YORUBA GIRL

The Yoruba women's dress differs considerably from that worn in other parts of Nigeria.The head-dress worn by married women is large and elaborately tied.The blouse is of simple design but the sleeves are full and usually of three-quarter lenght.The skirt is shorter than that worn in the north and eastern parts of Nigeria and it is wrapped around the body so that it hangs in points and uneven lenghts.Blue is their traditional colour.The indigo dye is used extensively and both Abeokuta and Ibadan are famous for their locally dyed cloths.
The head - dress shown in this picture is of Yoruba hand-woven cloth of silk and cotton.The blouse is off imported printed copy.Strip patterns are popular among both men and women.The skirt is of imported white cotton which has been designed and coloured locally by the following method.First,cassava juice is painted on the cloth either by hand direct or by means of stencils,then,when dry,the cloth is diped into a vat of indigo dye and the exposed portions turn blue,while the area treated with cassava remains white.

SEEDS AND PEBBLES ARE SOMETIMES STITCHED to the white cloth before dyeing so as to form patterns and protect the cloth from the dye.The cloth the girl is wearing over her shoulder has been treated in this manner.Like the men ,the Yoruba women favour backless slippers.