i have always believed in my heart that i could rock the african headwrapping deal. i can pull off a number of hats that the average woman can't, and it's got to do with having a big long nose; so i've always just had a feeling about the gele and have wanted to try it.
when my friend lyn decided to go on safari, i knew what i wanted her to bring back for me - fabric. specifically, the rather crunchy-stiff cotton used to wrap african womens' heads. (most instructions i've found online for wrapping a gele advocate repeated use of spray starch, so, while i would of course be interested in any and all handmade fabrics, for gele purposes, nothing too openly-woven or lofty would be useful. )
i love african textiles. i think my earliest memories of a generalized african aesthetic stem from one of the most beloved muppet show sketches of all time, with harry belefonte singing with the muppet african masks. this beguiled me at age nine; i have never forgotten it. when
ben
and i were in washington dc this past spring i saw some awesome hats from cameroon at the textile museum. so i waited with great excitement to see what lyn would bring me, and i hoped that she would not be mauled and eaten by a lion, because i wanted my fabric.
while she was apparently compelled to sleep with a machete next to her bedside in serengheti, she was not eaten by a lion and was able to visit me today, with a bag full of beautiful fabrics, from which i was able to choose. she is amazing! particularly because going into the city of arusha where she purchased these fabrics was not an entirely relaxing experience. "intimidating" is a word she used; it was not a tourist village. but she did some serious shopping.
as it turns out, tanzanian women do not wear ornate - only rather utilitarian - fabric wraps on their heads. that's okay, i can learn my particulars elsewhere: not surprisingly, there has been a beautiful black heritage program at the amazing victoria and albert museum in london. and, i am going to buy a dvd explaining many ways to wrap a gele.
i am a grown up and have come to the sad conclusion that i will not be one of the six hundred people on earth who get mudcloth chuck taylors, and it's hard to face the truth, but all this pretty new fabric makes it better. i am hoping that the lengths to which it is currently cut will work for headwrapping; i can't stomach the thought of applying scissors to any of it.