2000.60.1

Natella or cloak of white, plain weave cotton, woven in Ethiopia. The top and bottom ends (as on the loom) are accented with with two bands of double weft threads arranged in a series of white on white "stripes." The natella is seamed up the middle, the length of the fabric; the woven width of the fabric is about 27.25 inches. The ends are finished with a delicate fringe (approximately 1 inch to 1.5 inches in length). Professor William Alfred Shack (1923-2000), a social anthropologist on the faculty of the Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, researched the social structure of the Gurage people of Ethiopia in 1957-59 and in 1962-65. On the second tour his wife, Dorothy (nee Nesh) accompanied him. During the 1962-65 research trip, Professor Shack wore this garment as an everyday outer garment. It is worn over the shoulders, with the ends crossed in the front and thrown over the opposite shoulder, so that the fringed ends would hang to the back.

Used: adult | Male | William Shack | African American | Ethiopia | Research