"Isibaya": Architecture, Space, and Nguni Life

Join Nandipa Sipengane, Senior Lector, Yale Council on African Studies, for a Gallery Talk centered on the isibaya (cattle enclosure) and its role within Nguni homesteads. Drawing on selected objects from the exhibition Nguni: Migrant Nations of Southeast Africa—including domestic vessels and other items associated with the household—Sipengane examines how the isibaya functioned in relation to home life, livestock, social organization, and ancestral practices. Rather than simply as a cattle enclosure, the talk considers the isibaya within a broader arrangement of structures, activities, and relationships that shaped daily life: how people organized living spaces, allocated responsibilities, and maintained connections across generations. Gallery Talks is a weekly series led by Gallery staff and guest speakers on Wednesdays at midday. Each session focuses on one to three works from the collection, inviting participants to look closely, share observations, and engage in conversation in the galleries. Meet by the central column in the Gallery lobby. Space is limited.