A bernos () is a

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

cloak A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, which serves the same purpose as an overcoat and protects the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform. People in many d ...

-like garment and hood woven in one piece, traditionally worn by men of the Amhara ethnic group of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, most commonly in the relatively cold

Shewa Shewa (; ; Somali: Shawa; , ), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa, is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The modern Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is located at it ...

. Unlike its Maghrebi counterpart the

Burnous A burnous (), also burnoose, burnouse, bournous or barnous, is a long cloak of coarse woollen fabric with a pointed hood, often white, traditionally worn by Arabs, Arab and Berbers, Berber men in North Africa. Historically, the white burnous was w ...

, it is typically black, and does not have a hood; rather it has a large point on one side of the shoulder, usually to the left. The point was tailored into existence in order to keep a rifle on their shoulders, so that highlander men would not have to hold them outside where rainwater entering through a muzzle might damage (an older) firearm. Donald N. Levine notes that the wealthier men of

Menz Menz or Manz (, romanized: ''Mänz'') is a former Subdivisions of Ethiopia, subdivision of Ethiopia, located inside the boundaries of the modern Semien Shewa Zone (Amhara), Semien Shewa Zone of the Amhara Region. William Cornwallis Harris describe ...

"wear the ''barnos'', a tailored cape made of dark wool."Donald N. Levine, ''Wax and Gold: Tradition and Innovation in Ethiopia Culture'' (Chicago: University Press, 1972), p. 29 The Bernos can be worn in white, beige, black and sometimes made out of linen if it is too hot to wear in wool, underneath a

Tunic A tunic is a garment for the torso, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the ankles. It might have arm-sleeves, either short or full-length. Most forms have no fastenings. The name deri ...

and Gabi would be worn. The bernos was frequently worn by the prominent and elite highlanders. Today, average citizens sometimes wear it in traditional ceremonies and at special occasions. Social status is indicated by the garment's decorative pattern.

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