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Akwete head wrapper

c. 1960s
cotton; plain weave with supplementary weft floats
Overall: 223.5 x 81.3 cm (88 x 32 in.)
Donated by Richard Little from his experience at Comprehensive High School, Aiyetoro, Nigeria, 1965–67 2022.22
Location: not on view
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

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Did You Know?

A fashionable young woman in the 1960s may have paired this head wrapper with a blouse and miniskirt.

Description

This head wrapper is a complex example of cloth unique to the southeastern town of Akwete. Learning from a young age, women there weave part-time on a horizontal loom. Weavers add extra weft (horizontal) threads to create patterns and designs. Abstracted motifs (like the zig-zags, "combs," and stars here) make reference to families or societal roles, as well as objects, and historical events.
Akwete head wrapper

Akwete head wrapper

c. 1960s

Igbo-style weaver, Nigeria

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