Jameson Ramvuvhelo

Biography

Jameson was born in 1946 and today lives in Mavunde, a village in the Venda region, Limpopo Province. Jameson started carving in 1978 at the age of 32, and his motivation came from the fact that in villages in and around Venda, artists were producing works, while in his own village, there were no artists of which to speak.

This was a cause of concern for Jameson, who started carving as a means of representing his village. He started off small – carving and producing bowls, walking sticks, calabashes and drums. Today, he is a well known artist, with works displayed in private and corporate collections in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Pietersburg, Venda and the Sandton Convention Centre.

NGOMA KHOSI

The chief’s own drum is called the ngoma khosi, and this term is also applied to one of the so-called ‘age sets’ in the social grouping of the Venda, which was originally, a military grading of the boys, the members of which formed a ‘regiment’ for working or fighting.

When the chief pays a visit to a kraal, he is greeted by the men who chant his praises, and by the ‘ululation’ of the women. If pleased, he beats the ngoma nkulu in the tshikona or reed-flute dance given in his honour.

The spirits of departed chiefs, have, like their living successors, their war-drums; and Venda tradition states that sometimes the sound of a war-drum, beaten by spirits, is heard proceeding from Pepiti Falls.

A special manner of beating the drum was formerly employed to gather the people together in time of war, and another to signalize a victory after a fight.