Aso Oke fabric
Encyclopedia
Aso oke fabric, is a hand loomed cloth woven by the Yoruba people
of south west Nigeria
. Aso oke means top cloth in the English language
. Usually woven by men, the fabric is used to make men's gowns, called Agbada
, women's wrappers
, called iro, and men's hats, called fila
.
.
Aso oke fabric is often worn with aran, a brown velvet with concentric designs.
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
of south west Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. Aso oke means top cloth in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Usually woven by men, the fabric is used to make men's gowns, called Agbada
Boubou (clothing)
The Grand Boubou/Bubu is one of the names for a flowing wide sleeved robe worn by men in much of West Africa, and to a lesser extent in North Africa, related to the Dashiki suit...
, women's wrappers
Wrapper (clothing)
The wrapper or pagne is a colorful women's garment widely worn in West Africa. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored ensembles. The formality of the wrapper depends on the fabric used to create it. The wrapper is called an Iro in the Yoruba...
, called iro, and men's hats, called fila
Aso Oke Hat
An Aso Oke Hat is a traditional Yoruba hat that is made of hand woven African fabric, see Aso Oke fabric, cotton, velvet, or damask. In the Yoruba language, this hat is called a fila. Although these hats originated in Nigeria they are worn by all men of African descent. Typically, the top of the...
.
Types of aso oke
There are three types of traditional aso oke worn by Yoruba peopleYoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
.
- Alaari - a rich red aso oke.
- Sanyan - a brown and usually light brown aso oke.
- Etu - a dark blue aso oke.
Aso oke fabric is often worn with aran, a brown velvet with concentric designs.
Yoruba women's garment
When people speak of an aso oke, they are usually referring to the traditional Yoruba women's garment. It consists of four parts:- Buba - Yoruba blouse
- Iro - a wrap skirt
- Gele - head tie
- Iborun or Ipele - shawl or shoulder sash
Formal wear
Nigerians around the world wear aso oke fabric for special occasions including holidays, weddings, funerals and chieftain title ceremonies. All followers of the Yoruba religion also wear aso oke fabrics and hats.See also
- AdireAdire (textile art)Adire textile is the indigo dyed cloth made in south western Nigeria by Yoruba women, using a variety of resist dye techniques....
- Yoruba tie-dye - African textilesAfrican textilesThe earliest surviving sub-Saharan African textiles are cloth fragments and parchment fragments that date to the ninth century BC from sites at Igbo Ukwu of the Igbo people of Nigeria. Some twelfth century cloth fragments date from the Tellem caves in Mali...
- Aso Oke hatAso Oke HatAn Aso Oke Hat is a traditional Yoruba hat that is made of hand woven African fabric, see Aso Oke fabric, cotton, velvet, or damask. In the Yoruba language, this hat is called a fila. Although these hats originated in Nigeria they are worn by all men of African descent. Typically, the top of the...
- Women's wrapperWrapper (clothing)The wrapper or pagne is a colorful women's garment widely worn in West Africa. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored ensembles. The formality of the wrapper depends on the fabric used to create it. The wrapper is called an Iro in the Yoruba...
- AgbadaBoubou (clothing)The Grand Boubou/Bubu is one of the names for a flowing wide sleeved robe worn by men in much of West Africa, and to a lesser extent in North Africa, related to the Dashiki suit...
- Kente clothKente clothKente cloth, known locally as nwentoma, is a type of silk and cotton fabric made of interwoven cloth strips and is native to the Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast.- Etymology :...
-- Woven by Ashanti people - BarkclothBarkclothBarkcloth or bark cloth is a versatile material that was once common in Asia, Africa, Indonesia, and the Pacific. Barkcloth comes primarily from trees of the Moraceae family, including Broussonetia papyrifera, Artocarpus altilis, and Ficus...
-- Woven by BugandaBugandaBuganda is a subnational kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Ganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda, comprising all of Uganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala, with the exception of the disputed eastern Kayunga District...
people