From Ethnic to National Cloth: The Diverse Nature of the Tshivenda Nwenda

In times past, the Tshiven?a traditional cloth called ?wenda was associated with backwardness, stupidity, and had the Vhaven?a women undermined for being 'too rural'. Consequently, many dumped their traditional attire for other clothes to march with the times. Recently, ?wenda has been drawing attention from both the Vhaven?a men and women and other ethnic groups because of the uniqueness and beauty of its embroidery. This article aimed to investigate the reason(s) ?wenda recently gained prominence and appreciation among the Vhaven?a and other ethnic groups. The article adopted the qualitative approach and the exploratory design to collect data on the diverse nature and function of ?wenda. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen purposively selected designers from six villages in Ven?a, including the ?hohoyan?ou Flea Market in the Limpopo Province and three townships in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Two tailors of Mi?wenda were selected from each of the aforementioned villages and townships. Undergirded by the Appreciative and Naturalistic Inquiries, the study also relied on the Inductive Thematic Analysis method for data analysis. It was found that ?wenda is used for special occasions such as weddings, parties, graduation ceremonies, and other social gatherings. ?wenda was also used to cover chairs, tables, and to decorate gowns, cushions, lampshades, bags, bedspreads or duvet covers, among other things. The article recommends the consideration of the role and significance of Tshiven?a traditional attires in the ongoing discourses on the consolidation and traditionalisation of African identity as well as women's empowerment initiatives in the postcolonial context.