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View at the museum ↗Woman's Skirt
IraqwEarly 20th century
- Attribution
- Iraqw Tanzania Eastern and Southern Africa
- Medium
- Animal hide, glass beads, and thread
- Physical dimensions
- 152.4 × 142.3 cm (60 × 56 in.)
- Credit line
- Gift of the Michael R. Mack Collection
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View the museum record ↗From the museum
This skirt was probably made for a coming-of-age rite known as marmo that signaled a girl’s eligibility for marriage. Such skirts would feature common motifs including the sun and stars, water, and lines representing the ups and downs of life, which can be seen here. Today, Iraqw women create these skirts for new brides in honor of their marriages. Though tastes and fashion have evolved, and modern skirts differ greatly from older examples like this one, makers have carried forward many of the same design elements and symbolism.
Description: Art Institute of Chicago · CC BY 4.0