The uncivilized races of men in all countries of the world; vol. 1 of 2: Being a comprehensive account of their manners and customs, and of their physical, social, mental, moral and religious characteristicsWood, J. G. (John George)
History
The uncivilized races of men in all countries of the world; vol. 1 of 2: Being a comprehensive account of their manners and customs, and of their physical, social, mental, moral and religious characteristics
Wood, J. G. (John George)
Anthropology; Ethnology; Manners and customs
Among the illustrations given on p. 39, is shown a remarkably elaborate
apron belonging to a chief’s wife, drawn from a specimen in Mr.
Jackson’s collection. It is made of leather, dressed and softened in
the usual manner, but is furnished with a pocket and a needle. In order
to show this pocket, I have brought it round to the front of the apron,
though in actual wear it falls behind it. In the pocket were still a
few beads and a brass button. Thread is also kept in it. On the inside
of the apron is suspended one of the skewer-like needles which has been
already described, so that the wearer is furnished with all appliances
needful for a Kaffir seamstress.
But the chief glory of the apron is its ornament of beads, which has a
very bold effect against the dark mahogany hair of the apron itself.
This ornament is made in the form of a triangular flap, quite distinct
from the apron itself, and fastened to it only by the lower edge
and the pointed tip. The beads are arranged in a series of diamond
patterns, the outer edge of each diamond being made of white beads, and
the others of different colors, red predominating.
Figs. 2 and 3 in the “articles of costume,” p. 33, and next to the
men’s “tails,” already described, present two good examples of the
women’s aprons, both drawn from specimens in my collection. Fig. 3 is
the thong apron of the women. It is made of an infinity of leather
thongs, fastened together in a way rather different from that which
has been mentioned. Instead of having the upper ends fixed along the
belt so as to form a fringe, they are woven together into a tolerably
thick bunch, some four inches in width, and wider below than above. In
many cases these thongs are ornamented by little scraps of iron, brass,
tin, or other metal, wrapped round them; and in some instances beads
are threaded on the thongs. This apron would not belong to a woman of
any high rank, for it has no ornament of any kind (except a thorough
saturation with highly perfumed grease), and is made of materials
within the reach of every one. Any odd slips of hide thrown away in the
process of Kaffir tailoring can be cut into the narrow thongs used for
the purpose, and no very great skill is needed in its construction;
for, though strongly made, it is the work of a rather clumsy hand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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