skirt

umbhaco (pl.imibhaco), skirt, for intombe zabafana (young women) of fabric called ifelani. Worn to sacrifices, dances and festivities. Decorated with rows of straight and zig-zag shop bought black braid (ibleyiti) stitched on by machine and decorated with horizontal rows of beads and triangles of beads (amatikiti). While some trading stores and one small factory in the Transkei manufacure these skirts, this example is home-made.

umbhaco (pl.imibhaco), skirt, for intombe zabafana (young women) of fabric called ifelani. Worn to sacrifices, dances and festivities. Decorated with rows of straight and zig-zag shop bought black braid (ibleyiti) stitched on by machine and decorated with horizontal rows of beads and triangles of beads (amatikiti). While some trading stores and one small factory in the Transkei manufacure these skirts, this example is home-made.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

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