intsikizi

The Intsikizi Tapestries, which seek to resurrect an appreciation of the sacredness of the natural world, are based on the medieval tapestries, Hunt for the Unicorn, now housed in the Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Unlike all the other major Keiskamma works, which are made in the exact dimensions of the original work, these tapestries are smaller than, but in proportion to, the tapestries in the Cloisters.

The tapestries prompted a discussion among the artists about the beliefs, customs and folklore of the region. Working with local authors, researchers and historians, they explored the mythology attached to various indigenous birds, such as the endangered Ground Hornbill or Intsikizi. The Intsikizi Tapestries foreground the historical sacredness of the Ground Hornbill in Xhosa culture.

Men and older herd boys in the community spend days in the forest with their hunting dogs looking for the bird which, like the unicorn in the Hunt for the Unicorn, is believed to bring rain and abundance. There is a belief that just a feather has the potential to bring rain. Once captured, the intsikizi was brought back to the community and ceremonially released. It was considered a bad omen to kill hornbills as this could result in droughts and impoverishment.

The Intsikizi Tapestries lament present-day young hunters’ disregard for this sense of sacredness. The young hunters teach their dogs to hunt hornbills because the birds are slow to take flight and are therefore regarded as an easy catch. The elders in the Xhosa community decry killing the birds. They encourage an understanding of the sacred significance of the indigenous plants and animals, and the delicate balance between human beings and nature.