Traditionally, in Swazi culture, the horns of slaughtered cows were kept in remembrance. Although this practice is increasingly falling into oblivion, Mduduzi Dlamini has built a business with global reach from horns.
00:00Born and raised in rural Iswatini, Nduduzi Glamini spent his youth as a shepherd,
00:07witnessing the cultural significance of cattle.
00:10In Swazi culture, we consider cattle as a Swazi bank.
00:16We would milk them, use their dung as manure, and harness them to the plow to cultivate our fields.
00:23Nduduzi saw a significant shift.
00:29Where cattle were no longer valued from head to tail.
00:33Traditionally, the horns and bones of slotted cows were kept in remembrance,
00:38but this practice has gradually faded.
00:40So Nduduzi responded to this cultural loss by transforming it into a business idea with global reach.
00:49Since I was raised by my grandfather, who had me take care of his cows,
00:53I started thinking, what else can I do with a cow besides meat?
00:58I realized, besides meat, cows provide valuable horns and bones.
01:07With cattle being regarded as the Swazi bank, Nduduzi saw the discarding of these materials as wasteful and believed they should be valued.
01:17This idea came about because of a tradition my grandfather practiced.
01:26Once a year, during a family event, he would hang horns on my grandmother's hut to mark who had joined the family that year, whether through birth or marriage.
01:36He would hang horns on the other hand.
01:37He would hang horns on the other hand.
01:40Nduduzi's creative process is a fusion of the old and the new.
01:43He uses traditional crafting techniques passed down through generations, but applies them with modern design principles.
01:50This innovative approach is key to creating a product that honors tradition and has an appeal to his customers.
01:57Our processing starts with collecting the bones and cleaning them first.
02:08To clean them, we boil them to remove the fat inside.
02:12We remove them from the boil and let them dry.
02:15My assistant then begins the cutting process.
02:17He cuts the shape as required by the design we are working with.
02:21He passes that over to me for me to sand them down for further precision.
02:33I send them back to him for him to install the brass fittings.
02:36It brings them back to me for final sanding and polishing.
02:43Holes are then drilled into the pieces and I finally install hooks.
02:48Then we package.
02:49The product is now ready for the client.
02:51The product is now ready for the client.
02:55Lupon for design is more than just a brand.
02:58It's a powerful act of cultural preservation and sustainability.
03:02When a person wears my jewellery, I want them to feel proud knowing that this has been made from natural materials that would have otherwise been discarded.
03:15And what do his customers think of the jewellery?
03:20One of the funny aspects about Lupon for design is that when we say it's made by horn, we have to be extremely clear.
03:26It's made by cow horn.
03:27It's also part of the Swazi tradition to use the bone for some sort of either spiritual healing or to use it in jewellery making, for example, like he has done.
03:40As well as the story behind his skills and where his brand has come from is a lovely story to tell to the customer so that when they buy his jewellery and wear it, they have a story to tell to their friends.
03:53Horns are dark, bones are white, they will always maintain this color however long you have them.
04:06My clients are happy that they have a product that has been handmade by a Swazi using his skill to sustain a livelihood as well as safeguard and promote Swazi cultural heritage.
04:18I blend my heritage with contemporary designs. I hope my jewellery brings joy and a sense of longevity. This is something a client can pass on to the next generation and so on.
04:31In a world of fast paced consumerism, Mduduzi Glamini offers a different path. Through Lupondor designs, he is not just creating jewellery but building a brand that tells a story, celebrates tradition and inspires us all to look at waste with a new perspective.
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