Title: Door
Material: Wood and Iron
People: Tonga
Country: Zimbabwe
Description:
The Tonga people who live in the Zambezi Valley, are famous for
their ingenuity and craftsmanship. Their doors (Koma in the Tonga language),
are often crafted from the Mubimba tree, making them thick and very heavy.
For centuries the Tongas have been carving doors for their huts, using a single
piece of hardwood. Their principal tools for this purpose are some of the
oldest tools known to man - the axe and adze. These doors afforded the
tribespeople a measure of protection from the big game that abounds in the
area and are believed to keep out any bad or evil spirits.
The ancient system of doors having two opposing pegs swivelling within two
corresponding holes in the top and bottom cross members of the door frame
are used by several West African tribes, such as the Ibo in Nigeria and the
Dogon in Mali. Further examples can also be found in Morocco and in the
North African coast, right through to the Arabian Gulf. The Tongas, however,
are the only people in Southern, Central and East Africa to make this type of
door. It is thought they could have been shown this system by Arab traders
who travelled up the Zambezi centuries ago.
Each Tonga family made their own door, resulting in great variations of design.
Some have animals or fish incorporated into the aesthetic, but the majority
have geometric patterns - mostly chevrons in a variety of shapes and
configurations. Some are big and bold whilst others are carved with minute,
lace-like fineness. In addition, most doors originally had a coat of paint
applied to its surface. These crude pastes were made from a variety of crushed
stones, mostly in earth colours plus black and white. Being water-based, most
of these original colours washed off over time.
Most of the doors in our collection at Africa and Beyond are between 50 and
100 years old. Some certainly a bit older and some perhaps slightly newer.
The design almost always is on one side (the outside), and no two doors are
ever alike.
Custom-built metal stand included.
Door dimensions: 57 1/2" height x 20" width x 2" depth
Stand dimensions: 10" width x 10" depth
Door including stand dimensions: 58 1/12" height x 20" width x 10" depth
This is a heavy door, weighing 55 lbs.
