gown

Large rectangular gown without a neck opening. Made from hand-woven indigodyed cotton strips that are sown together edge by edge. It is worn as a kind of cloak over the shoulders or, in the evenings or when it is cold, over the head. The Tamacheq name for this type of cloth/gown is Takanat. Mallam Moussa said that in Agadez the riga tabdok is now discarded in favour of the bournous or bisht. Mallam Moussa bought this gown new about 10 years ago in Agadez, but said that it was made in Northern Nigeria, probably Kano.

Collection Information

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The database sometimes uses language taken from historical documents to help research, which may now appear outdated and even offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

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