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Some of the problems surrounding the communication of messages by means of colour-coded sequences of beads are discussed in the light of earlier work on the subject and a linguistic model for the interpretation of such messages is proposed. The shift from colour-coding to the use of graphemes is described and dated. Interpretations based on the author's field work are given for a number of pieces of beadwork of both kinds, demonstrating that the graphemes were not used phonetically as letters of the alphabet but were intended to be recognised at sight in much the same way as the colour sequences. A comparison of the content of typical messages suggests that both systems of communi catIOn were used to convey commonplace phrases or responses appropriate to specific inter personal situations, particularly in connection with courtship. This leads to the conclusion that beaded messages formed a part of the oral tradition of Zulu culture. The beadwork of southern Africa is well enough known to need no introduc tion. It is acknowledged amongst the finest in the world and has attracted scholarly attention for over eighty years (cf. p. 5f). In recent times there has been a resurgence of interest that has led to a spate of publications (Becker & Nettle ton 1989, Dubin 1987, Hosford & Davison 1988, Klopper 1989, Levy 1989, Mertens & Broster 1987, Mthethwa 1988, Nettleton, Ndabambi & Hammond Tooke 1989, Winters 1988, Wickler & Seibt 1989 1990 and others). Of these, more than half deal with Zulu beadwork. This research effort has been sup plemented by a considerable collecting activity: locally, on the part of the South African museums and the University of the Witwatersrand, and internationally, after decades in the doldrums, through the trade in art objects. Here too, Zulu artefacts play a prominent role. The beadwork of the Zulu speaking peoples stands out from that of its neighbours in at least two respects: the range of its con trasting styles, and the degree of sophistication of its system of encoding 'messages' by means of colours and motifs. In the current study I shall attempt to derive the principles upon which this system is based and to show how it has been adapted to a changing social and educational environment. 'One is witnessing an immediate and semi-automatic response, an experience more direct than an intellectual process such as the systematic translation of a colour code.' This is Schoeman's (1968: 64) description of a person 'reading' a piece of beadwork. He goes on to suggest that the basis of this 'almost uncanny ability' seems to be 'a well-established series of associations, which, through cul tural conditioning at an early age, brings to the mind of the individual the feeling and general image that inspired the colour sequence of an ornament received as a gift' (1968: 132). This view is corroborated by Grossert (1968: 527) who concluded
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