Modern Madras, Oct. 8, 2020
The visual story you are watching features looks form Modern Madras LLC's capsule collection which will stand as a testament to Virgin Islands culture and its traditions being reimagined.
Mr. Joseph Bess and Mr. Emmanuel Kalu, as owners of the brand and designers, would like to thank The Virgin Islands Council on the Arts for their continued support of their endeavors as emerging designers.
Next month, Modern Madras, LLC, will officially launch their website, and Mr. Bess and Mr. Kalu are beyond excited for the venture as it has been a long and hard road thus far. The hope was to be further along by now, but due to Covid-19 and shutdowns across the globe, the fashion brand was forced to halt design and production. With international shipping stabilizing again, the company will launch its website with shipping from its manufacturing house in Nigeria.
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams post about the cultural history of madras cloth in Africa, the West Indies (the Caribbean) and among some enslaved women in 17th, 18th and 19th century United States.
Part II showcases a YouTube video of contemporary madras cloth fashions that are manufactured in Nigeria and sold by a company in the United States Virgin Islands.
Part II also presents several article excerpts and comments about the cultural history of madras cloth.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/10/madras-cloth-worn-by-traditional-west.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post showcases seven videos of traditional dancers from the Carribean nations of Dominica, United States Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Martinique, and Guadelope who are wearing fashions that, in part, consist of madras cloth.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the producers of these videos and their publishers on YouTube.
Disclaimer: The dances that are shown in these videos aren't the only folk dances in these Caribbean nations. Also, dancers may also perform these dances wearing cloths that don't include madras. Madras cloth may also be used by other people in these nations and may also be traditionally worn by folk dancers and by other people in other Caribbean nations.
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ARTICLE EXCERPTS ABOUT THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF MADRAS CLOTH
These excerpts are given in no particular order. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
EXCERPT #1
"Madras patterns are considered a staple of the summer wardrobe of prep style enthusiasts. The pattern became very popular in the 1960s in the form of shirts, pants, and jackets, when in fact it had been around for much longer. But how did it become so popular and what are its roots? Since there is not much information about this colorful, plaid summer fabric, it was about time for the Gentleman’s Gazette to dig a little deeper to find out more about Madras.
City of Madras
The madras fabric is named after the Indian city of Madras ( now known as Chennai ) from where it first made its way to the west. Madras was originally known as “Madraspatnam” and has a long history stretching back to at least the 2nd century. The first European traders that established a trading post in the area were Dutch, arriving in 1612. They traded mainly in the local calico cloth, which was in high demand.
The Fabric Evolves
To secure a reliable supply of merchandise, the company attracted Indian merchants and weavers by promising them exemptions from duties for a period of thirty years. and within a year it is said that nearly four hundred families of weavers had permanently settled in Madras.
The original Madras fabric was plain cotton muslin, overprinted or embroidered in elaborate patterns using natural (vegetable) dyes. The weave was simple and loose and rice gruel was used as an adhesive. The predominant colors were shades of blue, black and red checks. It was a lightweight breathable fabric suited to a humid tropical climate. An important ingredient in the process was the quality of water used in dyeing, as water from different regions would affect the colors differently. Another distinguishing feature was that it had the same pattern on both sides. This fabric was popular among the British in India who then took it to their home country. It gained in popularity and its use began to spread to different parts of the British Empire. Interestingly, the Boston Evening Transcript from Jan 17, 1908, claims that the shirtmaker David J. Anderson invented and gave the Madras fabric its name after 1844. Considered that East India Company made Madras before then, it seems implausible, however, back then the streams of information was much more segmented and it was possible to “invent” things in different parts of the world at different times."...
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EXCERPT #2
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_(cloth)
"Madras is a lightweight cotton fabric with typically
patterned texture and tartan design, used primarily for summer clothing such as
pants, shorts, dresses, and jackets. The fabric takes its name from the former
name of the city of Chennai in south India.[1]
Madras today is available as tartan (plaid) patterns in regular cotton, seersucker and as patchwork madras, meaning cutting several madras fabrics into squares or rectangles and sewing them back together to form a mixed pattern of various plaids
[...]
In the United States, the plaid cotton madras shirt became
popular in the 1960s among the post-World War II generation of preppy baby
boomers.[2]
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EXCERPT #3
From https://face2faceafrica.com/article/how-the-colonial-madras-fabric-played-a-role-in-transatlantic-slave-trade "How the colonial Madras fabric played a role in transatlantic slave trade"
Elizabeth Oposuah Johnson, December 17, 2018
"The Madras cloth is one of the world’s most used fabrics that became popular within the white community in the 1950s. Since its commercialisation, it has been used by many top designers and fashion labels.
Originally from India, the Madras cloth is a lightweight cotton fabric with a colorful patterned texture and a distinctive plaid design. The fabric was named after Madras city, now Chennai, where it was handwoven in several villages in its remote areas. The cloth was made for middle income and low-income earners but would later be of huge significance to Black culture and history.
According to Heddels.com, the Madras Cloth found its way into African territory as early as the 14th century through North African and Middle Eastern traders. The cloth gained significant popularity in North Africa because it was light and comfortable, making it suitable for day to day activities. Unlike in India, the cloth slowly became of high value even though it was generally worn by the working middle and low class.
Despite gaining popularity in North Africa, the cloth became more popular when it was taken to West Africa by Portuguese traders from India. By the 17th century, the cloth had become one of the most valuable commodities in trade. Local traders who had the Madras cloth were more likely to purchase more goods which they then resold at a higher price to Western traders. Western traders also gave the cloth to the locals in exchange for gold, salt, milk and other natural resources.
By the 18th century, the Madras cloth had made several Portuguese and African traders very wealthy. For its vibrant colours and uniqueness, several royals and well-to-do Africans purchased the fabric. According to a book by Paul Crask, the cloth was mostly worn by Igbos from Nigeria who through slave trade carried the tradition of wearing it to the Caribbean and wearing it whenever they could, especially on Sundays or during festive seasons.
With the cloth gaining much popularity, the British managed to manipulate the Madras cloth market and started the production of duplicates. The quantity of cloth in Africa increased and made the cloth more expensive and soon, the value of the cloth became equal to that of a human.
The fabric soon became a valued commodity in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade well into the 19th century between African slave traders and Western slave traders. According to Madrasmusings.com, the Madras handkerchief was exported to London where it would be auctioned to traders who used it as an item for barter for slaves in West Africa.
Aside from making many people rich in ancient Africa, the Madras cloth also became culturally important in West Africa. The Igbos of Nigeria and other small ethnic groups in Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Cameroon used the cloth for several ceremonies including weddings. Among the Kalabari group, a small Igbo group, the cloth symbolized a person’s journey from the womb to the tomb and was used in the rites of passage.
For many enslaved Africans, especially in the Caribbean and some part of southern America, the Madras was also an important piece of clothing. Women in the Caribbean were forced to cover their hair to prove they are lesser than the white women and the Madras fabric became the popular option for many. Many slave traders also prefered that their slaves wore the light cloth which would not make them sweat out of heat when working on the fields.
Today, the Madras is the most worn traditional fabric in the Caribbean during festive seasons and celebrations of their history.
Many illustrations of enslaved Africans during various activities show them wearing the Madras fabric and this gives proof to the cultural and historical significance of the Madras cloth that traveled from India to leave a mark in black history."
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EXCERPT #4*
From https://www.my-island-jamaica.com/jamaican-bandana-the-history-behind-it.html
"Over many years we have come to associate Madras cloth, or
bandana as it is more commonly known, with Jamaican festival celebrations.
But many may not know that this cloth is not originally Jamaican.
However this has not deterred the cultural associations that come with the clothes that Jamaicans make from this material being called the National Costume of Jamaica.
The original bandana, the material said to have been imported from India in the 18th century, was made from silk but was later copied by British manufacturers and put into mass production using cotton instead of silk.
Get ready... here's a bit of history to increase your knowledge of this adopted national costume.
According to Senior, the characteristic plaid cotton
material (with principal colours of red, yellow and white), known as ‘native
woman plaid’ and ‘Madras handkerchief’, has traditionally been used to make the
head-dress (‘head-tie’) and aprons of Jamaican peasant women.
Historically, is was closely identified as the occupational badge of higglers or market women, although seldom these days.
The Original Bandana
As mentioned above, the original bandana was actually a square of cloth (slightly less than a square metre of tie-dyed silk, imported from India in the 18th century.
The word is derived from bandhma which means ‘tying’ in Sanskrit. The ‘bandana’ handkerchief was originally made for home use and later exported.
According to Senior, advertisements in the Jamaican press showed that the genuine Bengal bandanas imported in the late 18th and early 19th century were ‘spotted silk handkerchiefs’ with the tie-dyed pattern consisting of white spots on a chocolate-coloured background.
Over time, the name ‘bandana’ became transferred to the plaid patterned Madras or Pullicat handkerchief which was worn as a head wrap by working class females of African and Indian descent. It was known as ‘Madras handkerchief’ from the Indian city and province in which it was made and from which it was exported.
When the material became available by the yard, its usage extended from head ties to aprons and other pieces of dress.
African women in Jamaica have always worn head wraps in the style of their West African homelands, but the wearing of the now-familiar Madras cloth seems to have become common among women of both African and Indian origin in the years following Emancipation.
Tied the traditional way, the bandana head-tie usually has two ends sticking stiffly into the air. Although different styles of tying have been identified, the tying of the head-tie does not seem to have been used as a ‘language’ here as in the French Caribbean islands where women signaled their marital status by the arrangement of their head-dress.
Bandana Today In Jamaica
Today, the use of bandana plaid is largely ceremonial and symbolic.
Jamaican Revivalists often use bandana plaid to make their turbans, and it is incorporated in a ‘Jamaican costume’ when such is required, e.g. for participants in the ‘Miss World’, ‘Miss Universe’ or other beauty contests.
But perhaps the most visible use of bandana is in the costuming of singers, storytellers, and other performers of ‘Jamaican folk’.
It is also increasing worn on Jamaican heritage days and
other special cultural days occasions.”
-snip-
*This is the complete article except for photographs.
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EXCERPT #5
From https://m.facebook.com/CarnevaleNetwork.co.uk/posts/the-madras-also-called-the-jip-or-jupe-is-the-national-dress-of-the-countries-of/1353629154778736/
Carnevale Network, Feb 13, 2019
"The Madras, also called the Jip or Jupe, is the national
dress of the countries of Dominica, Saint Lucia, and other Islands in the
French West Indies.
A traditional five-piece costume, Madras was originally
derived from a traditional dress called the "Wob Dwyiet" (or Wobe
Dwiette).
This was a grand robe worn by the earlier French settlers,
and this garment is also recognized as a national dress of the country.
The Madras is the traditional dress of the men, women and
girls of Dominica and St. Lucia, and its name is derived from the madras cloth,
a fabric used in the costume.
Madras is the colorful Tartan of the West Indies!"
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SELECTED COMMENTS
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3gr1ghQExs&t=1s&ab_channel=charmstep "Georgia Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters, Part 2"
charmstep, March 17, 2011
Summary: "Georgia Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters in Riceboro, Georgia March 2011"
Pancocojams Editor's Note: This is an excerpt of most of the comments in a sub-thread of a discussion thread for a YouTube video about a Georgia ring shout group.
For the purposes of this pancocojams post, I'm particularly interested in the comments beginning at #8 about the custom of wearing madras cloth. Although this subject was brought up in that discussion thread, I wouldn't categorize what the members of that ring shout group wore as being "madras".
I've added informational notes after two of these comments.
"The music definitely has an African flavor to it. Reminds me a lot of Afro-Caribbean music."
**
Reply
2. Mr Himself Alone, 2020
"It sounds like a reggae type beat. Like you could change the words and it would fit"
**
Reply
3. Ronaldo, 2020
"Well African Americans are African descent so makes sense!"
**
Reply
4. Bayou Bredda, 2021
"@Mr Himself Alone
Its the same beat base in Dancehall"
**
Reply
5. Mr Himself Alone, 2021
" @Bayou Bredda that's interesting"
**
Reply
6. Bayou Bredda, 2021
"@Mr Himself
Alone
In New Orleans they beat on drums on Sundays in Congo Square
and call it the Bamboula and its the base for the Secondline rhythm"
**
Reply
7. Mr Himself Alone, 2021
"@Bayou Bredda that's interesting as well and here is why.
Right now there is this whole contest and bickering online about foundational
Blacks Americans or ADOS vs Caribbeans and Africans and I have argued that if
you go back far enough in time these separate identities did not exist. For
example. We know the United States grew out of the 13 British American colonies
on the North American continent, however, Florida which was under Spain had
Africans or Blacks documented before Virginia which was part of the 13. So in
that regards do we say that the foundational Black Americans were also
Afro-Latino? What about those who came with Anglo-Barbadians to Carolina
in 1670? Were those people Africans or
Caribbeans? If most of them were born in Africa. The Bamboula,the ring shout
and dance hall all using the same beat or similar. The jonkonu in The Caribbean
and North Carolina. The word bukra in the Caribbean and the low country
references to Eboes in the Caribbean and America. Congo in Cuba and Louisiana.
Vodun in Haiti and Louisiana. I thought that obeah had missed America but it
did not because I found references. Coromantees in America and the Caribbean.
The same tribes or nations brought to the Caribbean recorded in America"
-snip-
Here's information about ADOS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Descendants_of_Slavery
"American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) is a term referring
to descendants of enslaved Africans in the area that would become the United
States from its colonial period onward, and to the political movement of the
same name. Both the concept and the movement grew out of the hashtag #ADOS
created by Yvette Carnell and Antonio Moore.[1]
The ADOS movement focuses mainly on demanding reparations for the slavery in the United States.[2] They push for colleges, employers and the federal government to prioritize ADOS and acknowledge that affirmative action policies originally designed to help ADOS have been used largely to benefit other groups.[2]
Supporters of the ADOS movement say they should have their
own racial category on census forms and college applications, and should not be
lumped in with other Black people—namely modern Black African immigrants to the
United States and Black immigrants from the Caribbean.[2]"
**
Reply
8. Mr Himself Alone, 2021
"I want you to notice the checked pattern she is wearing"
**
Reply
9. Mr Himself Alone, 2021
"Mauma Mollie also in a plaid or checked pattern. So we see
this in America"
-snip-
Here's information about Mauma Mollie from https://www.wdl.org/en/item/4014/
"Portrait of Mauma Mollie
Description
Mauma, a Partridge family slave, was transported to South
Carolina on a slave ship from Africa. She came to Jefferson County, Florida
with John and Eliza Partridge in the 1830s, and was Frances Weston Partridge’s
nurse. Henry Edward Partridge recorded in his diary in 1873: “We buried either
in 57 or 58 our faithful old ‘Mauma’ Mollie – her who had nursed nearly all of
the children of the family; been a friend as well as faithful servant to my
Mother; in whose cabin we had often eaten the homely meal of fried bacon &
ash cake and where we always had welcome and sympathy and whom we loved as a
second mother. Black of skin but pure of heart, she doubtless stands among the
faithful on the right of the King.” “Mammies” were a central aspect of the
cultural memory of slavery in the American South and the mythology of race
relations. While the image shows a slave who was beloved by the family that
owned her and who in remembrance was considered a member of the family, it
gives no insight into Mollie’s interior life. Neither portrait nor diary entry
give any insight into what she thought of the quality of her life or about her
servitude, or other aspects of her private life, such as whether she had a
spouse or children.
Date created: 1850
Subject date: 1850”…
Place: North America United States of America Florida Monticello"
Reply
10. Mr Himself Alone, 2021
"
Reply
11. Mr Himself Alone
"
Reply
12. Mr Himself Alone, 2021
"
-snip-
This article is reprinted above.
**
Reply
13. Bayou Bredda, 2021
"@Mr Himself
Alone
Thanks for that and the Mauma Mollie. Where the one about
the Igbos?"
**
Reply
14. Mr Himself Alone, 2021
"@Bayou Bredda I'm not sure if she was Igbo or not, but here
is what happened. The British went to India and either introduced that plaid
print to them or they got it from India, they then sold it or traded in the
Niger Delta region unfortunately for people often from Igboland or Ibibio
people. It became like the Gucci of its day and somehow even enslaved people
themselves such as Mauma Mollie came to wear it. It is still worn by
Nigerians in the Delta region and by
Igbo people especially in areas that were integral to the slave trade and the
French Caribbean"
**
Reply
15. Mr Himself Alone, 2021
"@Bayou Bredda https://www.google.com/amp/s/face2faceafrica.com/article/how-the-colonial-madras-fabric-played-a-role-in-transatlantic-slave-trade/amp
-snip-
This link is no longer active. The full article is reprinted above as Excerpt #3.
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