Notes

In Zulu culture the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood was sanctioned by several events, including initiation, and body transformation. The Zulu ear-piercing ceremony (Qhumbuza) was performed on before he or she reached the puberty, being the first of number of acts denoting the ritual transition from childhood to adulthood. Piercing the ear lobes served as a mark of change; the absence of pierced ears denoted one was still a child, and such persons were considered unable to hear and understand. The Zulu ear plugs are known as iziquaza. Stylistically the earplugs in this painting date from the 1950s.