Men's skirt (Bedamuni: kaĭya). Skirts like these form the traditional dress of Bedamuni men, and are worn together with a frontal pubic covering. The skirt consists of several layers of vegetable fibre (young coconut leaves), some of which are partly cut away and dyed with mulberry juice to enhance the aesthetic appeal. The coconut fibres are tied to twined ropes of gopéa (buko, Gnetum gnemon).
In the late 1970s, when this example was collected, skirts like these had been adopted comparatively recently from a neighbouring group to the west of the Bedamuni territory. Previously, men and women used to wear skirts made from the whole leaves of the ilogo tree (cabbage palm, Cordyline frutica).
This example was made by Patobi.
In the late 1970s, when this example was collected, skirts like these had been adopted comparatively recently from a neighbouring group to the west of the Bedamuni territory. Previously, men and women used to wear skirts made from the whole leaves of the ilogo tree (cabbage palm, Cordyline frutica).
