“Zulu” dining plate

This is an exceptional ancient Zulu wood carving or panel from South Africa. This plate was carved from a single piece of hardwood and was once used to ceremoniously present various dishes.

This beautifully handcrafted wooden Zulu tray is known as "ugqoko" by the local Zulu people. The wood used varies, but in most cases the Zulus use Kiaat wood, native to South Africa. The Zulu serving plate is an important utensil that is still used daily today and has handles on the sides of the plate for easy handling. Often the plate is placed on top of another plate and turned over to serve as a cover.