The dashiki (, ) is a colorful garment that covers the top half of the body, worn mostly in

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored suits. A common form is a loose-fitting pullover garment, with an ornate V-shaped collar, and tailored and embroidered neck and sleeve lines. It is frequently worn with a brimless kufi cap (which is worn in

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communities in Africa and the African diaspora) and pants. It has been popularized and claimed by communities in the African diaspora, especially

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

. The now trademark dashiki design was born from a wax print pattern by Dutch designer Toon van de Mannaker for Netherlands-based Vlisco. Van de Mannaker's print pattern was inspired by the silk embroidered tunics worn by Christian Ethiopian noblewomen in the 19th century. The pattern became known as the Angelina pattern in the West African market after the release of Ghanaian highlife hit song "Angelina" by The Sweet Talks. In Congo it is known as Miriam Makeba or Ya Mado: Miriam Makeba was South African musician who often wore wax prints; "ya mado!" is a memorable lyric from Fabregas's song "Mascara", which features dancers wearing dashikis in its music video. The word "dashiki" comes from , a Yoruba loanword from the Hausa , literally meaning or (as compared to the outer garment, '' babariga'').

Versions

The informal version of the dashiki is a traditional print or embroidered dashiki. Three formal versions exist. The first type consists of a dashiki, ''sokoto'' ( drawstring pants), and a matching kufi. This style is called a ''dashiki suit'' or ''dashiki trouser set'' and it is the attire worn by most grooms during wedding ceremonies. The second version consists of an ankle-length shirt, matching kufi, and ''sokoto'' and is called a Senegalese kaftan. The third type consists of a dashiki and matching trousers. A flowing gown is worn over these. This type is called a grand boubou or an agbada. There are several different styles of dashiki suits available from clothing stores. The type of shirt included in the set determines the name. The ''traditional'' dashiki suit includes a thigh-length shirt. The short sleeve, traditional style is preferred by purists. A ''long'' dashiki suit includes a shirt that is knee-length or longer. However, if the shirt reaches the ankles, it is a Senegalese kaftan. Finally, the ''lace'' dashiki suit includes a shirt made of lace. A hybrid of the dashiki and kaftan worn by females is a traditional male dashiki with a western skirt.

Wedding colors

Grey is the traditional color for some West African weddings. Some grooms wear white dashiki suits during wedding ceremonies. Some couples wear non-traditional colors. The most common non-traditional colors are purple and blue. * Purple and lavender: the color of African royalty. * Blue: the color of love, peace, and harmony.

Funeral colors

Black and red are the traditional colors of mourning.

In the United States

The dashiki found a market in America during the

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and Black Power movements. The term ''dashiki'' began appearing in print at least as early as 1967. Reporting on the 1967 Newark riots in the '' Amsterdam News'' on July 22, 1967, George Barner refers to a new African garment called a "danshiki". An article by Faith Berry in '' The New York Times Magazine'' includes it on July 7, 1968. ''Dashiki'' formally appeared in the ''

Webster's New World Dictionary ''Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language'' is an American dictionary published first in 1951. As of 2022, the work is owned by HarperCollins Publishers. Overview The first edition was published by the World Publishing Comp ...

'', 1st College Edition of 1970/72. It cites J. Benning with the first written usage of the word in 1967. J. Benning, M. Clarke, H. Davis and W. Smith were founders of New Breed of

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, the first manufacturer of the garment in the United States. The dashiki was featured in the movies '' Uptight'' (1968), '' Putney Swope'' (1969), and the weekly television series '' Soul Train'' (1971). The '' Sanford and Son'' episode "Lamont Goes African" features Sanford's son Lamont wearing a dashiki as part of his attempt to return to his African roots. Jim Brown, Wilt Chamberlain, Sammy Davis Jr., and Bill Russell were among the well-known African-American athletes and entertainers who wore the dashiki on talk shows. Hippies also adopted dashikis into their wardrobe as a means to express counterculture values. Former

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mayor and council member Marion Barry was known for wearing a dashiki leading up to elections. Dashikis have been seen on many musicians, rappers and singers, mostly

, including

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Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor. Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he signed with the local independent label Rostrum Records to re ...

, ScHoolboy Q, Q-Tip, and many others. Fred Hampton of the

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made note of black business owners wearing dashikis in his 1969 speech "Power Anywhere Where There's People": " ybody who comes into the community to make profit off the people by exploiting them can be defined as a capitalist. And we don't care how many programs they have, how long a dashiki they have. Because political power does not flow from the sleeve of a dashiki; political power flows from the barrel of a gun." In February 2023, freshman lawmaker Justin J. Pearson was inaugurated to the

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House of Representatives while wearing a dashiki, prompting an immediate backlash from conservative lawmakers. The Tennessee House GOP tweeted that Pearson "should explore a different career opportunity" and referenced undefined attire rules for the house.

References

External links

* {{Folk costume Tops (clothing) 1960s fashion Nigerian clothing Men's clothing