A big part of the African culture is their ceremonies. Here there is dancing, singing, storytelling, tribal chants, and more. Africans dances especially require certain outfits and costumes to be worn while entertaining.
The first kinds of clothing were made of animal skin and different types of furs. This method was used for years and it was working. However, because they were using fur, the cases of lice were growing so they started finding other materials to use.
Jewelry was a way to be spiritual and religious. In some cases, it was symbolic or was somehow connected to their religion and the spirits. Materials such as feathers and shells were used as jewelry or decoration. The Africans figured out that different plants and dyes could be used to color cloths, some shells, and even feathers.
As time went by, people got smarter when it came to making clothes. They made the cloth lighter and didn’t use as much animal skin. They used the bark and fiber off trees. To get it soft, they pounded it really hard and soon it became like pieces of cloth. They would sew these small squares together and this would create cloths that they could dye and decorate.
Around 2000 B.C. was when Africans finally started to weave their cloth. The abundance of bark was getting less and less. However, people were still wearing fur. They also wore some leather and feather hats, headdresses, shells, feathers, and even grass! Most people think that in ancient times, the women did all of the cooking, making of the clothes, and maintaining the shelter. Likewise, in some of the countries of Africa, the men did the weaving, which is an idea that slowly spread throughout Africa. Clothes were pretty necessary during this time. Because of this, some people gave up farming and sold clothes for a living.
Later, clothes became more and more detailed. Now, if you see costumes that are worn during dances, they are custom for that particular dance. African clothing is a big part of their culture. |
This shows how the Africans really used color to show their spirit and culture. |
This is an example of what an African costume might look like. |
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