Letsoku
Letsoku is a clayey soil used by several tribes in Southern Africa and other parts of the African continent.The Sotho-Tswana of Southern Africa have described a number of clay soils as letsoku. These are named differently by other tribes in the region, it is known as chomane in Shona, ilibovu in Swati, imbola in Xhosa and luvhundi in Venda, there are many other names given by other ethnic groups. Letsoku occurs naturally in a number of colours and it has many use, it is mostly used for cosmetic applications in Southern Africa. However, other functions of it is related to artwork, medicinal use, cultural symbolism and traditional beliefs
Letsoku nature and processing
Letsoku is a native earth coloured with hydrated iron oxide, it varies in colour from pale yellow to deep red, brown and from off-white to black, with some having a light grey colour. Letsoku occurs in two distinctive kinds; one has a clayey basis while the other is chalky earth. The former generally is richer and purer in colour than the other. both variations occur naturally in stratified rocks and rubble and rarely as extensive deposits. Letsoku can artificially be prepared through calcination and can be transformed into other colours like mars orange, violet and red.Letsoku has been described as a substance that never solidifies or as a soft stone. The raw letsoku chunks are crushed with traditional pestle and mortar, it is also grinded on top of a stone with another stone called tshilo in Sotho-Tswana. Sieving is done thereafter to yield a fine powder. Some letsoku users heat the dry raw chunks in an empty pot to disintegrate it into fine powder.
Letsoku applications/uses
Cosmetics
In cosmetics, each colour is associated with a specific function. Yellow letsoku is used as a face powder to enhance complexion. Red is mixed with water and used as a mask and face wash. It is believed to remove pimples and blemishes, reddish pink and orange is used as a face powder just like the yellow one. White is for general body cleansing and hygiene, as it removes body and mouth odour. Maroon removes dark patches around the eyes. Purple/violet is for anti-aging, it is mixed with Vaseline and applied around the problem areas to eliminate wrinkles. The moisturizing properties of letsoku mixed with Vaseline is believed to have a sunscreen effect, women working outdoor on the farm apply it to protect the skin against harmful effects of the sun. The practice is believed to also make the skin soft and supple.Application of letsoku is also believed to lighten the skin and remove any dark marks, or blemishes.The clay soil has been used as a pressed powder or foundation to produce a matte effect. Skin peeling has been known to be treated with a mixture of letsoku fine powder and makhura or petroleum jelly. Its application to hair has been known to promote hair growth.
Cultural symbolism
Letsoku in Southern Africa has been used to mark important stages of human life growth, like puberty, marriage and graduation from initiation schools in setswana known as bojale and bogwera. In some parts of Botswana, the ethnic groups still use letsoku to cover bodies of the initiates.Their caretakers help shave their heads and cover their bodies with red or maroon. It is believed that letsoku keeps initiates warm at the circumcision school. The girls are covered enough to ward off winter colds. In the past young girls used to wear fringed skirts with letsoku used to cover each stand of the fringe skirt.The Basotho have a leather apron called semola which is made for young women when they are received from the initiation school. The apron is decorated with red letsoku, which signifies womanhood. Other traditional celebrations like welcoming the bride into a new family are marked by the application of letsoku. In the culture of the San people, during the girls' puberty rituals, a young girl is isolated in her hut at her first menstruation. The women of the tribe perform a dance of the Eland Bull where they imitate the mating behaviour of eland cows, the girl is said to be suffering from the 'eland illness', in her seclusion she is ritually painted with red letsoku, wood ash and charcoal, all mixed with animal fat and plant pigments. As part of the marriage ritual a man gives the fat from the eland's heart to the parents of the girl, at a later stage the girl is anointed with the fat mixed with red letsoku as a way to mark her as a married woman.The Namibian Himba women are known for the red letsoku that they apply on their whole bodies as a symbol of womanhood, the red letsoku is only applied by married women and young woman who just started their menstruation. They are constantly adorned with red ochre/letsoku made into a paste of a mixture of butter, fat, and red letsoku, known as otjize. The paste is applied to skin and hair.