umbhaco (pl. Imibhaco), married woman's everyday skirt of bhayi fabric dyed with a solution of imbola (shop-bought red ochre). Skirt sewn by hand but the rows of ibleyiti (shop bought black braid) sewn on by machine. Buttons -amagosha. Mother of pearl buttons were formerly used as decoration only by Mfengu. Skirt is secrued by wrapping the right side over the left and tucking the end into the waist
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The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive.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.
If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk
