Somali Cultural women dress is called Guntiino, a long stretch of cloth tied over the shoulder and draped around the waist. Women of nowadays have adopted the western culture and do not dress in Guntiino anymore. My Grandmother still wears her Guntiino with her colorful beaded necklace and earrings. she told me how women used to look beautiful in their cultural attires during her early years. The Girls will make their own beaded jewelry and their father or brother will make them a Pendant that was to be kept as a gift.
She told me her father bought her Guntiino whenever he sold his Camels or cows and she always used to dress in a beautiful Guntiino
when she was going for a wedding.
Married women tend to wear head-scarves referred to as shash, and also often cover their upper body with a shawl known as garbasaar. Unmarried or young women, however, never cover their heads.
Somali Men Cultural Dressing
Men dressed in Macawis (ma’awiis), which
is a sarong-like garment worn around the waist. Before Macawis traditionally Somali attire for men
consisted of two sheets (often plain white), one draped over the shoulder and
the other tied around the waist. The sheet sometimes had embroidery, patterns
or laced borders.
Boys at a young age were
being taught on how they should tie their macawis on their waist and girls were
trained on how they wrap the Guntiino around their waist and tie it around their
waist.
Older Men carry their
signature walking stick called Bakoorad, it is curved beautifully from wood.
