Livestock Shrine

Title: Livestock Shrine
Medium: Seven colour lithograph
Paper size: 76.5 x 57 cm
Image size: 69 x 50.5 cm
Edition size: 30

In Livestock Shrine Mabaso pays homage to cattle and the central role that they play in rural African life. Cattle are a sign of wealth and well-being, they are central to many customs and rituals. Bride price or lobola is often made using cattle and cows are slaughtered for weddings and funerals. The beauty of Nguni cattle has become synonymous with the beauty of rural landscapes. In this print, Mabaso has made a protective fence or screen out of wooden stakes and leather. Traditionally the fence would protect the cattle from predators at night and the fenced in area or kraal also became an important site for burial and ritual. Mabaso refers to cattle via the quills in the pot and the horns on the body of the pot. The images in the print become a visual offering to cattle. Reference is also made to talismans and protective charms which help to ensure the health and abundance of the herd and their owners. The sun image runs through all of the prints and for Mabaso is a symbol of life.