Object Details
- Label Text
- Books and auction sites since the mid-20th century have referred to the peoples who made and wore these beaded coverings as the Kirdi, a derogatory term meaning "pagan" or "heathen." Young women from the northern regions of Nigeria and Cameroon and eastern Chad dressed in the minimal beadwork, which could also be part of a more elaborate costume. Under pressure from both Islamic and colonial residents, the cache-sexe (a small apron-like garment that covers a woman’s pubic region) disappeared under bulkier garments or was made for sale to foreign markets.
- Description
- Cache-sexe composed of a rectangular netted beadwork panel with rows of triangles in blue, red and yellow glass beads outlined in white; 8 brass crotals and 2 rings hang from the bottom fringe.
- Provenance
- Purchased by Warren Robbins from Creamer, -- to 1979
- Exhibition History
- TxtStyles: Fashioning Identity, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 11-December 7, 2008
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Undetermined artist
- Date
- Mid-20th century
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase
- Medium
- Glass beads, copper alloy, cotton fiber
- Dimensions
- H x W: 30.5 x 49.2 cm (12 x 19 3/8 in.)
- Type
- Textile and Fiber Arts
