Painted Clay Oxen from South Africa

Description

Learners will make clay oxen while learning about the significance of clay oxen in various South African cultures. After making the oxen, we will paint them with bright colors and abstract patterns.

Clay oxen is culturally significant for many South African cultures, most notably in the Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans cultures. In Zulu and Xhosa cultures, the tradition of young cattle-herders using red river clay to sculpt oxen to play with is centuries old.  The record of Afrikaans children making clay oxen dates back to 1836 when Afrikaans people migrated eastward by ox-wagon. Children would make toy replicas of the ox-wagons they traveled in during this period, using red river clay for the oxen and ox-tail or jaw bones to represent the yolks and wagon.

In later years, children of different races who lived together on farms, often made clay oxen together despite the racial oppression and segregation that existed everywhere in the country.

I started making clay oxen when I was very young, perhaps four or five. My family used to go swimming in a river on my grandfather's farm and this is where I first learned to find the kind of clay that is suitable for making clay oxen. This is also where I learned how to make this craft from my older sisters, who learned it from our dad. He, in turn, used to make this craft as a boy playing in rural South Africa.

I am excited to teach you about this history and make some clay oxen together!  I hope you join me.

Please note: This Workshop is suitable to children 6+