A Herero legend says that Makuru, the old one, and his wife Kamungarunga descended from the roots of the sacred tree, “Omumborombonga”, whose Latin name is Combretum imberbe. The common name for this species is leadwood, due to its high specific weight that prevents it from floating when immersed in water. It is quite literally the heaviest wood in the world and been established by carbon dating that giants like these can reach an age of 1000 years. The Herero believe in their origin stories that cattle also descend from the leadwood tree, while the other animals and tribes descend from common flowers and crawled out from the earth. In time, all Omumborombonga trees came to be venerated and wayfarers would address them as 'father’, entreating them to grant them a prosperous journey. This respect is manifested with offerings of green twigs and grasses thrown at its feet.
All prints are printed on archival paper using archival ink to maximize the quality of the digital prints to meet museum longevity requirements.
All open edition prints are dated and signed.
Pricing for matted and framed 24x30 and 30x45 prints is available upon request, please contact josh@joshuacogan.com for a quote.