The history of the Shona and their sculpture

The history of the Shona

The Shona people are from a range of different ethnic groups across Zimbabwe that share similar languages. They are descendants of people who have lived in the region of Zimbabwe for around 2000 years. The Shona tribe is the largest indigenous group of Zimbabwe, representing over 80% of the population and numbering approximately nine million. In the Shona language, ‘Zimbabwe' means ‘Great Stone House' or ‘House built of stone'.

The Shona are known internationally for their stone sculpture. Their stone carvings date back to the time of Great Zimbabwe which began in the 11th century by the Shona peoples' Bantu-speaking ancestors. Great Zimbabwe was built and grew over a period of 300 years and remains the largest ancient structure south of the Sahara desert. Its ruins cover nearly 1,800 acres and, at its height, it is estimated to have held a population of more than 10,000 people.

The revival of Shona stone sculpture

The art of sculpture was revived in Zimbabwe in the late 1950s when Frank McEwan brought Shona stone sculpture to the National Gallery of Art in what was then Rhodesia.

McEwan was an English artist with a great interest in African art and culture. He established a Shona stone sculpture workshop in Zimbabwe, initially for his staff and later for anyone interested in carving. He gave his students the materials and tools and asked them to draw inspiration from their traditional beliefs. He did not provide training and refused to influence his students on the subject of their sculptures.

McEwan's students' sculptures became popular with tourists and, as their popularity has grown, they have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.

Shona sculpture traditions

The Shona believe that everything, including stone, has a ‘life spirit'. The artists believe that ‘life spirit' defines the shape each stone will eventually take. By carving the artwork, they are ‘releasing the spirit from the stone'.

Many Shona sculptors are, to this day, self-taught. They still freely express their own individual artistic feelings and draw upon their traditional beliefs when carving.

Find out more about the making of Shona sculptures.

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