Cache-sexe

Object Details

Undetermined artist

Label Text

Books and auction sites since the mid-20th century have referred to the peoples who made and wore these beaded coverings as the Kirdi, a derogatory term meaning "pagan" or "heathen." Young women from the northern regions of Nigeria and Cameroon and eastern Chad dressed in the minimal beadwork, which could also be part of a more elaborate costume. Under pressure from both Islamic and colonial residents, the cache-sexe (a small apron-like garment that covers a woman’s pubic region) disappeared under bulkier garments or was made for sale to foreign markets.

Description

Cache-sexe composed of a rectangular netted beadwork panel with rows of diamonds and triangles in blue, red, white and pink glass beads, and a fringe of bead strands.

Provenance

Purchased by Warren Robbins from Creamer, -- to 1979

Exhibition History

TxtStyles: Fashioning Identity, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 11-December 7, 2008

Content Statement

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Credit Line

Museum purchase

Mid-20th century

Object number

79-13-75

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Textile and Fiber Arts

Medium

Glass beads, cotton fiber

Dimensions

H x W: 21 x 90.2 cm (8 1/4 x 35 1/2 in.)

Geography

Mandara Mountain region, Cameroon

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Adornment

Female use

male

Record ID

nmafa_79-13-75

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys78c3ff528-95b7-4127-93de-22e3e3ddc355