Dida raffia skirt

price: $4,000.00, out of stock

material: raffia palm fiber
size: 54" l. x 28" w.
vendor:
item #AC2-1183

we're sorry, this item is currently out of stock

For ceremonial occasions, the Dida plait strands of raffia into loincloths and skirts. These textiles are quite rare, and on the wanted list of many museums because they are no longer made. Mostly used for ceremonial dances, the gauzy, vibrantly colored fabric is made of raffia palm fiber that is then tied and resist-dyed and re-dyed in a striking pattern of rectangles, ovals and circles. The palette of yellow, red and black is derived from plant roots, leaves and manganese (black). The woman's cloth is tubular, the men's singular and woven in rectangles. The Dida do not sculpt, and consider their fabrics their prime treasures.

All of ours are of the tubular variety and our photographs show both front and back views. The extreme variation in width dimension is due to the fact that the narrower ones retain extremely tight pleating while the wider ones have been streched and flattened over time.

Further information is available in a wonderful new book: African Textiles by John Gillow, Chronicle Books, 2003.