Male and Female Artistry in Kalabari Dress

Abstract

The distinctive aesthetic of the Kalabari people derives from the geographic, historical, and social conditions of the Niger delta, where they have held a strategic position in trade since the 1400s (Jones 1963). Situated near the coast of southeastern Nigeria, the Kalabari acted as intermediaries between hinterland communities and the larger world. East-west routes that were well established prior to the influx of Europeans in the sixteenth century connected them with other West African groups such as the Ewe of Ghana and the Yoruba and Igbo of Nigeria. The northsouth routes brought involvement with Western Europeans such as the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the English (Alagoa 1972:291). This trade provided the resources for the unique and expressive Kalabari dress ensemble, an assemblage of borrowed and indigenous, Western and non-Western, elements.1 The creative composition of these materials and artistic techniques their ethnic identity and genius (Daly, Eicher, & Erekosima 1984:2).2 Typically the ensemble includes cloth in the form of wrappers, blouses, headties, shirts, and handkerchiefs; coral, gold, and glass beads fashioned into jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets, rings, armbands, kneebands, and earrings; additive material, including beads, feathers, sequins, and miniature Christmas ball ornaments; sandals and shoes; cosmetic chalks and pomades; and other accessories like handheld items-purses, fans, canes, elephant tusks, umbrellas, and the like.3 To the Western eye, many of the dress combinations seem haphazard or without thought. Yet, conscious choices are made and justified, based on knowledge of not only what is aesthetically pleasing but also what is culturally correct. The basic ensemble for women includes an imported lace or eyelet blouse worn with what is called an up and down wrapper combination, that is, a knee-length wrapper worn over an ankle-length one (Figs. 6, 7, Cover). These come in a variety of materials such as striped imported Indian madras (injiri), printed woolen flannel (blangidi), handwoven Ewe strip cloth (Accra), and striped Indian silk (loko). For men, an Indian madras wrapper combined with a loose jumper or shirt known as woko is standard (Eicher & Erekosima 1980). More expensive and complex assemblages are usually the privilege of age. Older women may add accessories such as headties, jewelry, and purses (Figs. 2, 3). Older men may also wear costly jewelry, don a distinctive hat like a bowler or top hat, and carry a cane (Fig. 6; see also p. 29 and Cover). According to Kalabari informants, color, rather than pattern or texture, is often the critical factor in unifying ensembles (Daly, Eicher, & Erekosima 1984). A green lace blouse with a multicolored print or striped wrapper is considered coordinated if green is repeated in the wrapper. Other factors, like comparable cost, may link the diverse elements in an outfit: lace blouses, blangidi, and Accra or silk wrappers, often worn together, are equivalent in price. A dress assemblage may also be unified through the combination of various items of historical significance to the family. Members often dress in wrappers and other heirlooms that have been brought forth from the ancestral cloth boxes for funerals, chieftaincy installations, or traditional womanhood ceremonies. Many of these are the corporate property of a lineage group and are especially prized because of the length of family ownership. Learning how to dress as a Kalabari begins early. Within the household, conversations about attire are frequent. Children observe men and women planning their wardrobes and hear them discussing, for instance, whether a wrapper is tied correctly, whether the fabrics used are complementary, whether the selection of accessories is suitable. Through such socialization, each person internalizes the group standard of dress. In ordinary situations a person may dress alone, and self-appraisal of one's attire may precede the assessment of others. Before going out, however, members of the family, usually female elders but sometimes male elders as well, check the ensemble. Their approval is important because the individual is also representing the family, lineage, and even ancestors to the community. For special occasions, individuals are attended by others who guarantee that their appearance is meticulous and aesthetically pleasing. When very formal dress is required, elder women in the family, considered knowledgeable because of their age and experience, are summoned as arbiters of taste.4 They help select items of attire for both sexes, and execute or oversee the process of putting together an ensemble for women. Their presence is especially important when other women are being dressed for important occasions. The female elders also act as the final judges of male attire. Though men do confer with each other and seek the advice of respected older men, almost all will defer to the judgment of these women before stepping out the door into the public domain of village or town. In public, challenges are heard between rival war-canoe houses, or wari (ward, lineage),5 regarding the appropriateness of a member's dress. In the various clubs that are a feature of Kalabari social life, attire is often uniform (Fig. 4), and members regularly critique each other's appearance. Part of the aesthetic of Kalabari dress is scrupulous attention to detail. The local expression Take time, applied to one's demeanor and dress, illustrates this concern. Other factors affecting the art of assembly concern the differentiation of sex, age, status or role, socio-economic position, and family and lineage affiliation. The materials used in dress are manipulated into characteristically Kalabari ensembles in a number of ways. This wide variety of processes is especially evident during iria, the traditional womanhood ceremonies that span several stages of life from late childhood usually through the birth of the first child