The aso-oke is the handwoven cloth of Nigeria’s second largest tribe, the Yoruba. It is usually striped and often worn on ceremonial and other special occasions such as weddings as head wrap, girdle, shawl, or full dress and robe. I was introduced to this by a Nigerian lady who wove these herself, Mrs. Abu, during the recent Nigerian Culture Day celebration. I was planning to do my Christmas shopping early and ended up buying several which I now have difficulty giving up as presents. I simply could not imagine my family and friends appreciating them as well as I do, even though I’ve only been using these as table runner. My nanny, who is getting married next week, was at least thrilled when I gave her one because she not-so-subtly hinted that the colors are her wedding motif.
-
- Aso-oke in various colors
-
- Mrs. Abu modeling the aso-oke as shawl or iborun
-
- Aso-oke as headwrap or gele
-
- Aso-oke as headwrap or gele
