Black and Tan Corded Raffia Skirt
Dublin Core
Title
Black and Tan Corded Raffia Skirt
Culture
Bidjogo Culture
Description
In the Bidjogo culture, masqueraders wear large and elaborate masks of swordfish, calves, sharks, hippopotami, or crocodiles; however, they may wear on the rest of their bodies only a skirt around the waist. The traditional raffia skirts of the Bidjogo and their neighboring cultures can consist of only simple, unworked, natural raffia but they may also take the much more complex and finished form of this completely corded and dyed skirt.
While the belt of this skirt is left the natural tan color of the raffia, different sections of the skirt, in varying widths, are dyed brown or black. These three colors together suggest that the artisan may have desired to incorporate a typical African triad, a meaningful three-color scheme that traditionally consists white or yellow (or a light neutral color), which generally represents purity, spirituality, or the supernatural world; red or brown, which may represent blood, danger, power, or transformation; and black or dark blue, which may represent fertile soil, death, transformation, or anti-social behavior.
In addition, the seven stand belt and each of the hanging strands are skillfully two-ply corded, or hand-made into a slender rope composed of two strands twisted to create spring tension against one another. This spring tension so effectively holds the stands together that there is no need to knot the ends of the cords. The artisan’s skill is evident in the even width of the cords and the smooth surface, which greatly reduces the noise and movement that a raffia skirt would make during dances, creating an overall much more subdued dance.
Research by Ashley Brendel, Andrea Lisek, and Erin Dooley, 2008, Missouri State University Students. Mentor: Dr. Billie Follensbee
While the belt of this skirt is left the natural tan color of the raffia, different sections of the skirt, in varying widths, are dyed brown or black. These three colors together suggest that the artisan may have desired to incorporate a typical African triad, a meaningful three-color scheme that traditionally consists white or yellow (or a light neutral color), which generally represents purity, spirituality, or the supernatural world; red or brown, which may represent blood, danger, power, or transformation; and black or dark blue, which may represent fertile soil, death, transformation, or anti-social behavior.
In addition, the seven stand belt and each of the hanging strands are skillfully two-ply corded, or hand-made into a slender rope composed of two strands twisted to create spring tension against one another. This spring tension so effectively holds the stands together that there is no need to knot the ends of the cords. The artisan’s skill is evident in the even width of the cords and the smooth surface, which greatly reduces the noise and movement that a raffia skirt would make during dances, creating an overall much more subdued dance.
Research by Ashley Brendel, Andrea Lisek, and Erin Dooley, 2008, Missouri State University Students. Mentor: Dr. Billie Follensbee
Century
20th
Item Dimensions
31 cm h. x 81 cm w.
Medium
Sculpture
Materials
Raffia
Techniques
Corded
Provenance
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Stoneman
Acession Number
1985.43A
Accession Year
1985
Photo Number
20150045