One Lucky Soul: Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World

Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

After meeting the crafty designer, Yulia, here in Dahab yet before acquiring the piece of clothing shown in the featured photo, I sent her a message, asking what it is called. I have been somewhat fantasising about seeing myself in one for as long as I can remember. And since I’ll be wearing it, one might as well be informed. I wrote, I’m sure it’s not a “Kimono”, but what is it then? She said she calls it “Cape”. Alright. Oh, like Superheroes; but I thought capes went backward. Well I certainly wasn’t going to argue with the actual person who designed and made it.

When sharing the photo on social media a friend commented that he likes the “Shawl” and wanted one. Again here, I’ve always thought a shawl is a smaller piece of cloth or fabric that covers the shoulders, head, and even chest.

In hope to clear out the confusion, my unquenched curiosity led me to dig into that mythical flappy “dress” in order to learn more, especially its correct name. Is it a cape, a cloak, robe, “abaya” (عباية / عباءة), jilbab/jilbãb, tunic, jillaba/djellaba, poncho, or, something totally different? The following are the interesting findings of the investigation.

  One type of loose unisex “dress” worn in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia are what they call in Egypt “Galabeya” — otherwise known as Jalabiya/Jalabeya/Jellabiya, Kurta, Thobe/Thawb, Jubbah/Jebba, Kaftan/Caftan among other names depending on where you are in the world.

Saudis, Kuwaitis, Omanis, Qataris, Bahrainis, and Emiratis each have their own traditional style of thobes.   The same goes for different regions in Africa.

In Egypt, for instance, where there is significant diversity, galabeyas are worn more in the south where it is gets pretty hot. Unlike the thobe, those are more of a working man garb — farmers and construction workers. Bedouins, too, wear galabeyas; those are the nomadic Arab tribes originally from the desert regions who eventually spread across the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. Others may wear them only at home as a sort of pyjamas.

While we can see the Arabic and Turkish influence on Egyptian fashion — see le tarbouche — even further south in Nuba, where indigenous peoples of the central Nile Valley have been residing for millennia, things seem to become ethnically and distinctively tribal and perhaps more African, one could say, especially for western eyes. Be it clothing, art, or culture as a whole, you do feel their more pure nativity and aboriginality as well as their more direct and perhaps also undiluted ancestral link.

Nuba, from the answer on Quora

Some of you may have seen me wear an actual galabeya recently, at least in photos. But then this flappy, sleeveless one-piece African-Medicine-Man-looking outfit we are trying to identify herein is not a galabeya. So what is it then other than mere cape?   

Well, in Arabic there is a similar sleeveless unisex overgarment called “Abaya” ( عباية / عباءة). It may be worn over a galabeya or anything else and is usually in plain colours, often black. Some may have limited embroidery, yet are almost never too colourful nor decorated with elaborate squiggles or symbolic designs. True enough, Abaya translates as “cape” in English — like Yulia initially mentioned. But also as “Cloak”, which from English to Arabic is translated as abaya; as well as: Mantle, gown, frock, negligee.

Other names for comparably loose items are Jubbah/Jebba/Jibba and Kaftan/Koftan. In Egypt, the “Jebba and Koftan” are usually worn together and remain the traditional attire of Muslim sheikhs and those at Al-Azhar — with the koftan ( قُفْطان ) worn underneath the jebba (جُبَّة ) .

For Muslim women, there is also the “Jilbab/Jilbãb” worn as a conservative religious dress code. Oh boy, more words!, said the logo-lexophile.

Now back to the English language. By mentioning cloak we must go back to cape. Both are sleeveless and made from a single piece of fabric, yet they do not describe the same thing. In fact, the Internet is full of cape vs cloak articles.

Capes are known to be shorter, typically reaching the hips and thighs, while cloak is full/floor-length or calf-length. Due to its bell shape, the word cloak in Middle English actually originates from Old French cloke, dialect variant of cloche ‘bell, cloak’; from medieval Latin clocca ‘bell’. Aha, who knew!

Different versions of cloaks and capes as seen on Treasurie.com

Beside size, another apparent difference between cape and cloak lies in their purpose. Compared to the latter, the former is seen as more of a fashion article usually worn for aesthetics rather than functionality. That is in real life.

In the realm of fictional fantasy and Superheroes, capes could have legit functions — like Superman, Batman, Thor. Capes have already made it into storytelling even earlier with Zorro (1919) as well as Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers (1844). Then again, why many fictional superheroes are created and depicted wearing capes part of their costumes, somewhat stereotypically one might add? This is a more specific query found posed and answered on many websites and forums like Quora again, and Reddit.

One theory is to make them look larger in size while also more majestic, otherworldly, or intimidating. Love me some otherworldliness! Another use, as mentioned, is to provide cover and protection. Apparently the idea was inspired by theatre artists from the 1920s and 30s.
Interestingly, there is an established history in Spanish drama and fiction called “Capa y Espada” or “Cape and Sword”.

Let us not forget, however, that many story villains tend to be depicted wearing capes just as well, like Dracula for instance. The same goes for witches, wizards, vampires... and, of course, Little Red Riding Hood.

The philosopher in a himation à la Ancient Greece, 2014 (L)
& the artist in perhaps a tunic or kurta handmade by Bedouins, 2022 (R)

Cloaks, on the other hand, turned out to be one of the earliest attires in history. Worn by Ancient Greeks as outer garment over the left shoulder and under the right arm as a mantle or wrap, it was called a “Himation”. The Romans then later copied the Greeks [surprise!], creating their own version, the “Pallium”. Scots and Celts, too, wore cloaks to warm up.

More about the history and origin of cloaks can be found in What’s the Difference between Capes and Cloaks?. As for capes, they are covered in length in Types of Capes.

Whether capes or cloaks, it seems they are both prevalent in a multitude of folk tales permeating countless ancient cultures and the human psyche and imagination along with it. Indeed, there is something archaically magical and phantasmagorical about them, which for me personally remains captivating.

Adding to the seemingly endless list of terms, there is also the “Tunic”, which is another unisex article originally worn in the ancient Mediterranean world, yet it also goes back to Ancient Egypt. It is a top shirt reaching either to the hips or knees, like Peter Pan or possibly myself [again] in the above photo. What to say: I cherish my individuality as much as I have a distaste for conformity. Sharing my own photos herein also helps greatly with copyright issues. So there is also that.

A similar-looking collarless shirt is called “Kurta” in South East Asia. It is often worn underneath the unisex coat-like traditional Indian “Sherwani”.

Resembling the western tunic, there is the “Smock-frock” or “smock” for short. As a sort of protective outer coat or apron, it was originally worn in rural areas by waggoners and shepherds. Today smocks refer to a work overgarment worn for protection like for painters.

Still, while our novel item of clothing in question is made from a single piece of loose fabric, material wise, it is much thinner that what is usually described as cape or cloak. While there are no actual sleeves, there are two large side openings used as sleeves.

Linguistically, perhaps being English words is what makes it challenging to find the correct and suitable appellation within the existing nomenclature. Until now, however, no word says anything about the mysterious symbols and archaic squiggles printed on the material. More digging is necessary.

Now as we look into Africa, we start coming closer to the truth.

In West Africa, there is the “Dashiki”, which is a colourful garment that covers the top half of the body. I am sure you came across them before. I remember seeing them as a child in bazaars throughout Egypt. Probably brought into the country from more African nations.

In East and Central Africa, dashikis are known as a “Kitenge/Chitenge”, which is piece of fabric similar to a sarong. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored suits.   Kitenge is close to yet thicker than Kangas and Kikoi.

Dashiki shirt (L) and a couple of Kitenge designs (R)

Minus the colourful designs, those seem close to the button-less open shirts I have been wearing for the past several years, which were initially designed and custom-made by an artist cousin. Or should should we say “blouses” as another friend once called them. Eventually I started designing more shirts. Different colours and materials, with/without pocket, with/without collar. Just to add some variety since I wear them a whole lot. I also used the same measurements to make a longer garment, which became the grey galabeya — seen in the below photo. Choosing to have it shorter-than-usual in length, it looks like the blue tablier we wore at Kindergarten or even those white attires worn at the Loony Bin.

You see, at some point when I became who I always was, wearing Polo shirts seemed so... not me, for lack of a more descriptive word. Same goes for clothes with visible labels or marks on them. So I gave the few I had away and had to find something that suits my philosophy, authenticity, eccentricity, peculiarity, and mental states. This step had already followed getting rid of suits and ties almost a decade prior.

Then, with the long hair, beard, shorts, and flip-flops, the beach-living Bohemian artist look seemed to have been almost perfected. By my mid-late 30s I even started wearing pink again after kicking it out of my wardrobe 25 years prior. In case you’re wondering why, because teenage me wanted to “Be a man!” How juvenile. Without colours, or with only a few preferred ones that we stick to like peas in a pod, our choice of clothing can certainly become quite drab and boring.

While I happen to feel highly comfortable in those custom-made shirts, they became my casual everyday attire. Plus, they are all plain. Hence the occasional fascination with certain unique, unusual, non-mainstream wear with cool designs, patterns, and imprints like the one we are investigating. Though actually, it will be worn on special occasions, such as drum circles or festivals — perhaps as some kind of costume and certainly not everyday. I do love my current style, yet being eclectic in taste means that change also remains needed while comfort is still kept. After all, I hold that when you are comfortable you tend to look good and not the other way round.

I once jovially wrote: Why only Yoda and the Pope among other wizards and spiritual figures get to enjoy life with free dangling cojones? I’m sick of this discrimination and letting the boys loose. Ah. What freedom.

They had something called Galabeya Party in 1980s and 90s Egypt
where somewhat modern people would wear galabeyas for the event. Ha.

Now, the following is from someone on Quora, answering to the question Why are “Robes” so commonly worn by males in Africa and the Middle East?: [“Robe”, too, could be another suitable word; without belt though]  

“Arabian heat and African heat, aren’t the same. Even in those countries, humidity is variable so there are different adaptations depending on your proximity to the Coast Line.” 

Another answer about Africa in particular:   “Robes are perceived as a sign of wisdom and all respectable males are expected to wear some kind of clothing covering their legs, therefore we have different varieties of robes for different venues and occupation.”

As we come closer to the one I had just acquired — in appearance, material, signs, designs — , there is the “Bogolan”: Another kind of robe that is “More convenient to do some kind of work like Agriculture, hunting and other outdoor activities, Historically worn by hunters, Farmers, and herdsmen.”  

Like dashiki and kitenge before it, Bogolan does not seem to describe the type of clothe or garments, but it is the handmade cotton fabric, or textile, on which the symbols and patterns are then added. So just as there are Bogolan robes, there are Bogolan dresses, skirts, pants, tops, suits.

As shared in an illuminating article on Contemporary African Art (dotcom):

Etymologically, the origin roots of Bogolanfini are Bambara, the language spoken by the Bamana people of Mali and it is derived from three words: ‘logo’ meaning mud/earth, ‘lan’ meaning by means of, and ‘fini’ meaning cloth.”       

From The Bogolan Mudcloth, another article on The Ethnic Home in which photos of how mudcloth have been and still are traditionally made; the spinning, weaving, and sewing may take the men and women artists involved up to two months. A truly extraordinary effort.

“The Malian Bogolan, today, is probably the most distinctive African textile. To non-African eyes, all of its aspects embody the African “flavour”: Its colours embrace the entire ochre palette of the African earth; its patterns call to mind ancestral and mysterious tribal geometries; its textured cotton, so thick and sturdy, and its evident manual seams tell the story of an antique universe of skilful hands.

For the Malians, it’s a national treasure and an essential element of their cultural identity. They say that Bogolan is made of the earth, the river, the forests, and the sun of Mali. It’s literally true — it’s not a way of saying — but Bogolan is even more: as is often the case in predominantly oral cultures, a cloth is never a simple cloth.  The present bogolan textile often called “the African mudcloth”, has its roots in the traditional bogolanfini, a handspun and handwoven cotton cloth, hand-dyed following a complex process involving the use of plant extracts, fermented mud from the Niger River, a lot of tropical sun and water.

While it is certainly an ancient tradition, it is thought impossible to say how old it could be; for its origins remain unknown. Despite some scholars (as Luke-Boone, 2001) claiming it can be traced back to the 12th century AD, this is still an unverifiable hypothesis due to the perishable and fragile nature of the fabric.”  

Literally produced from the very essential elements of Mother Nature and consequently also Life. How fascinating.

It is like deciphering the story added to the item

What is equally interesting are the symbols and patterns embroidered on the actual garment of the ‘mudcloth’ Bogolan. Some symbolise Bravery/Fearlessness, Wealth and Luxury; others like the two arrowheads connected by a straight line — found on mine — represent the “House of Calabash Flowers”. Larger patterns may also have their meanings, such as “a drum calling warriors into battle”.

  Apparently each outfit tells its own story. Depending on the symbols and patterns used, their specific order and arrangement can reveal a plethora of secretive information. What an inspiration for a storytelling djembefola. It was actually the artistic symbolism that had first caught my attention at the community Market here in Dahab; they truly “spoke to me” — somewhat subconsciously while drawing me towards it. This is when I met Yulia — almost in a trance. The fact that they are unisex was another interest. Starting by inquiring, eventually, I ended up acquiring.

You can find her cool native clothing on Aervanshop on Instagram.

As we carry on digging throughout the region and get more specific, here are other names for traditional African wear as seen in Traditional African Clothing That Identifies African Tribes At A Glance:

1. Kente: Ashanti and Ewe people of Ghana 

2. Iro ati Buba: Iro and Buba (popularly called Iro ati Buba) are native to Yoruba women of Nigeria. The original version of the dress features five pieces. 

3. Boubou: Senegalese unisex.   

4. Kanzu: Called “Thobe/Thawb” in Arabic and “Tunic” in English, those “jalabeyas” are white or cream worn by men in the Africa Great Lakes region — especially popular in Uganda while also including Burundians, Congolese, Ethiopians, Kenyans, Malawians, Rwandans, Tanzanians, and Ugandans.

5. Habesha Kemis: Belonging to the Habesha women of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Habesha Kemis is usually a robe that stretches from the neck to the ankles. It does sound like a woman’s full name.   

6. Jillaba or Djellaba: is a long, loose-fitting unisex robe usually full-sleeved and worn in the Maghreb region of North Africa. Traditionally, the main material for designing djellabas is wool. However, these days lightweight cotton ones have become available. Many also have hoodies, which makes you look like a monk, and which had captivated me as a kid when I saw them depicted in Tintin's book Le Crabe aux Pinces d'Or (The Crab with the Golden Claws), which took place in Morocco.

One cannot help see the similarity between the words Jillaba, Jilbab, and Jalabeya/Jellabiya.

Speaking of, taken from Words I Made Up — The Thirteenth, there is also Jill-Babs: A feminine given name common between traditional Arab immigrants who adhere to a certain religious dress code. Uhu.

Even Dupond et Dupont (Thomson & Thompson)! — from Tintin
et Le Crabe aux Pinces d’Or.
One day I shall get a blue hooded one... preferably from Morocco

Beside Africa and Arabia, variants of loose ethnic clothings were equally prevalent in North Asia, Eastern Europe, and Persia — where their long-sleeved silk or cotton robes are called Khalat/Kehlat/Khilat.

Central Asia and Eastern Europe also had their own versions. In Romanian, for instance the word is Halat.

It is held that the Russian kaftan was likely influenced by Persian and/or Turkic people in Old Russia. A common garment since as far back as the 13th Century, the word “kaftan” was actually adopted from the Tatar language, which in turn was borrowed from Persia. The traditional Russian version of the kaftan look quite similar to ones worn by Ottoman sultans. It could be made of wool, cashmere, silk, or cotton.

In Turkey, they are known as Chapan — see photo below.

Parallelly, Jewish culture adapted a silky robe, bekishe, or frock coat, kapoteh, from the garb of Polish nobility.

South East Asians, too, were inspired to wear related garments after dealing with visiting Arab traders.

Much more recently in 20th Century Europe and America, some designers like Christian Dior and Balenciaga added loose fitting robes to their collections. For westerners, such wear was considered quite unique and exotic.

In the 1960s and 70s hippie fashions were inspired by ethnic styles, especially through Americans who would return from journeying the “Hippie Trail”. Slowly but surely, the idea of wearing traditional clothings belonging to other cultures and regions became appropriated by designers. It was also a time when Kaftan-like dashikis became common between African Americans.

Today, culture appropriation is quite the controversial topic in the U.S. It is described as: When members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way.

The trouble, I think, is largely a by-product of the nature of the fabric of the current American society. From one side, Native Americans had their lands stolen, and from the other, Africans were enslaved and brought into ships. So maybe such minorities are not too keen to see white folks, who represent the majority, trying to mimic, embody, or steal [again] their own ethnic identities. For one, it is taken as disrespect.

As such, one wonders that perhaps if their shared history was more peaceful, the society could have been less segregated while people could have worn whatever they wish; because despite their different past and history, everyone will truly be part of one nation, in which there is not much enmity between the different groups and culture identities.

Taking myself as an example, my paternal family is originally from Turkey before great great grandfather arrived to Egypt as a young boy with his uncle Muhammad Ali Pasha. On my maternal grandmother side, they came to Egypt from Arabia, which followed their even more native, Kazakhstan in Central Asia. As such, I can say I am Egyptian, African, Turkish, even Arab and Asian. Not that I particularly enjoy flags or borders or labels, because they tend to divide us; I also see myself as a citizen of the world. Yet, these remain one’s roots. So choosing to wear items that are from outside the norm of my westernised upbringing — French school and American university — seems totally fine. These are somehow the clothes of my ancestors, which I cherish and wear with a certain reverence and respect rather than at a Halloween party. It could be that I am subconsciously attempting to connect with my primal foundation... à la Bohémien.

Great great great grandfather, or the father of the grandfather of my grandfather, “El Sayed” Mohamed Cherif Pasha “El Kebir” (circa 1760s — 1865) in a Turkish chapin. He was ( والي الشام ) or Governor of Syria and the land of Arabestan/Arabistan,
which was part of the Ottoman Empire.

While culture appropriation is a much more recent subject, in early America a related clothing item is found: the famous “Poncho”. Its utilisation, however, remain different, mainly due to the different weather, it still looks slightly close to our Bogolan garment here. The below description has been adapted from Wikipedia:

Spanish for “blanket”, “woollen fabric”, a poncho is an outer garment designed to keep the body warm. A rain poncho is made from a watertight material designed to keep the body dry from the rain. Ponchos have been used by the Native American peoples of the Andes, Valley of Mexico and Patagonia since pre-Hispanic times, from places now under the territory of Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina and are now considered classic American article of clothing.

For South American and Mexican cultures, ponchos are a distinguished archetypal costume.

Beside the traditional usage, apparently more recently in history there were “military ponchos”. Starting in 1850, those early models were used in the Civil War then later in World War II. Around then, the Germans Army likewise issued ponchos to their soldiers which could be combined to form tents. True story! Being portable, they are used as well in times of peace as sleeping mats, or again, tents during hiking or camping.

Araucanos and Huasos in Chile, 19th century, Wikipedia

With all such compelling information and new terms, let us recap the findings of the comparative research before we go. Starting with what the garment at issue could have been but turned out not to be, and ending with what seems like it actually is.

We said it is not a kimono nor shawl. Neither is it a galabeya/thobe/kaftan, nor abaya/jilbab/jubbah, since those have sleeves. What about cape and cloak? Based on the description of both, the first is supposed to be somewhat short rather than full length, while the latter sounds quite western — again probably due to language. It is certainly not a tunic, because that is basically a long shirt/blouse with sleeves.

When we then explore the African continent, the identification process then begins to look more promising. First in West Africa where there is the mighty colourful dashiki; then in East and Central Africa where we find the kitenge/chitenge. Both, however, seem to describe the vibrant prints on the textile or material rather than the actual garment. So it is said: Dashiki shirt, dashiki robe, kitenge dress, kitenge skirt and so on. When we finally come across the Malian Bogolan mudcloth, on which the symbols we were investigating are imprinted, we again find that the word Bogolan describes the actual fabric rather than the type of clothing. For there are likewise Bogolan dresses, skirts, pants, tops, suits.

As we have seen, since the kind of loose clothing is found pretty much everywhere around the globe, different appellations for what may seem like similar garments differ depending on one’s location and language. It appears that this kind of ancestral clothing has been around throughout a colourful variety of different cultures going back to aeons ago. While the names and styles may differ, the very idea or concept of a loose garment worn by men and women seems to be everywhere. Perhaps it is its sheer simplicity and comfort were the main catalyst behind how it became so widespread and universal. Another reason why some of us have always felt a certain mysterious connection drawn to it.     That is in addition to the enchanting fact that the Bogolan ‘mudcloth’ in particular is made of and from the Earth. I highly doubt that mine had gone through the traditional few-week procedure. But I am certainly ecstatic to have it while informed about its compelling history and origin.

Et voilà. And now we know.

With all this eclectic variety of names originating from a variety of times and places, starting now I shall call it a Bogolan Robe.

  Now I am utterly excited for the next Full Lunacy Drum Circle here in Dahab or any coming music festival when the Bogolan robe will be wearing me… making it look fabulous. I hope you enjoyed reading this research exposé as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it.

Sources:

Why do superheroes wear capes?, Quora

Why do classic superheroes wear capes?, Reddit

Why are “Robes” so commonly worn by males in Africa and the Middle East?, Quora

What’s the Difference between Capes and Cloaks?, Raven Fox Capes & Cloaks

Types of Capes, Treasurie

Bogolan Mudcloth, Contemporary African Art

The Bogolan Muccloth, The Ethnic Home

11 Traditional African Clothing That Identifies African Tribes At A Glance, African Vibes

Poncho, Wkipedia

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