THE AFRIKAN FASHION LEGACY
by John R. Moore
Thousands of years ago, Afrikans left a legacy of fashion, style and beauty preserved on temple walls through their carvings. This section will provide a brief comparison of the past with the present in an attempt to show that in addition to civilization, the Afrikan also brought fashion and culture to the world.
To the Afrikan people, fashion and cloth were regarded as sacred and worthy of the great deities, but it is now being plagiarized, plundered, ridiculed and desecrated. It is a known fact that civilization began in Black Afrika where our ancestors dressed the deities according to the the attributes they possessed.
The world’s oldest surviving dress was found in an area of ancient Egypt dating back to about 2,800 B.C.
For example, look at the great deity Asa-ru who is wearing a shroud and seated on his throne as the ruler of the spiritual realm with his wife Ast, Aset or Isis (as named by the Greeks).
In the valley of the queens, Nefertari (right) is shown offering linen cloth to the deity Ptah who is wearing a shroud since he is in the spiritual realm, and on his shroud is an X which signifies resurrection from the spiritual world.
When viewing some of the ancient garments as seen on this acrobatic dancer which goes back to the old kingdom over 5,000 years ago, you will notice that she is wearing a loin cloth around her waist, out of which has developed the underpants.
This is also seen on this terracotta figure, which dates back to Edfu in Egypt over 3,000 years ago.
In the book “20,000 years of fashion”, it is said that English women did not appear to wear drawers until the end of the 18th century, so while Black Afrikans were wearing drawers over 3,000 years ago, the English did not even have them 300 years ago, yet praise and honour are given to Europe in terms of fashion, not being aware that it all originated with the Black Afrikan people.
Looking at the history of the lingerie, the origins of the petticoat can be found as a garment that developed naturally from the fine, light weight linens produced by the artists and craftsmen of the Nile Valley, which was part of the practice of personal cleanliness for which Black Egypt was quite famous.
Here is one of the outer garments called the kalasiris, a name given to this tight fitting garment worn by the ancient deities. Modern designers would like you to believe that they were the ones who created those styles.
The kalasiris may be the only garment worn today that looks just as it did in 1,000 B.C. when it quickly evolved after its inception into the well known tight, form-fitting, chest to ankle-length dress that hugs every curve of the body.
The kalasiris was a garment for both sexes which was introduced shortly after the establishment of the New Kingdom around 1000 B.C. The kalasiris became the standard dress for the ancient Egyptians. The common fabric was an off-white linen, which was so finely woven that it appeared transparent.
The Black ancestors also wore a variety of head pieces and crowns like this Deshret worn by king Djoser, which dates back to the 3rd dynastic period 4,000 years ago. The red crown symbolized his power in Lower Egypt or Egypt in the North. A similar hat was copied and worn by a religious group of men from Venice and Genoa in the 1400’s called the Doge. Notice that the hat worn by the Doge very closely resembles that worn by King Djoser.
Now look at the mitre worn by the Pope and see how closely it resembles the white Hedjet crown worn by Menkaure, which symbolized his power in Upper Egypt or Egypt in the South.
The white crown was worn by the rulers of Upper Egypt before the unification with Lower Egypt, had a special association with the goddess Nekhbet.
Here is King Tutankhamen wearing the Khepresh, (the war or ceremonial crown) (left), with its blue and gold colours symbolizing his power over the skies.
In addition, he also has the protective deity, the Wadjet or (Udjat) cobra - the eye of Horus which symbolizes healing and protection, showing that he would strike out at his enemies.
This crown was copied by Aleister Crowley (right), an occultist and magician who founded a sexually oriented cult, where he indulged in every form of sexual perversion imaginable. One of his main activities was to transmit hate vibrations into Watts in the 1960’s with the intention of starting a riot, so while. King Tut used his crown to wage war on his enemies; Aleister Crowley used his to wage war against Black people.
Note the similarities between the wigs that are worn by the judges and officials of England and Barbados, and see how closely they resemble the Nemes of the gold mask of King Tutankhamen which is blue and gold, signifying his dominion over the skies.
He also wears the protective deity of Wadjet and Nekhbet - Protrectress of Upper Egypt.
In the book “20,000 years of fashion” (left), it is stated that the hair worn by the Egyptians was parted into plaits and locks, according to the ancient Afrikan custom of over 40,000 years.
In order to be elegant, it was essential to take care of one’s hair, so our Black ancestors were very particular in terms of the hair styles they wore.
Here is Queen Nefru getting her locks palmed rolled by her hair stylists (right).
Locks were therefore an ancient style as can be seen on Amememhet III going back to about 4,000 years ago, who is shown wearing “dread” locks.
Our Black ancestors were very meticulous in making sure that they not only created beautiful pieces of cloth and clothing, but they also made sure that they were kept clean. But when you visit medieval Europe, it is found that this was not the case where maintaining a clean body and garments were concerned.
A book called “Dirt; a Social History as seen through the Uses and Abuses of Dirt”, written by a European named Terence McLaughlin, described that practice while he spoke about his European ancestors.
This information can also be found in a book called “A History of Costumes” by Rachel Cooper, who gives the origin of many of the European fashions like the glorified fur coat, which was originally designed to keep the flees off the body and not for the warmth or beauty for which it is presently worn.
This is Ssehura, a young Khoisan girl orphaned in 1700’s South Africa who was renamed Saartjie (Sarah) Baartman and known as the "Hottentots Venus" because of her pronounced buttocks and genitals. She was kidnapped from South Afrika in 1810 and exhibited like a wild beast in the nude in Europe after William Dunlop, a ship's doctor, told her that she could earn a fortune by allowing foreigners to look at her body.
Instead she became a freak-show attraction who was continuously investigated by pseudo scientists and put under the voyeuristic eye of the general public.
For several years, working-class Londoners crowded around to shout vulgarities at the protruding buttocks of this unfortunate woman, but the shape she had was most admired and desired by her countrymen, so in imitation, European (white) women created and wore a large pad around their waist to mimic that shape, from which the Bustle evolved, setting a major fashion trend into motion. When Sarah died, her buttocks were put on display in a museum in France until as recently as 1985. She became an icon for South African women who continue to suffer abuse and exploitation.
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Kente Cloth is made by the Asante people in Ghana of silk fibres woven on horizontal treadle looms (right), and is the best known of all African textiles. It is identified by its dazzling, multicoloured patterns of bright colours, geometric shapes and bold designs. Traditionally, Kente was the cloth of royalty, the rich, Queens, or Kings (asantehene) who controlled the use and production of Kente for his household, officials or political allies.
Today, as more people developed an interest in Afrikan fashions, the Kente cloth, created, has become well-known. The Ashante in Ghana were very concerned about the treatment of the Kente cloth, since to them it is very sacred, so they believed that with the imitations and increased production of this cloth, some form of desecration would be inevitable.
Kente is considered to be more important than just being a cloth in a total cultural context, since it is a visual symbol of the history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, moral values, religious beliefs, political thought, aesthetic principles, and social code of conduct.
Kente can be compared to an evening gown or tuxedo in Western cultures, and when worn or used on ceremonial occasions, it brings honour and prestige to the proceedings.
Currently the Kente cloth is found all over the world but increasingly in very negative forms as can be seen in this Mickey and Minnie mouse picture, where they are dressed in this sacred icon for example. This shows that the weavers of the Kente cloth were justified in their concerns, because the popularity and lack of knowledge about this very important and sacred cloth has led to its defamation.
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© John Moore - Barbados, W.I. (Updated January 2006) ©. All rights reserved.
