Vanishing cultures of South Africa

With political, social and economic changes transforming South Africa, the age-old ways of life bound to ethnic cultures of the region are slowly fading. In the photographs of the highly acclaimed photojournalist Peter Magubane and a fascinating, sensitive text, Vanishing Cultures of South Africa reveals the ways of the indigenous groups, recording the roots of South African cultural identity.

Ten major ethnic groups are featured - including the San, Zulu, Ndebele, Basotho, and Venda - as well as several smaller sub-groups. This book describes the individual personality and history of each, their education, laws, languages, medicine and magic, and their religion. Over 200 photographs capture the vibrant color of ceremonial and everyday dress and ornamentation, musical instruments, dances and rites of passage, art, homes, and work.

The remarkable metal neck rings and the geometrically beaded wire hoops worn by Ndebele and Ntwana women, the sacrificial ceremonies of the Zulu, the long pipes smoked by the Xhosa, and the traditional hunter-gatherer weapons of the San, deep in the Kalahari Desert - the details of today's way of life are recorded here in evocative pictures, while former traditions, now lost, fill the text with the intriguing, vital history of each group.

Vanishing Cultures of South Africa is a cultural record of striking importance, capturing the beauty of the still-meaningful customs and the powerful ties of traditional life.