A Gathering Bag Workshop is for the crafters, following from the Woman Zone launch in May to remember the heroines of traditional San women’s stories curated by Sue Hollingsworth and Marlene Sullivan Winberg. You are invited you to join Woman Zone to make a gathering bag of your own in Heritage Month.
Bring along a treasured piece of fabric, and any other bits and bobs from your archive. Woman Zone will also have a communal scratch bag of small textiles, beads and stuff at hand.
“Inspired by the foreword of the book, we will explore the symbolism and healing potential of this ancient technology in women’s lives.”
WHAT IS A GATHERING BAG?
“Traditional San women had gathering bags made of animal skins, cured, stitched, and decorated with beads. A small bag around the neck held medicines, perfumed leaves or ochre body powder, while a larger one at the waist or shoulder carried food.
The bags were not just practical; they were also symbolic and so were carried close to her body. The inside of the bag smelled of the animal and remained imbued with its power and spirit, holding stories of the one who may have gifted her with the skin, how he hunted it and what he experienced when the arrow pierced the animal’s heart. The bags contained metaphorical narratives about transformation, where a drop of blood could grow into a human being and back into a living animal. In her repertoire of stories, she likened the bags to her womb, seeing them as a symbol of creation, renewal and rebirth. The bags connected her to the whole ecosystem of which she was a part.
As women, we too have carried gathering bags all our lives. We, too, have journeyed through rough and smooth, and into the gathering bags of our memory, we have dropped stories, experiences, relationships, ideas, and conversations.”
Marlene will share a story from The Gathering Bag, and delve into the healing potential of ancient myths in all women’s lives.
WHAT: Gathering Bag Workshop
WHERE: The Majestic Village, 124 Main Road, Kalk Bay, Cape Town
WHEN: 10.30 – 12.30 Saturday, 28th September
BOOKING: Cost: R70 | RSVP: info@womanzonect.co.za | Places limited, so do RSVP soonest
INFO: Facebook Woman Zone CT | Instagram: wzbookclub / womanzonecapetown | VISIT | See also Cape Town Green Map
