1. In 1860 Europeans gave King Moshoeshoe. I. of Lesotho Kingdom a woolen blanket as a gift. The king was so delighted with the blanket that he abandoned the leopard skin he usually wore for it. 2. In 1897 when Queen Victoria visited Basuto land, she presented a blanket as gift to King Lerotholi Letsie….
The Sefate is by the Basotho people as an everyday blanket. It comes in the Ace and corncob designs. This blanket is worn at all national days and traditional festivities of the Basotho. The blanket carries the national symbols like the crown, crocodile and spears. The crocodile is the totem of the royal Kwena tribe, and…
The Khotso is the only blanket to be manufactured from acrylic. It is also available in a smaller sizes, which makes it suitable for children and also favoured by tourists as a souvenir. The Khotso Collection comprises of the Mojalefa (the heir), Cards and Poone (corncob).
This blanket was created to honour the birth of Crown Prince Lerotholi in 2007. The design features a collection of elaborate hearts which symbolise the love of the Basotho people for the Royal Family. “Motlatsi” means successor in title.
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.
