The use of the visual arts as an expression of identity is not a new concept. Archaeologists, anthropologists, and art historians have long established the notion that material culture can express group identity through repeated codes of cultural symbols that form unique styles. Such styles can be recognized by cultural “outsiders,” and help contribute to local constructions of identity by communicating social messages to people within the group and are active symbols that form part of the alliances and conflicts that constitute societies. While the notion of “culture” has historically been applied in order to control and oppress indigenous populations throughout southern Africa, this text, and the accompanying exhibition, offers an alternate reading driven by the visual arts, which assert notions of identity, affiliation, and membership. By examining the unique application of formal elements from the arts across the region, it becomes evident that the indigenous peoples of southern Africa have linked artistic style with cultural affiliation, asserting a sense of membership and belonging in a socially and culturally diverse region.