A few words on the subject of Hausa embroidery may not be inappropriate here, for it is distinctly interesting, and, in its way, artistic.
The finest and most elaborate needlework is found on the Hausa gown or tobe, which, in itself, deserves a few words of description in detail. The accompanying drawing gives an accurate idea of its shape—a surplice-like garment of immense width, reaching to the ankles. The material is frequently pleated all over from neck to knees, where it falls loose, taking on a most up-to-date flow and expansion! I have seen as much as thirty yards of wide English cloth put into one tobe; under these circumstances, the weight of the gown is, of course, very considerable.
These garments are made of every kind of stuff, according to the length of the wearer’s purse; sometimes they are fashioned of European cotton velvets, brocades and plush, and, in the districts where the Lagos trade makes its influence felt, many of these gowns are to be seen, made, alas, of shoddy velveteen, and the beautiful native needlework replaced by tawdry tinsel and sequins. The vast majority, however, are composed of country-made cloth, which is, by necessity of the tiny, primitive looms, woven in narrow strips, some four inches wide, and laboriously sewn together. Some of it is dyed with indigo or magenta, but the best kind remains a creamy white, resembling a coarse heavy linen, and forms a most desirable background for elaborate stitchery. The tobe has a deep pocket on the left breast, reaching to the knees, and it is on this, principally, that the embroidery is concentrated: there is also a single circular design at the back, high on the left shoulder, which never varies, though the decoration in front may be amplified and elaborated at pleasure.
All the designs used in Hausa embroidery are obviously symbolical, and their significance and history is a subject of deep interest, but it is most difficult to acquire reliable information on the point, as the people themselves are, for the most part, hopelessly ignorant about it, and merely reproduce the same designs from generation to generation, for the excellent—and, to them, conclusive reason that their fathers and grandfathers did so!
The most frequent designs are the Fuska (face) and the Almakashi (scissors); these I have always found included in every decorative scheme, however intricate and elaborate. The pattern is drawn in native ink, with a pointed wooden pen; it is entirely free-hand, and is rather a go-as-you-please process, with little regard for symmetry, though, in the case of the gown I have illustrated, I think the complicated conventional design is marvellously accurate for a free-hand performance.
The work is carried out in native thread, occasionally dyed with indigo, or to the correct Islamic shade of brilliant green but usually of the same creamy tint as the cloth itself. The stitchery is absolutely simple, being mainly chain-stitch squares filled in with long stitches, and a curious handsome effect is produced by a series of tiny eyelets, worked in buttonhole stitch, giving a rich damask appearance. Couching stitch is also used, and most patterns are outlined with French knots.
There is also another quite distinct kind of embroidery, universally employed for decorating the enormously wide trousers worn underneath the tobes. These voluminous garments terminate in an almost tightfitting band, some nine inches deep, just above the ankle, and it is here, and on the outside of the leg, that this needlework is lavished—a cunning piece of vanity, as it is well displayed when the wearer strides about with a sufficient swagger!
A typical Hausa Gown. ([p. 30])
