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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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 nmafacuratorial@si.edu 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/
