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The omada is an indigo-dyed
cotton shawl worn by the Okpella Edo women of Nigeria.
When a woman wears an omada, it signifies that she is an entitled
woman of high status within the community. Women wear it draped over the
left shoulder during festive or ceremonial occasions to emphasize their
status. Entitled women provide
leadership for all the women of Okpella society.
The
Okpella women weave and dye the omada, which in its complete form consists
of two or more cloth panels sewn along the salvage.
Being that it is just one panel, this omada is unfinished.
When sewn together with another omada, it creates a symmetrical
design. The design is made through a resist-dyed technique.
The artist embroiders the design in raffia, which then resists the indigo
dye, leaving a white pattern against the indigo-blue background.
The
design resembles the patterns the Okpella paint on their walls and bodies.
During the Okpella male’s final and most important entitling ceremony,
called the atsogwa, women artists paint the walls of the men’s rooms with
similar designs. These patterns, together with those applied to the body
and cloth, interconnect the entitled males and females within the Okpella
society.
Alex Minehart ‘02
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