The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture

Glossary

139 Glossary A word of caution: many of these terms have multiple spellings depending on the native language and culture of the author. There is some confusion of terminology even within the Islamic world. For example, the garment that Somalis refer to as shuka is called jilbab in Turkey. Somalis use the word jilbab for a completely different style of clothing that resembles the ensembles worn by Catholic nuns (similar to the Iranian chador). Ambur. A blouse worn with a futa or skirt. Audulli. A necklace with a large crescent-shaped pendant made of silver, worn by Somalis but made out of elements from the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe. Barkin. A wooden headrest used by a nomadic man to keep his hair from being flattened or tangled at night and to stay alert to danger. Bilawi. A nomadic-style dagger, often worn tucked into a scabbard at the waistline; made by Saab craftsmen. Bisht. An Arab-style cloak for men. Boqor. Hand-made rope used by women as a belt for the saddexqayd. Buibui. See shuka (cloak). Caftan. A knee- or ankle-length tunic worn primarily by men in Somalia, originally from the Arabian Peninsula (also called kamiz or qamis). Dirac. A knee- or ankle-length, thin, loose dress worn in agricultural and nomadic areas; a fashion that came from northern Somali territory in the 1960s. Futa. An Arab-style short wrapper for women worn around the lower body, often as a layer under other garments. Gaashaan. Shields made by Saab craftsmen out of very tough leather from animals like the hippopotamus and rhinoceros. Garbasaar. Somali for “shoulder cloth”; a short piece of fabric worn with dirac or guntiino. Gorgorad. A petticoat worn with dirac. Guntiino (plural: guntiinaha). A nomadic-style dress worn by knotting a long piece of cloth over the left shoulder and wrapping it around the torso. Hardas. An amulet worn by nomadic men; a leather packet tied around the neck with a thick band of leather. 140 Glossary Hijab. For Somalis, this refers to an Islamic-style head covering (not just a head wrap, but something that covers the neck); in Arabic it simply means “covering.” Imamad. Somali word for turban; typically, Somali men do not wear it as a head covering, but simply drape it over one shoulder. Jilbab. An Islamic style of dress for women consisting of a head wrap, another head covering that frames the face and drapes down over the chest (sometimes down to the waist or knees), and a matching skirt or dress. Kabo. Nomadic sandals made by Saab craftsmen by sewing layers of leather together to form a platform up to an inch thick. Kaffiyeh. A checkered scarf (usually black and white, but sometimes red and white) commonly worn as a head covering in the Middle East and sometimes as a shawl by Somali men. Kamiz. See caftan. Khimar. A triangular head covering designed to cover the hair, neck, and upper chest. Kufi. A close-fitting head covering without a brim (skull cap). Macawis. A sarong-like garment adopted by Somali men in the 1970s; an alternative to pants that recalls nomadic-style wrapped garments. Makkawi. An amulet for men made by stringing two large chunks of amber on a leather choker. Maro. Somali word for “cloth”; a nomadic garment for men worn by wrapping around the waist and sometimes draping an edge over the shoulders. Merikani. Undyed cotton cloth of the late 1800s, typically imported from America. Niqab. A veil that covers the face; until the 1970s in the Horn of Africa, this was only worn by the descendants of Arab and Persian settlers. Saddexqayd. A wrapped nomadic dress made with up to twenty yards of cloth. Salwaar. Loose-fitting trousers that taper at the calves; an Arab style of dress worn by men (also called sirwal). Shash. A black or dark blue headwrap; signifies that a woman is married. Shuka. A button-down, ankle-length overcoat, usually imported from the Middle East; the word shuka is also used in other parts of East Africa as a generic word for “covering.” Sunna. A practice advocated by the prophet Mohammed; includes some aspects of dress such as growing a beard and dyeing it with henna. Tobe. An Arabic word for a wrapped garment; often used interchangeably with maro. Tusbah. A strand of Islamic prayer beads used to recite the ninety-nine names of Allah. Waran. A long spear that could also be used as a walking stick. Xersi...