Old Woman’s Indigo Head Shawl “Bakhnug”
Matmata area, Berber people, Tunisia (map), c. early 20th c.
Finespun wool, white cotton supplementary weft design, and indigo
72” l x 34.5”, 31.25” w (183 x 87.5, 79.5 cm)
Condition: Minor wear on edges, some color run from use; native repair on one side (see photos)
SOLD
“For the nomadic tribesmen and sedentary countrymen of the Maghreb lands, textiles were more than just simple necessities of native life. They were a means of creative expression, a way of recording man’s relationship with animals and plants, with the earth and sky, and with the rhythms and forces of nature” (Reswick 1981: 56). This finely-woven bakhnug shawl was made in Matmata or its environs in southern Tunisia. In former times these rectangular textiles were donned by women during the winter and on festive occasions. The bakhnug is traditionally “placed on the head and falls to the middle of the thigh,” with those dyed blue reserved for elderly women (Reswick 1985: 98). Their highly stylized striated motifs depict such elements as snakes, scorpions, jewels, beans, combs, and tattoos (Reswick 1985: 99).
