COSTUMES
Pakistan: Sindh, Tharparkar
Head or shoulder cloth (bokhani -- man's)
c. 1940
Plain weave; Embroidered; Beaded
Cotton; Silk embroidery; Beads and beadwork; Deflected element embroidery
2 yds. 19 in. x 21 in. (2.32 x 53.5 cm)
Elizabeth Bayley Willis Collection
TC 58.2-97

The surface satin stitches, which are parallel to the warp and weft of the piece, and the triangle and diamond motifs of this bokhani are identified as souf embroidery. Souf embroidery is predominantly worked in green silk threads on a fine red or white cotton cloth. Bokhanis are worn by Hindu pastoralists of the Tharparkar desert; they may be wrapped around the chin, mouth and head, or worn over the shoulder. This particular bokhani is unusual in that the two sections are not symmetrical or design or stitch, suggesting that the embroidery was done by two people. -- Label copy for Elegance of Embroidery, October 11 to October 28, 1988.