within the community.
Mealie Grinder (Grinding Stone)
Beyond a kitchen tool, the grinding stone symbolised women’s authority in food security and production. Unique to women, it wasn’t passed down and instead placed on their graves as a headstone, honouring their lifelong contributions. The large stone represented the mother, the smaller, the child. This highlighted women's power of nurturing and reproduction.
Hoe
This garden tool represented quiet but essential authority. Women were central to agriculture and community growth. Priestess Niamukolo carried one as a symbol of spiritual and societal leadership.
Makenge Basket
Woven from Makenge roots, these baskets symbolised love and community collaboration. Men gathered the roots; women skilfully wove them. Given by men to their brides as tokens of affection, they held personal and precious items and embodied cultural pride and lifelong commitment.
Mpande Shell Necklace
Worn by elite Tonga women, these necklaces symbolised authority and social prestige. Decorated with beads and fruit shells (man'gon'go), their power is preserved in traditional patterns.
Traditional Hairstyles
More than style, they signified age, status, marital standing, and cultural pride. Each design was an expression of identity and beauty, celebrating the wearer’s authority within the community.
Waist Beads
Worn to symbolise femininity, fertility, and personal power. The intricate patterns and colours conveyed social and personal milestones and identity. Waist beads were symbols celebrating a woman's personal and communal strength.
These traditions reflect women’s vital roles and lasting influence in Zambian society and traditions. They remind us of the strength, respect, and recognition that Zambian women have historically commanded and continue to inspire today.
📸: @africa_nmwc
The Sacred Wisdom of the Mbusa
In Bemba culture, there is powerful wisdom hidden within small, sacred objects known as Mbusa, used during girls' puberty rites and pre-marital teachings. These objects, crafted from clay into abstract shapes inspired by animals, plants, utensils, and historical figures, hold special meanings revealed only to initiates and the guardians of this knowledge, the Banacimbusa (mothers of the Mbusa).
The Banacimbusa are respected elderly women who teach young girls critical life lessons, covering social values, spirituality, sexuality, motherhood, and their roles as women. Through songs, metaphors, rituals and these sacred objects, they transmit generations of wisdom, shaping young women’s moral and emotional growth. Historically, their influence was profound, often even surpassing that of chiefs. The Mbusa weren’t mere teaching tools; they symbolised a powerful invisible authority deeply respected by the community.
However, colonialism and missionary activities drastically altered this tradition. Viewing these initiation practices as threats or incompatible with Christianity, missionaries actively suppressed them. They dismissed the Banacimbusa’s sacred teachings as superstition, labelling the Mbusa as "pagan" and "backwards." This interference didn't just silence women's authority; it erased crucial cultural practices.
New colonial structures in governance, education, and religion replaced indigenous norms, diminishing women's roles and reshaping cultural spaces. European gender ideals overshadowed traditional systems, eroding the Banacimbusa's respected positions. This so-called progress masked the tragic loss of a powerful tradition of female leadership and wisdom.
Understanding the story of Mbusa and the Banacimbusa reveals the immense strength women hold through cultural practices. Thankfully, the practice is common, though it has lost some of its original form of pedagogy. This highlights the damaging impact of colonial interventions.
Rediscovering this legacy challenges current narratives and reaffirms the vital role women play in sustaining communities.
LIKISHI LYA MWANA PWEWO – How Indigenous Texts Honoured Women’s Beauty
In the traditions of the Luvale, Chokwe, and Luchazi peoples, women's beauty was not simply seen but symbolically inscribed; encoded within ancient texts that mapped ancestral wisdom, cosmology, environmental harmony, and the life-force of community.
The ancient Sona text encoded this importance through powerful symbols. The reverence for women was not just spoken, it was written into the universe itself, using symbols to represent the stars, the sun, the moon, ancestral wisdom and nature.
One of the most valued ways this respect was shown was through the Likishi Lya Mwana Pwewo Mask, meaning the Ancestral Mask of the Woman. This sacred mask held Sona symbols etched onto its surface, each telling stories of women's significance, wisdom, and the vital knowledge they carried.
These symbols were also inscribed as tattoos on women's bodies, serving as a means of physically embodying sacred knowledge. The markings functioned both as carriers of cultural wisdom and as aesthetic expressions of beauty, much like the role makeup plays in contemporary society.
Researcher Marcus Matthe describes in “Chokwe Art and Its History” how, even in the royal origin stories, a woman led. Nama Kwandu —the Female King—was the powerful founder of the royal lineage. She would later become the revered Ancestor and Grandparent of Kapu Kalu, the father and knowledge-keeper of the Mukanda and Mungongi initiation rituals that gave the community its strength and continuity.
Through the Sona text inscribed on masks like the Likishi Lya Mwana Pwewo, this powerful matrilineal history was preserved. These symbols weren't random; they told a story:
🌟 That women were connected to cosmology.
🌟 That beauty was about wisdom, strength, and identity.
🌟 That women were the bearers of cultural memory, protectors of history, and essential to the community’s future.
In indigenous society, women were respected and held equal power to men.
Beauty wasn’t about appearance alone; it was about the ability to nurture, lead, teach, and preserve life.
Through the Likishi Lya Mwana Pwewo and the symbols it carries, we remember that true beauty is about strength, community, and wisdom.
Beauty was not something you see, but something you carry.