This blanket was exclusively for the king and chiefs and their wives. It has the highest status of all the Basotho Blankets. The word means, “to swear by the king”. A limited number of these blankets are deliberately manufactured each year, to create a kind of “scarcity” and demand. The first Victoria blanket was manufactured in…
The Kharetsa is named after the spiral aloe which is only found in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho. The aloe is prominently featured in the centre of the design. It is surrounded by iconic Basotho hat and shield motifs.
Any blanket with the label name Victoria England is “traditional” because of the obvious association with Queen Victoria of England who ‘spread her blanket’ of protection over the Basotho during a time of turbulence and danger between the Basotho and Free State. The Basotho refer to this blanket as lesiba meaning ‘feathers’, when buying it. The…
It symbolises good crops, wealth and fertility. The Poone is given as a present to honor an important visitor. In Basotho culture the corncob (Mealie) is a symbol of fertility and wealth.
Symbols like aeroplanes, bombs, crown are symbols of bravery that are common on this blanket. The Brave blanket also honours Basothos who lost their lives in World War II.
Ruracio is the process of negotiating and paying the bride price while Uthoni is like a house party where both the bride and groom’s families get to know each other.
The first stage in the ruracio process is “Kumenya mucii” where the groom and his family get to know the bride’s home. The next step is the ” Kuthanda ithigi” which means “planting a branch of a tree”. This is symbolic of the bride being ” booked “. Then the actual dowry payment…
Ruracio simply means “dowry negotiations” or “dowry payment”. Theses days the ruracio ceremony precedes the wedding in Kikuyu. The bride price or dowry is now is determined by factors such as how educated the bride is, her career, her social class, e.t.c. The bride price usually includes: Items for the men in the family A…
