Early to mid- 20th century

Woman's Wedding Cloak (hràm nfàsi)

On the seventh day of her marriage, a Mahdian bride would abandon her bridal tunic and adopt this richly embroidered cloak for the remainder of her life. The long, rectangular cloak was folded on the horizontal so that the embroidered borders were visible. It was centered on the woman’s lap and secured to her body by tucking a silk belt under the fold and wrapping the belt around her hips three times. The excess fabric was brought up the back, over the front of the shoulders, and pinned near the underarms with gold brooches. This type of garment is typical of wedding cloaks from the Central Sahel region.