Aso Oke fabric

Aso Oke Fabric

Aso oke is a hand loomed cloth woven by the Yoruba people of south west Nigeria. Usually woven by men, the fabric is used to make men's robes, see Boubou (clothing) called Agbada, women's wrappers, called Iro, and men's hats, called a 'Fila' i.e Aso Oke Hat.

Types of aso-oke

There are three types of traditional Aso Oke worn by Yoruba people.

1. Alaari - a rich red aso-oke.

2. Sanyan - a brown and usually light brown aso-oke.

3. Etu - a dark blue aso-oke.

Aso-oke fabric is often worn with Aran. Aran is a brown velvet with concentric designs.

Yoruba Women's Garment

When people speak of an aso-oke, they are usually referring to the traditional Yoruba women's garment. It consists of four parts:

1. Buba - Yoruba blouse

2. Iro - a wrap skirt

3. Gele - head tie

4. Iborun or Ipele - shawl or shoulder sash

Formal wear

Nigerians all over the world wear aso-oke fabric for special occasions including holidays; weddings; funerals; and chieftain title ceremonies. All followers of the Yoruba religion also wear aso-oke fabrics and hats. Members of the Yoruba religion can be of any nationality, including, American, Cuban, British, etc.

ee also

*Aso Oke Hat
*Wrapper (clothing)
*Boubou (clothing)
*Kente cloth -- Woven by Ashanti people
*Barkcloth -- Woven by Buganda people

External links

1. The Yoruba Women's Garment http://moderntraditional.com/magazine/mtcglossary/asooke.html

2. Pictures of the Women's aso-oke
* http://www.asooke.com.ng/events.htm

3. Yoruba clothing diagram (with photos showing the different Men's and Women's garments) http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/attire.html

4. Aso Oke pictures http://dupsies.com/Dstore/special-headwrap-asooke-gele-c-81.html