This painting is a striking visual narrative rooted in Zimbabwean totemism (mitupo) and ancestral communication. The central woman, adorned in zebra patterns, represents both the vessel and the spirit medium—a bridge between past and present. Her gesture, holding a clay pot, invokes kupira, the sacred act of making offerings to the ancestors. Surrounding her are symbolic footprints and handprints, signifying ancestral presence and spiritual guidance.

The zebra and lion totems merge in layered forms, representing unity between different lineages or ancestral spirits. The watchful male figure, half-emerging, symbolizes the spiritual observer—one who is both grounded in reality and connected to deeper realms. This painting honors the way totem, gender, and spirit coexist in Zimbabwean cosmology, showing that identity is not singular but woven through animal, earth, and ancestral line.

Artgal.Online

Matare

thi sis the text for Kupira This powerful painting draws from the Zimbabwean totem (mutupo) tradition, where animals represent identity, ancestry, and spiritual protection. The central figure is a woman whose body merges with a zebra, symbolizing harmony, adaptability, and pride. The zebra is a totemic animal in many Shona clans and stands here as a visual metaphor for the deep connection between human and spirit, woman and ancestor. Her open arms and clay pot evoke nourishment and ritual, while the painted hands and feet around her suggest ancestral presence and guidance. This work honors the belief that one’s totem is not only heritage but a spiritual compass, passed through blood and embodied in everyday acts of strength, grace, and cultural continuity.

Kupira

Nzou-Samanyanga Totem
The elephant totem, nzou/zhou/ndlovu has a number of classes (zvidawo). Affectionately known as Mhukahuru, meaning the big animal. The elephant clans are scattered across the country some in the north along the Zambezi valley. These are the Tonga, Tavara, Korekore, Karanga, Ndebele and Remba. The totem represents mighty people who are well built, big in stature and destructive. They are also great hunters mostly the Karangas, Remba and Tonga, whereas the Ndebele produce great fighters. The elephant clan produce people with great skill in arts, sports and academics, exmples being; the Ndlovu brothers in football (Peter, Madinda and Adam), Oliver Mutukudzi in music. They are composed with athleticism and intelligent although they are few in population. Their dialectical classes comprises of Samanyanga, Suwani, Mushavi.

MaNdlovu - Elephant Woman

This striking painting by Keith Zenda explores the deep connection between identity and ancestral wisdom through the symbolism of a woman’s totem. In Shona culture, a totem (mutupo) is a sacred symbol of identity, representing a family’s lineage and spiritual heritage. The large, watchful monkey reflects the protective and guiding presence of the ancestral spirit, while the woman’s calm expression symbolizes harmony with her heritage. The footsteps symbolize the life journey, guided by ancestral strength and wisdom.

Mutopo - Guided by the Totem

white

yellow

orange

purple

dark blue

green

light blue

brown

black

Acrylic

Aquatint

Canvas

Chalk

Charcoal

Clay

Concrete

Embroidery

Graphite

Gold

Mixed Media

Metal

Oil Paint

Paper

Pastels

Pencil

Pigment

Resin

Tempera

Textile

Watercolor

Collage

Other

Film

Digital

Ceramic

Wire

Wood

Yarn

Stone

Porcelain

Marble

Glass

Plastic

Design

Drawing

Engraving

Etching

Linocut

Lithography

Painting

Prints

Screen Print

Text

Work on paper

Photography

3D Print

Performance

Sculpture

Lacquer on Masonite

Landscape

Portrait

Very large

Large

Medium

Small

Very Small

The Last Round

Stealth

Happy Woman

Watcher of Silence - Harare

2 round tables with marble tops

Artgal.Online

collection: Totems

Material

Medium

Type

Sizes

Orientations

Dimensions

Colors

Colors

Matare

Kupira

MaNdlovu - Elephant Woman

Mutopo - Guided by the Totem