Wrapper

Object Details

Somali (Hawiye or Digil clan) artist

Label Text

Cotton cloth yardage, known as Benaadir cloth, is commercially woven by men in Mogadishu and the adjacent coastal region of Benaadir. It is cut into lengths for the traditional men's wrapped skirt (futa) and shorter shawl-like cover (go), and for the woman's wrapper (guntino). Formerly women spun the thread, and although now imported thread is commonly used, it is often still locally dyed. Benaadir cloth weaving is a survival from a cloth industry that was flourishing in the early 14th century, exporting to Egypt and elsewhere. Raw cotton was imported from India until, in the early 19th century, America began supplying cheap gray factory cloth for men's and women's clothing. In response, Somalis began growing cotton as a local crop, to try to keep competitive. Another more obvious change has been in the use of color. Once only made in white, now bright colors and patterns, dominate in response to the changing market and the competition of foreign factory cloth.

Description

Wrapper composed of single width cotton plain weave in two hand loom pieces connected by warp ends. Yellow warp with narrower blue, yellow, red and green warp stripes, and weft of yellow, red and blue. Inserted weft designs in blue form pyramid shapes.

Provenance

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Jackson, Washington, D.C., -- to 1972

Content Statement

As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions.

Image Requests

High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Jackson

Mid-20th century

Object number

72-8-6

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Textile and Fiber Arts

Medium

Cotton, dye

Dimensions

H x W: 472.4 x 60.3 cm (186 x 23 3/4 in.)

Geography

Somalia

See more items in

National Museum of African Art Collection

Object Name

Benaadir cloth,

National Museum of African Art

Topic

Adornment

male

Record ID

nmafa_72-8-6

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys74ebf98b2-015f-4bc3-bbb5-98233b9acfe8