Weaving the social fabric of the Inhambane community, the women of Linga Linga reveal how the weaving of the dried palm leaf, palha, serves as an extension of their relationship with the land, what drives them, what is inbred in their belief system and how this translates into their craft.

This natural resource and local vegetation provides the livelihood for women and their work is inextricably tied to the landscape and to indigenous traditions stemming from the Tsonga tribe. This sacred Indigenous crafting practice contributes to the deep ecology that is revealed in the interconnectedness the local communities have with the complex ecosystems they are part of. The women chant as they weave, singing songs about their beliefs, songs of the Earth and songs of gratitude. The Tsonga people are part of a community of interests and shared beliefs that unite them. It is in this act of commoning that fosters a collective mentality towards healing. bell hooks once wrote, ‘healing is an act of communion’.

This symbiosis of living in close connection to one another, and to Nature, reveals an ancient mythology, one that is rooted in its acts of solidarity.

Reference

hooks bell. 2000. All About Love : New Visions. 1st ed. New York: William Morrow.