Iraqw Ceremonial Skirt

The Iraqw are a farming people in northern Tanzania. They are one of a few Cushitic cultures in the region, with a language unrelated to any other in Tanzania. Girls reportedly fabricate leather skirts for themselves during a period of seclusion prior to marriage, decorating them with beads and, on occasion, recycled materials such as discarded keys and other bright odds and ends. However, adult women are also known to participate in the beading of skirts and will wear them along with younger members of the community on ceremonial occasions. The meanings ascribed to the diverse beading patterns vary from beader to beader. A zigzagging line may be described as a river, or the path of life or even the “ups and downs of marriage.” A circle is the sun or the home. There are two types of skirt: pull on skirts (such as this beautiful example) and the better known wrap skirts. The former are rarely seen in western collections. 20th century. 27″ radius. Unmounted.

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