Wrapper (Seru Njaago)
Not on view
This Manjaka woman’s wrapper consists of six bands sewn together selvage to selvage to form a rectangular panel. Each strip, approximately eight inches wide, is made of black cotton and unspun white cotton, creating geometric abstract motifs of zigzags, chevrons, crosses and diamonds. The same pattern is repeated in vertical columns, which are aligned so that they match with those of adjacent strips.
While several distinct cultural traditions from Senegal are known for their textiles creations, those woven for Manjaka communities remain the most sought after. They are an essential component of each important phase in the life of Senegalese women. Distinctive for their thick and stiff qualities, such textiles are conceived by their wearers as protective shields. This wrapper is ornamented by motifs that recall the many external influences that impacted the Manjaka communities through trade, colonial history and displacements: Portuguese, Moroccan and Spanish.
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