http://www.veniceclayartists.com/tag/tribal-ceremonies/
According to the article on Jeremy Wafer's work,
red ochre is associated with fertility and protection as,
"In the Zulu kingdom, red ochre had a similarly important function. It was used
to dress the tufts of hair or top-knots on the heads of married women, and it
continues to be used in divination context to this day. For the obvious reason
that it is the colour of (menstrual) blood, contemporary Zulu speakers often
associate red with fertility. Although there is no irrefutable evidence to suggest
that this colour symbolism necessarily underlies the royal interest in the use of
red beads in the Zulu kingdom, it is probably not coincidental that these beads
were known as umgazi, i.e. blood. The latter designation is particularly
interesting given that considerable attention was paid to the potentially
powerful role of material symbols in reinforcing a perception of the king’s
importance in fertility rites like the annual First Fruits Ceremony. The red
nodules on the forms are like beads" and later on the text states
‘ the newly delivered mother (umdlezane) paints red
ochre on the exposed parts of her body – the parts that have contact with the
ordinary world. She does this in order to protect herself from the dangers to
which she is prone and also because she herself is liable to be a channel of
danger to others.’
click here to read more of the article about Jeremy Wafer's work and notes on red ochre
Link to post about the umemulo ceremony
link to previous post about Dunywa
http://www.ted.com/talks/kavita_ramdas_radical_women_embracing_tradition.html
