Shoulder cloth (Enanka)

Label TextThis cloth is manufactured outside Maasailand and all Maasai women wear it for special occasions. During the Enkipaata festival, a pre-circumcision ceremony, boys undergoing initiation must dress in enanka. Otherwise, men are prohibited from wearing this cloth. To learn more about the unique exchange that inspired this collection, please consult: https://art.seattleartmuseum.org/objects/26449

Object number2000.12.19.1

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, A Maasai Community Adorns a Bride, May 31, 2001 - Mar. 1, 2005. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Art from Africa: Long Steps Never Broke a Back, Feb. 7 - May 19, 2002 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Oct. 2, 2004 - Jan. 2, 2005; Hartford, Connecticut, Wadsworth Atheneum, Feb. 12 - June 19, 2005; Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati Art Museum, Oct. 8, 2005 - Jan. 1, 2006; Nashville, Tennessee, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Jan. 27 - Apr. 30, 2006 [as African Art, African Voices: Long Steps Never Broke a Back]).

Credit LineGeneral Acquisition Fund

Dimensions42 1/2 x 62 in. (108.0 x 157.5 cm)

MediumCotton