An American writer visiting a Tsogo village in the 1860s was most impressed by the decorative work on the doors of many of the houses and commented on their complicated patterns in red, white and black. The human figure on the door probably has a protective function. Its stylization suggests Tsogo masks and its pear-shaped torso is an outline form of the much more naturalistic Tsogo reliquary guardian figures that are covered with red pigment.

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