The Baherero dress: a stylish yet traditional garment
Leinanyana Tsiane | Friday July 25, 2014 13:09
The Baherero are still holding on to their culture but it seems interest in it is waning.
The Herero dress is a typical example of how some of the tribe’s people don’t follow the rules of wearing it. Fredricah Ngoahoka told Mmegi that married women and elderly single women who have children wear the dress. “This is our culture. Certain women wear the dress. It should be accorded the respect it deserves but because we are now living in a changing society, there are marked changes in the current times,” she said. She further said unemployed Baherero women are expected to always be clad in the dress while those who are employed must wear it when they are off work. It’s standard expectation for the women to be wearing the dress during social occasions like weddings and funerals.
When dressed in this dress, the woman doesn’t sit on a chair but a traditional leather mat known as a phate. “Even when a woman is at her house or home it is taboo to sit on a chair. At funerals too, women are supposed to sit on the ground. But because people are now modernised this cultural habit is slowly dying,” bemoaned Ngoahoka. She said the dress is not exchangeable. It cannot be lent to another person because you wear it when elders have performed a traditional ceremony, which marks the woman wearing the dress. This ceremony is conducted to accord the dress respect, as it’s perceived a sacred piece of material. “For example if my younger sister is not married but has children, she cannot wear the dress on her own. The elders have to dress her in the attire first. Even a non-Herero woman cannot borrow the dress from us,” she explained.
When doning the dress, the tip of the wearer’s shoes should not be seen. The dress should be tailored to cover the feet. Although they can wear any shoe type, Herero women hardly wear sneakers or trainers unless if they are working at the farm. Some women can use almost eight metres of cloth to make a single dress.
“The material that we use to make the dresses differs. Some prefer to buy chiffon while others opt for cotton but the length of our dresses is just the same. What differs is the waist and bust because some women have small waists and busts while others have bigger ones,” she said.
Ngoahoka further explained that when draped in the dress, a Herero woman should walk in a unique manner, swaying side to side. “A woman has to walk slowly and majestically like a peacock. You will never see a Herero woman walking fast when she is wearing the dress. We walk like queens with our heads covered in traditional Herero headgear. It’s easy to tell if a non-Herero woman is wearing our dress from looking at the way she walks,” she said.
She further explained that the double-horned head cover has nothing underneath to give the horn shape but is just material tied in an expert unique fashion. She pointed out that for the head cover to sit firmly on the head and look appealing, they wear wigs or braid their hair so that it peaks from beneath.
A passionate Ngoahoka said Herero children should cling to their culture even though some of them might be educated and interact with people of different cultures. “They should still understand and celebrate their culture,” she said.