Lamba (garment)
A lamba is the traditional garment worn by men and women that live in Madagascar. The textile, highly emblematic of Malagasy culture, consists of a rectangular length of cloth wrapped around the body.[1]
Traditional lambas used for burial were often made of
Besides its daily use as basic clothing, the lamba is also used for tying children to mothers' backs or as a cushion when carrying a heavy object on top of the head. The lamba is also used ritually to wrap the remains of the dead before placing them in the family tomb. Which after the ceremony are then placed on the dead for an order of respect to their souls.
In Malagasy culture
The term lamba is the name in the Highlands dialect of the woven cloth that traditionally formed the essential article of clothing throughout Madagascar. This garment is known by other words in various regions where other dialects are spoken; in some parts of the east, for instance, the garment is known by the word simbo.
Types
There are numerous types of lambas produced in Madagascar. The names can serve to distinguish the material used, pattern type, ritual purpose of the garment or the intended wearer. Names of lambas vary from one region to the next according to local dialects, so the list below is not exhaustive but rather representative of some of the most commonly distinguishable types of lamba. It is many types in Madagascar
Lambahoany
A printed cotton lamba typically featuring a proverb on the lower border of the design, identical to the
Lamba akotofahana
A woven silk lamba featuring highly complex geometric designs.
Lamba mpanjaka
A ceremonial lamba traditionally worn by nobles, the wealthy, or elders.
Lambamena
A silk burial shroud.
Lamba arindrano
A traditional lamba made of a blend of silk and cotton.
Jabo-landy
A traditional lamba made of a blend of silk and raffia fibers.
Laimasaka
A traditional
Salaka
A lamba worn as a loincloth, measuring about 30 cm wide and 300 cm long.[4]
Modes of use
The style of wearing the lamba likewise varies between regions and according to the gender of the wearer. Both sexes will wrap it around the waist, much like a sarong. Women will also wear it wrapped over or beneath the bust to form a sheath dress, often with matching lamba headdress. These styles can be paired with a tank top or other light shirt.
Men may drape the lamba over one shoulder as a shawl over shorts or – in cooler weather – over a malabary, a long-sleeved, knee-length cotton tunic. Traditionally, the lamba is draped over the left shoulder but is draped over the right when in mourning. Among mature
Narrow lambas may be worn like a sash. Men drape them diagonally across the chest or knot them around the waist, while women may wear them loosely over the shoulders. The sash-like fashion was popularized due to European influence and is especially typical of the costume of hiragasy dancers.
Production
Traditional lambas were most often woven on horizontal ground looms, the most common type of loom found in Madagascar. The weaver was most often a woman and would be seated to one side of the loom as she worked the threads.[7] For many women, weaving formed a basic domestic responsibility required to produce clothing for family members. Surplus could be sold to supplement family income; this occurred most often among the Merina and Betsileo of the Highlands.[4]
As art
The lamba akotofahana, the highly colorful lamba weaving style associated with the
In recent years, the interest in (and demand for) traditional, highly colored lamba akotofahana has increased among well-to-do Malagasy expatriates, tourists and textile aficionados, which has led to a resurgence in their production and sale in fine art galleries in Antananarivo.
See also
Notes
- ^ Tortora, P.G. & Merkel, R.S. (1996). Fairchild's Dictionary of Textiles. New York: Fairchild Publications.
- ^ Turner, J. (Ed.). (1996). "Madagascar", in The Dictionary of Art, Volume 20. London: Macmillan Publishers Limited.
- ^ a b Green, R.L. (2003). Lamba hoany: proverb cloths from Madagascar. Africa Arts, 36(22), pp. 30–46.
- ^ a b c d Mullen Kreamer, Christine and Fee, Sarah. Objects as Envoys: Cloth, Imagery and Diplomacy in Madagascar. Smithsonian Institution, 2002.
- ^ Gifts and Blessings: The Textile Arts of Madagascar. Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Accessed on November 11, 2010.
- ^ Ranaivoson, D. (2007). 100 Mots pour comprendre Madagascar. Paris: Maisonneuve & Larose. pp. 57–58.
- ^ Kusimba, Chapurukha; Odland, J. Claire; Bronson, Bennet (Eds.). Unwrapping the Textile Traditions of Madagascar. Regents of the University of California, 2004.
- ^ Spring, C. (2010). African Art in Detail. London: British Museum Press.
- ^ Silk Textile: Lamba Akotofahana British Museum. Accessed on November 12, 2010.
- ^ One Million Wild Spiders from Madagascar Supplied Silk for Rare Textile. Archived 2010-10-17 at the Wayback Machine American Museum of Natural History. Accessed on November 10, 2010.
- ^ "Recent Acquisitions: A Selection, 1998–1999," The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 57, no. 2 (Fall, 1999). Martin Rakotoarimanana: Textile Mantle. Accessed on November 8, 2010.
- ^ "A new place of creation and dialogue for artists from Africa and the diasporas: the Fondation H expands". onart.media. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.