Hausa craft work is organised by occupation, and skills are passed down by apprenticeship, often within a family. Weavers make narrow strips of cotton cloth on a loom, which are then sewn together into wide garments. Dyers, whose work is described in the chapter on trade, give the cloth its deep indigo blue. Embroiderers then decorate the neck and chest of gowns and the surfaces of caps with dense thread patterns.
The most recognisable clothing is the wide, flowing gown (babbar riga) worn by men on festive and formal occasions, usually with a cap (hula) and sometimes a turban. Women wear wrappers and headcloths, with fabric choices that change with fashion and wealth. Leather workers make bags, cushions, sandals and horse trappings, and the high reputation of Kano leather helped to make “Morocco leather” a name in European markets. Blacksmiths forge farming tools, knives and blades, and calabash decorators carve or burn patterns into bowls and containers that are still used for serving food and milk.
These crafts come together in royal ceremonies. UNESCO’s description of the Kano Durbar notes that leatherwork, weaving, dyeing, embroidery and blacksmithing are all passed on through hands-on group training, and that the festival itself displays what each craft community produces.
- Babbar riga
- The large, wide-sleeved gown worn by men, often embroidered at the neck.
- Hula
- A cap, available in many styles and worn with the gown.
- Maƙera
- Blacksmiths, a hereditary craft group.
- Kwarya
- A calabash bowl, decorated or plain, used for food and drink.
Sources for this article
- Unsigned overview (n.d.), sections on textiles and leather (outline)
- Moughtin 1985, general reference on decoration and building crafts