Object Number: T/NIGE/14

Collection: British Empire & Commonwealth

Object Name: Clothing

Description: This is a man’s gown from Nigeria. The girke is a tailored gown made by the Hausa, derived from Tuareg Saharan riding dress, which spread through Nigeria and all of West Africa. It differs from other gowns created by the Hausa as it has inserts of material in the skirt causing it to flare out. The spread of this dress occurred as part of the spread of Islam throughout West Africa, but has now become a version of national dress, meaning not everyone who wears it is necessarily Muslim. This gown is made of beige and cream coloured silk fabric woven in narrow strips, and is completely hand sewn. The sleeves and centre panel are made of different, but very similar strips, both with beige/white stripes on them. The sleeve strips are 5.5cm, and the centre panel has thinner strips (2.5cm) which then have a cream inserts added into the gown to give more of a flare to the bottom - gowns with these inserts in the skirt are known as 'girke'. This gown has hand-sewn embroidery on it in the traditional aska takwas (eight knives) design. This sees five knife shapes placed along the top of the pocket and three to the right of the neck opening - this pattern has been used for well over a century. The aska tawas is complete with the traditional embroidery of two spirals - one on the left of the gown and one of the back of the gown. These spirals are extensions of structural features which are used to strengthen the neck of the gown, known as the linzami and the sharaba (two constructional parts of the collar). The linzami is the piece of fabric added to the inside of the collar to make it asymmetrical; the sharaba is reinforced fabric which runs from the bottom left-hand corner of the collar up, alongside the linzami, to the top of the collar and then across the top of the collar, stretching beyond the neck opening.. There are more geometric shapes accompanying the knife designs, which resemble the 'daurin gwarmai’ (string puzzle) pattern. These geometric shapes have had further detail added to them as couched patterns have been created (these are the patterns made seen in the raised stitches). Moreover, the string puzzle pattern has been stitched with buttonhole-stitch eyelets, creating a more textured effect.