Men’s shoulder cape, Saamaka textile

The Saamaka comprise the world’s largest maroon society, a community descended from self-emancipated Africans. They live in Suriname, in northeast South America, and are descended from ancestors who settled on the upper Suriname River in the 17th and 18th centuries. Saamaka women had a long tradition of making exuberantly colored shoulder capes, among other garments, for the men. The patchwork technique used in this cape has been overtaken by new styles of sewing; and while women once reserved embellishments exclusively for men’s clothing, they now include them on garments for everyone, including themselves.