2-734-638 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Man's Garment, possibly early 1900s. Originally, such garments made of tie-dyed raffia fibers were worn at social events like engagements, weddings, birth celebrations, and the funerals of important people. The cloths could also be part of a bride's dowry or offered as compensation in dispute settlements. In the 1990s, such family heirlooms were displayed at important official festivities, attesting to the social rank of the original owner and his or her descendants. This rare cloth was not woven but, instead, diagonally interlaced through finger manipulation. In combining this interlaced technique and large tiedye decoration, the Dida textile style occupies a unique place in West African textile traditions.