Umndawu Clothing

Umndawu Clothing: The dress code of a Sangoma highlights the importance of his/her relationship with the ancestors. Although the dress code is determined by the symbols of the colours, in South Africa there is no fixed list of equipment or specific dress code. While there is great variety within the dress code, one characteristic element of the dress code of many Sangomas is the wearing of a goat’s gallbladder that is tied into the hair at the back of the head.

Umndawu Clothing

This gallbladder comes from the goat that was slaughtered at the time of a Sangoma’s graduation, and it is said to “call the ancestors.” In most cases, a cluster of goat horns and bead containers filled with an assortment of herbs and medicines is worn around the neck, shoulders, and body. A cow-tail whisk and a stick are other typical elements of the regalia. The Sangoma’s whisk, which signifies dignity, is used during dancing and is also used to sprinkle certain medicines. The Sangoma may wear strips of goatskin taken from the initiation goat as straps that crisscross his/her chest.

How do sangomas dress?

Most Sangoma novices (thwasas) wear red, symbolizing the transformatory process that the apprentice is undergoing. The Sangoma is a wanderer of borders andboundaries and confronts within himself/herself the unknown spiritual terrain of the ancestors.

Why do sangomas wear red?

The ingwamba marks the beginning of the second stage of ukuthwasa, the training to become a sangoma. The dress code is then changed from white clothing, as a symbol of ancestors' bones, to red, as a symbol for the blood of life.