Wodaabe Long Tunics

Embroidered Wodaabe man's long tunic from Niger, late 20th  century. Embroidered Wodaabe man's long tunic from Niger, late 20th century. © Trustees of the British Museum, London, acc. no. Af2005,04.1.

The Wodaabe are a sub-group of the Fula people, who are nomads that live in the southern Sahara. They are known for the high jumping dance carried out by the adolescent men during the Gerewol (Guérewol) ceremonies in order to impress potential brides. There are various dances (such as the fijo and the yake) held during the Gerewol and for one of them the men wear a plain leather ‘skirt’ under a long, open sided tunic.

The tunic is generally heavily embroidered with geometric designs. The patterns are created using a cross stitch worked with a thickish cotton yarn in predominantly orange, red, yellow and white.

The English term for describing this garment is problematic, as there are no direct parallels. These garments, for example, are sometimes called dresses, but the term dress is usually applied to women’s clothing that is wholly or partly sewn down the sides. Another term sometimes used is a tabard, but this is a short garment associated with European heraldic traditions.

See also the pertinent TRC Needles entries on Wodaabe embroideries.

Sources:

British Museum online catalogue (retrieved 8th June 2016).

GVE

Last modified on Friday, 05 May 2017 13:28