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Man wearing a laheria turban, Ranakpur, Rajasthan, IndiaPhoto by Meena Kadri http://www.flickr.com/photos/meanestindian/ |
Clothing and Culture in South Asia
From the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection |
Woman’s pillbox hat (based on a Muslim man’s cap)
1960s, India, 3” high x 6.25” wide
Rayon satin with gold- and silver-colored zardozi (metal-thread embroidery), plastic pearls, and glass beads; buckram interfacing
HLATC #2001.12.008 MORE INFO
HLATC #1998.11.006 MORE INFO |
Child’s cap |
1998.12.1, 1998.12.2, 1998.11.9a-c |
HLATC #1998.12.002 MORE INFO |
Kalash woman’s kupas (headdress)
This headdress would have been worn over a shushut (see #1998.12.001 below) on special occasions by a Kalash woman living in an isolated valley in northern Pakistan. She would have spun, woven, and dyed the wool ground fabric herself. The cowrie shells and other ornaments, however, would have been imported across long distances over difficult terrain, proclaiming their wearer’s wealth.
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HLATC #1998.12.001 MORE INFO |
Kalash women’s shushut (headdress)
This everyday headdress would have been worn beneath a kupas (see #1998.12.002 above) on special occasions. As is true in much of South Asia and many cultures elsewhere, Kalash female dress is more conservative than male attire: while Kalash women still wear traditional dress, Kalash men have adopted modern Pakistani garb. |
Child’s cap with earflaps
last quarter 20th c., Indus Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, 10.25” high x 8.75” wide
Cotton with plastic and metal horned charm, plastic buttons, glass (and metal?) beads, metal disks, zipper, satin- and cross-stitch embroidery
Side View HLATC #1999.08.004 More info |
HLATC #1999.08.004 More info |
From its earflaps to its horned charm, this cap was designed to protect the child who wore it from both the harsh climate and spiritual danger. The metal disks were intended to reflect and repel approaching malevolent energies. The plastic, glass, and metal ornaments sewn all over the cap’s surface would have tinkled as the child moved, scaring away evil spirits.
HLATC #1998.10.003 MORE INFO |
Child’s natiyo (hood) |
HLATC #1999.08.005 More Info |
Woman’s perak (headdress)
This extraordinary piece is heavily encrusted with turquoise from Iran and coral from Southeast Asia, both imported at enormous expense. Women begin collecting turquoise and other ornaments for their perak as children, and they are given from mother to daughter. The perak is worn over a fitted cap of black lambskin that has large, wing-shaped flanges at the sides. Ladakhi women once wore headdresses such as this every day, even while working in the fields, but now they are only expected to wear them on formal occasions. The turquoise and coral stones here, as well as the crescent-shaped amulet with its spirit-chasing bells, are all believed to safeguard the wearer. Even though the ground fabric is barely visible beneath the dense ornamentation, it appears to be a precious Chinese silk brocade.
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Detail of Woman’s perak (headdress)1999.08.005
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Woman wearing a perak headdress, Ladakh, India Photo by Helen Cannon-Brookes http://www.flickr.com/photos/91401835@N00/ |
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HLATC #2003.08.003 MORE INFO |
Naga warrior’s helmet |
