Lamba (garment)
Encyclopedia
A lamba is the traditional garment worn by both men and women in Madagascar. This textile, highly emblematic of Malagasy culture, consists of a rectangular length of cloth wrapped around the body.
Traditional lambas used for burial were often made of silk
while those for daily wear were more often made of raffia, cotton
or bast
. These could range in color from common undyed or solid white cloth, to striped red, white and black cloth found in most parts of the island, the geometric patterns in unique shades of green and brown produced by a handful of Sakalava
villages, or the brilliantly multi-colored, complex weaves favored by the pre-colonial Merina
aristocracy. Today it is common to find printed cotton or rayon lambas produced in India for the Malagasy market in addition to those fabricated locally.
Beyond its daily use as a basic article of clothing, the lamba serves a variety of functional purposes such as tying children to mothers' backs or acting as a cushion when transporting a heavy object on top of the head. The lamba is also used ritually to wrap the remains of the dead before placing them in the family tomb.
. Among some ethnic groups, lambas were also traditionally exchanged between a man and woman as part of their engagement ceremony, or as diplomatic gifts, as demonstrated by the two detailed silk lamba akotofahana (one multicolored, the other white-on-white) given in 1886 to President Grover Cleveland
by Queen Ranavalona III on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
.
worn throughout eastern Africa. The lambahoany is presently the most commonly worn type of lamba. These are traditionally made of printed cotton featuring a repeated border design that encloses either a secondary pattern (often around a central medallion) or a large image depicting a pastoral scene from daily life. A popular proverb, or ohabolana, is typically written just above the center of the lower border. A similar proverb cloth, called a kanga
, is worn throughout eastern Africa.
The uses of the ubiquitous lambahoany are numerous and varied. They are often wrapped to attach an infant to its mother's back, freeing her hands for other uses. They may also serve as light blankets, sheets, an apron, a transport sack, a table cloth or a sunshade, and when tightly coiled they can be used as a cushion when carrying heavy objects on top of the head.
raffia lamba commonly decorated with geometric ikat
-dyed patterns and often used as a burial shroud.
Men may drape the lamba over one shoulder as a shawl over shorts or - in cooler weather - over a malabary, a long-sleeved, knee-length cotton tunic. Traditionally, the lamba is draped over the left shoulder but is draped over the right when in mourning. Among mature Merina
and (to a lesser extent) Betsileo
women, wearing a narrower version of the traditionally white lamba around the shoulders is a mark of "elegance, dignity, femininity and respect for tradition."
Narrow lambas may be worn like a sash. Men drape them diagonally across the chest or knot them around the waist, while women may wear them loosely over the shoulders. The sash-like fashion was popularized due to European influence and is especially typical of the costume of hiragasy
dancers.
, consisted of complex geometric designs created by the uniquely Merina
practice of using extra heddles across the loom to create raised bands of pattern. This striking statement of andriana
class distinction in the imperial era was preserved in a toned-down form under colonial rule: the same intricate patterns were retained but the designs were woven in white-on-white to draw less attention to the statement of class and ethnic identity they made.
In recent years, the interest in (and demand for) traditional, highly-colored lamba akotofahana has increased among well-to-do Malagasy expatriates, tourists and textile afficcionados, which has led to a resurgence in their production and sale in fine art galleries in Antananarivo. Contemporary artists have turned their attention to the resurrection of these ancient, half-forgotten techniques, producing unique works of art featured in exhibitions at internationally renowned museums. At the American Museum of Natural History
, for instance, a lamba akotofahana was recently displayed that had been woven entirely from the silk threads produced by the female golden orb-weaver spider
. A lamba akotofahana exhibiting the full range of colors and detailed patterns of the shawls worn by pre-colonial nobles, woven by artist Martin Rakotoarimanana, has likewise been recently displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
.
Traditional lambas used for burial were often made of silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
while those for daily wear were more often made of raffia, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
or bast
Bast fibre
Bast fibre or skin fibre is plant fibre collected from the phloem or bast surrounding the stem of certain, mainly dicotyledonous, plants. They support the conductive cells of the phloem and provide strength to the stem...
. These could range in color from common undyed or solid white cloth, to striped red, white and black cloth found in most parts of the island, the geometric patterns in unique shades of green and brown produced by a handful of Sakalava
Sakalava
The Sakalava are an ethnic group of Madagascar numbering approximately 700,000 in population. Their name means "people of the long valleys." They occupy the Western edge of the island from Toliara in the south to Sambirano in the north. The Sakalava denominate a number of smaller ethnic groups...
villages, or the brilliantly multi-colored, complex weaves favored by the pre-colonial Merina
Merina
The Merina are an ethnic group from Madagascar. The Merina are concentrated in the Highlands and speak the official dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo. Their ancestors, the...
aristocracy. Today it is common to find printed cotton or rayon lambas produced in India for the Malagasy market in addition to those fabricated locally.
Beyond its daily use as a basic article of clothing, the lamba serves a variety of functional purposes such as tying children to mothers' backs or acting as a cushion when transporting a heavy object on top of the head. The lamba is also used ritually to wrap the remains of the dead before placing them in the family tomb.
The Lamba in Malagasy Culture
The term lamba is the name in the Highlands dialect of the woven cloth that traditionally formed the essential article of clothing throughout Madagascar. This garment is known by other words in various regions where other dialects are spoken; in some parts of the east, for instance, the garment is known by the word simbo. Many of the ways in which the cloth may be wrapped around the wearer are specified by a wide variety of terms that vary from region to region. The color, print and type of cloth varies from region to region. The largest lambas (lambamena) are made of a heavy white silk and are used to wrap the bodies of the deceased before placing them in the family tombArchitecture of Madagascar
The architecture of Madagascar is unique in Africa, bearing strong resemblance to the construction norms and methods of Southern Borneo from which the earliest inhabitants of Madagascar are believed to have emigrated...
. Among some ethnic groups, lambas were also traditionally exchanged between a man and woman as part of their engagement ceremony, or as diplomatic gifts, as demonstrated by the two detailed silk lamba akotofahana (one multicolored, the other white-on-white) given in 1886 to President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
by Queen Ranavalona III on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
National Museum of African Art
The National Museum of African Art is a museum that is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. Located on the National Mall, the museum specializes in African art and culture...
.
Types of Lambas
There are numerous types of lambas produced in Madagascar. The names can serve to distinguish the material used, pattern type, ritual purpose of the garment or the intended wearer. Names of lambas vary from one region to the next according to local dialects, so the list below is not exhaustive but rather representative of some of the most commonly distinguishable types of lamba.Lambahoany
A printed cotton lamba typically featuring a proverb on the lower border of the design, identical to the kangasKanga (African garment)
The kanga which comes from the old Bantu verb ku-kanga to wrap or close, is a colourful garment similar to kitenge, worn by women and occasionally by men throughout Eastern Africa...
worn throughout eastern Africa. The lambahoany is presently the most commonly worn type of lamba. These are traditionally made of printed cotton featuring a repeated border design that encloses either a secondary pattern (often around a central medallion) or a large image depicting a pastoral scene from daily life. A popular proverb, or ohabolana, is typically written just above the center of the lower border. A similar proverb cloth, called a kanga
Kanga (African garment)
The kanga which comes from the old Bantu verb ku-kanga to wrap or close, is a colourful garment similar to kitenge, worn by women and occasionally by men throughout Eastern Africa...
, is worn throughout eastern Africa.
The uses of the ubiquitous lambahoany are numerous and varied. They are often wrapped to attach an infant to its mother's back, freeing her hands for other uses. They may also serve as light blankets, sheets, an apron, a transport sack, a table cloth or a sunshade, and when tightly coiled they can be used as a cushion when carrying heavy objects on top of the head.
Laimasaka
A traditional SakalavaSakalava
The Sakalava are an ethnic group of Madagascar numbering approximately 700,000 in population. Their name means "people of the long valleys." They occupy the Western edge of the island from Toliara in the south to Sambirano in the north. The Sakalava denominate a number of smaller ethnic groups...
raffia lamba commonly decorated with geometric ikat
Ikat
Ikat, or Ikkat, is a dyeing technique used to pattern textiles that employs a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dye on either the warp or weft fibres....
-dyed patterns and often used as a burial shroud.
Modes of use
The style of wearing the lamba likewise varies between regions and according to the gender of the wearer. Both sexes will wrap it around the waist, much like a sarong. Women will also wear it wrapped over or beneath the bust to form a sheath dress, often with matching lamba headdress. These styles can be paired with a tank top or other light shirt.Men may drape the lamba over one shoulder as a shawl over shorts or - in cooler weather - over a malabary, a long-sleeved, knee-length cotton tunic. Traditionally, the lamba is draped over the left shoulder but is draped over the right when in mourning. Among mature Merina
Merina
The Merina are an ethnic group from Madagascar. The Merina are concentrated in the Highlands and speak the official dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo. Their ancestors, the...
and (to a lesser extent) Betsileo
Betsileo
The Betsileo are a highland ethnic group of Madagascar, the third largest in terms of population, numbering around 1.5 million and making up about 12.1 percent of the population. Their name means "The Many Invincible Ones" which they chose for themselves after the failed invasion of Ramitraho...
women, wearing a narrower version of the traditionally white lamba around the shoulders is a mark of "elegance, dignity, femininity and respect for tradition."
Narrow lambas may be worn like a sash. Men drape them diagonally across the chest or knot them around the waist, while women may wear them loosely over the shoulders. The sash-like fashion was popularized due to European influence and is especially typical of the costume of hiragasy
Hiragasy
The hiragasy is a musical tradition in Madagascar and particularly among the Merina ethnic group of the Highland regions around the capital of Antananarivo....
dancers.
Lamba production
Traditional lambas were most often woven on horizontal ground looms, the most common type of loom found in Madagascar. The weaver was most often a woman and would be seated to one side of the loom as she worked the threads. For many women, weaving formed a basic domestic responsibility required to produce clothing for family members. Surplus could be sold to supplement family income; this occurred most often among the Merina and Betsileo of the Highlands.Lamba as Art
The lamba akotofahana, the highly colorful lamba weaving style associated with the Merina aristocracyAndriana
Andriana is a title of nobility in Madagascar and often traditionally formed part of the names of noblemen, princes and kings. Historically, many Malagasy ethnic groups lived in highly stratified caste-based social orders in which the andriana were the political and/or spiritual leaders...
, consisted of complex geometric designs created by the uniquely Merina
Merina
The Merina are an ethnic group from Madagascar. The Merina are concentrated in the Highlands and speak the official dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo. Their ancestors, the...
practice of using extra heddles across the loom to create raised bands of pattern. This striking statement of andriana
Andriana
Andriana is a title of nobility in Madagascar and often traditionally formed part of the names of noblemen, princes and kings. Historically, many Malagasy ethnic groups lived in highly stratified caste-based social orders in which the andriana were the political and/or spiritual leaders...
class distinction in the imperial era was preserved in a toned-down form under colonial rule: the same intricate patterns were retained but the designs were woven in white-on-white to draw less attention to the statement of class and ethnic identity they made.
In recent years, the interest in (and demand for) traditional, highly-colored lamba akotofahana has increased among well-to-do Malagasy expatriates, tourists and textile afficcionados, which has led to a resurgence in their production and sale in fine art galleries in Antananarivo. Contemporary artists have turned their attention to the resurrection of these ancient, half-forgotten techniques, producing unique works of art featured in exhibitions at internationally renowned museums. At the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, for instance, a lamba akotofahana was recently displayed that had been woven entirely from the silk threads produced by the female golden orb-weaver spider
Nephila inaurata
The red-legged golden orb-web spider is a species of golden orb-web spider. It lives in Southern Africa and several islands in the Indian Ocean . Like other spiders in the family Nephilidae it can weave webs so strong that sometimes even birds and bats get caught...
. A lamba akotofahana exhibiting the full range of colors and detailed patterns of the shawls worn by pre-colonial nobles, woven by artist Martin Rakotoarimanana, has likewise been recently displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
.