Men’s shoulder cape, Saamaka textile
Maria Sibylla Merian’s Dissertation sur la generation et les transformations des insectes de Surinam
Women’s ceremonial dance apron from Northern Cameroon
Beads, backing, and cowrie shells
Art and Artifacts Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Women’s ceremonial dance apron from Northern Cameroon
Traditionally, young Kirdi women wear colorful, intricately beaded aprons called pikuran at dances, marking the passage to adulthood and the prospect of marriage. The design communicated the social status of its owner. Kirdi, meaning “pagan,” is a term applied to a number of cultural and ethnic groups in Cameroon, indicating that they retained traditional animist beliefs and resisted conversion to Islam. Aprons such as this were treasured and passed down through successive generations.
: Art and Artifacts Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Currently on View at Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
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