Shona Sculpture - Mabwe Gallery
Shona Sculptures are a modern art movement in Zimbabwe with deep imbedded roots in to the country ancient times. They name itself “Shona comes from the largest Clan in Zimbabwe, the Clan itself being a mix of many different smaller tribes. The Shona are the most seasoned clan in Zimbabwe and are accepted to be the amazing gatekeepers of King Solomon’s mines.
The country’s name Zimbabwe (Dzimba dzemabwe) meaning ‘houses of stone” came from the Shona tribe and the tribe’s various uses for stones. Stone was mainly used to build tools and shelter, an example of this is the Great Zimbabwe settlement which is now a world heritage site. It dated back between the eleventh and fifteenth hundreds’ , when Europe was simply rising up out of the Dark Ages, these achieved stonemasons utilized hand-cut rock squares to carefully and accurately manufacture resplendent towers and walled in areas – all free of mortar. Portions of the settlement join common shake arrangement and dry-stone development the two mixing tastefully and practically. It is also a great example of the level of creativity and innovation of the ancestors of the Shona people.