COSTUMES
India: Gujarat, Saurashtra, Jamnagar [?], Jamnagar [?]
Khatri caste; Hindu
Headcloth (odhani -- woman's)
1935 - 1940
Satin weave; Supplementary weft patterning; Resist dyed, plangi
Silk; Metallic thread
4 yds. 26 1/2 in. x 1 yd. 4 3/4 in. (4.33 x 1.04 m)
Elizabeth Bayley Willis Collection
TC 58.2-55

The aba, from the Persian meaning an outer garment, is a stitched loose fitting upper garment worn by Muslim women of Kutch. Red, the preferred color for marriage, indicates that this silk aba was part of a wedding costume. The ejar are loose fitting trousers worn with the aba. The odhani, most often decorated with bandhana, completes the Muslim woman's costume. An indigo blue and red silk odhani, such as this one, would be worn with a red aba as part of the bride's wedding costume. Cotton aba, ejar, and odhani are everyday wear. -- Label copy for Courtyard, Bazaar, Temple: Traditions of Textile Expression in India, Bellevue Art Museum, June 12 to July 25, 1982.