{"id":5277,"date":"2020-02-03T15:04:31","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T20:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lammuseum.wfu.edu\/?p=5277"},"modified":"2024-06-26T11:36:54","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T15:36:54","slug":"swahili-khanga-cloth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lammuseum.wfu.edu\/2020\/02\/swahili-khanga-cloth\/","title":{"rendered":"Swahili Khanga Cloth"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Khanga
\nKhanga (also spelled kanga) cloths are brightly printed rectangular cotton textiles that are very popular in East Africa.\u00a0 Khangas measure approximately 45\u201d by 65\u201d and are distinguished by their vibrant central design (mji<\/em>) surrounded by a colorful border (pindo<\/em>).\u00a0 Khangas are an important medium of communication, as they also feature Swahili proverbs, known as jina<\/em>.\u00a0 The saying may convey a religious or political message or simply a piece of wisdom.\u00a0 This khanga cloth from Tanzania features the phrase \u201cMkono Wa Mungu Hakuna Wa Kuushinda,<\/em>\u201d which translates to \u201cThe hand of God is not to be overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khangas have their origins in the mid-19th<\/sup> century on the island of Zanzibar.\u00a0 They are named after the Kiswahili word for a spotted black and white guinea fowl, because the earliest cloths had a pattern resembling the bird\u2019s coloring.\u00a0 Designs have since evolved to feature a great variety of pattern and color.\u00a0 The Swahili proverbs were added in the early 1900s.\u00a0 Although the cloths were originally designed and printed in India, China, Japan and Europe, since the mid-20th<\/sup> century many more are printed in East Africa.<\/p>\n

Khangas are usually bought in pairs.\u00a0 They can be used for a wide variety of purposes, functioning as skirts, shawls, head wrappings, blankets, baby carriers, gift wrap, and more.\u00a0 In general, women use khangas more often than men.\u00a0 The cloths are popular as gifts, especially for important life events such as for a bride at her wedding or a mother at birth of her baby. \u00a0Khangas may be passed down as inheritance from mother to daughter.<\/p>\n

This khanga cloth is currently on display in Cultures, Contexts, and Collectors<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 Additional research was completed by Emily Wilmink (\u201920).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Khanga (also spelled kanga) cloths are brightly printed rectangular cotton textiles that are very popular in East Africa.\u00a0 Khangas measure approximately 45\u201d by 65\u201d and are distinguished by their vibrant central design (mji) surrounded by a colorful border (pindo).\u00a0 Khangas are an important medium of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"overlay_title":false,"hide_featured_image_post":false,"wfu_hide_page_title":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artifacts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSwahili Khanga Cloth - Timothy S. Y. 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