General Cloths: Netela and Gabi

Ethiopian women traditionally dress modestly. Clothing is usually made from different cloths that come with various patterns. First there is the netela. The netela is a thin, delicate cloth with a gauze-like texture. The netela has only two layers, measuring about 63 x 102 inches. It is white with a colorful border (tibeb) between 1 to 2 inches at each end with two variations, one has only one color and the second can have many colors and patterns. The netela can be worn in different ways. It generally covers the back and shoulders and the border is folded up over the right shoulder, but for church activities the two layers of the netela are opened and the border goes over both shoulders. When the border is worn around the face or shoulders, it’s a sign of mourning, but for recreation or resting the border goes over the left shoulder. There is another fabric, the fota, that is much more colorful  with a dimension of 58 x 105 inches. It usually has a checkerboard design and it is a medium-weight textile that is worn simply wrapped around the shoulders or over the head as a shawl. There is a third kind of textile called doncho which is a very long cotton sash with a border in color and is only worn by married women, there are types that can measure up to 26 feet long. These fabric are woven by hand by a group of of people in the Gamo highland of Ethiopia, the Doko people.

Men on the other hand wear something similar to the netela. The Gabi is four layer and thicker than the netela. This is not what I expected. In this region, women is usually covered up more than men due to religious beliefs and common tradition. Women are not excessively exposed! They just wear lighter cloths and are not required to cover their bodies completely.