u/MessiChangedMyLife

If you are going to reply “why does this matter” don’t engage. This is the Somalia subreddit and last I checked you can post anything regarding Somalis and Somalia, and our cultural clothing is included in that.

This is going to be a long post, but whatever.

Misconception One: Dirac is an Arabic word

Some groups claim the dirac isn’t Somali due to the word dirac allegedly being Arabic. However, that is false. They use misconstrued Hadiths to prove their point.

Link to the Hadith: https://sunnah.com/bukhari%3A2628

Hadiths are in classical Arabic. In classical Arabic hadiths, the term درع dirʿ has multiple meanings: Military/protection: referring to armor, or figuratively, any covering that offers protection. Garment/tunic: a simple outer garment worn in everyday life.

In Somali, dirac/diraac has never meant armor, shield, or protection. The name is linked to the Dir clan who invented the dress. Dir = A Somali clan, raac/aac = ‘to go with’ or ‘to follow’ That’s why both the name and the dress are historically and culturally Somali, and why the dress is closely associated with northern Somalia and Djibouti. So similarity to an “Arabic word” doesn’t prove origin. Also in Hadiths it is described as coarse. Somali Diracs are not coarse. Somali Diracs are light weight, delicate, and see through.

During the time of the prophet, the modern materials and style associated with the Somali dirac (chiffon, colorful layered designs, voile, and etc) DID NOT EXIST.

Misconception Two: Diracs are copied from gulf styles and not an original Somali design

“Nationalist critics said that the dirac was not a Somali style, but an imitation of Gulf styles. However, while women in the Gulf wore their dresses of thicker fabrics under the abaya, a coatdress worn out of the house that is commonly black, Somali women wore the dirac in public without an abaya.

Even more remarkable was that the dirac is made of diaphanous cotton voile, through which the body is clearly seen. More traditional women usually covered the top of their body effectively with their garbasar, but more fashionable women wore an equally diaphanous and small garbasar slung around their necks.”

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318200253_The_evolution_of_somali_women's_fashion_during_changing_security_contexts

Misconception Three: Baati is not just Somali.

People often confuse the baati with the jalabiya and use the words interchangeably, but they are not the same. Jalabiya is a wide long sleeved (can also be short) Sudanese robe with structured embroidery, particularly around the neck, while the Somali baati is lightweight, typically made from cotton, designed with short sleeves, and known for its colorful patterns and designs.

People often try to dismiss the importance of the baati when Somalis call out the appropriation of it. They often reduce the baati to just sleepware so “it’s not that deep.” The baati has been worn by Somali women for generations and is deeply tied to everyday Somali life and femininity. It is not “just sleepwear” like some people claim. Somali women wear baatis at home, while hosting guests, visiting family, running errands, and in daily social life.

Like many cultural garments, regional trade does not erase Somali ownership of the baati nor does it erase the distinct Somali style of it. It also doesn’t erase the cultural significance and history.

BTW calling a baati a moomoo, jalabiya, shiiti, or dera (last two words are literally Somali lol) doesn’t automatically mean it is no longer Somali.

Misconception Four: Somalia doesn’t/didn’t have a large textile industry so how is the clothing theirs

This is historically false. Somalia had a long established textile and weaving industry for centuries. In 1330, Ibn Battuta wrote about the thriving cloth production in Benadir, describing Somali woven fabrics as “unequalled” and exported to places like Egypt. Somalia was historically a major trade center linking Africa, the Middle East, and India, with cotton production playing a major role in the economy.

Even in the 19th century, Mogadishu was noted for its large weaving population, and Somalis produced hundreds of thousands of pieces of cloth annually from locally grown cotton. At one point 1 in every 5 people in Mogadishu were weavers!!!! Somali weavers also developed distinct patterns, colors, and styles used in ceremonies, weddings, everyday life, and traditional dress.

The idea that Somali clothing could not be Somali because textiles existed elsewhere ignores Somalia’s own documented history of cotton growing, weaving, dyeing, and garment production over generations.

Also in the modern era, most textiles and garments are mass produced. Even when clothing is manufactured in factories outside its region of origin, this does not erase the cultural or historical origins of the garment itself. For example, although many abayas today are produced in large scale factories abroad (often china), the garment is still recognized as having Arab cultural origins.

Source: https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/198905/the.weaver.s.song.htm

Misconception Five: Alindi is not from Somalia

Alindi (aka futa Banaadiri because it is from Somalia’s Banaadiri coast) is historically Somali and directly connected to Somali weaving traditions. Historical sources describe Somali women wearing guntiino made from striped fabric called alindi, particularly in coastal Somali towns. Somali weavers created these fabrics using locally grown cotton and later developed colorful woven patterns and designs that became part of traditional Somali dress.

The alindi did not randomly appear from elsewhere and become “Somali later.” It was woven and worn by Somalis as part of traditional Somali clothing, especially for weddings, ceremonies, and everyday wear.

Misconception Six: The black floral henna style worn by Somali women isn’t Somali

Okay this one might cause some controversy, but this is MY opinion.

Nobody is claiming henna itself originated in Somalia. Henna exists across many cultures. However, different cultures developed their own recognizable styles, and Somali henna is one of them.

The traditional black floral henna style commonly worn by Somali women is characterized by bold floral patterns, flowing vines, thicker lines, and high contrast designs. This differs from many South Asian mehndi styles, which are often extremely intricate and dense with geometric filler patterns, as well as many Khaleeji styles that commonly use reddish-brown henna tones and different floral layouts.

Somali henna styles developed their own recognizable aesthetic. When you search up black henna on Pinterest right now it will be the arms of Somali girl. Yet for some reason, when Somali women point this out, people suddenly act as if Somalis cannot have distinct styles within a shared cultural practice. Nobody denies the existence of recognizable Khaleeji or South Asian henna styles, but Somali styles are dismissed altogether or a certain other group (not khaleejis or South Asians) says it is actually their style when the whole time they are going to Somali henna artists to get this style 💀

Misconception Seven: Shaah print is not Somali

The shaash is a traditional Somali fabric and head covering closely associated with marriage and womanhood, especially in Southern Somali communities. Historically, married women commonly wore the shaash, and in some communities unmarried girls were discouraged from wearing it publicly because of the symbolism attached to it. Somali women traditionally made and wore shaash fabrics as part of broader Somali clothing traditions that favored lightweight, breathable textiles suited to the climate. Shaash fabrics are also known for their colorful patterns, most commonly appearing in shades of red, blue, and green.

The shaash also holds ceremonial significance through the shaash saar, a traditional celebration held after a wedding where women gather to place the bride’s first shaash on her and gift her additional fabrics to begin her collection. The first woman chosen to place the shaash is usually someone the bride admires and sees as a model of marriage and womanhood, making the ceremony both symbolic and communal.

It is not just a pattern and its significance in our culture shouldn’t be downplayed. Like the gabasaar it also shows up in our Diracs and baatis but as a pattern (you’d think at this point people would get that it is our clothing and we like to keep a theme).

Conclusion:

Somali clothing does not exist in isolation from itself. The culture builds on itself across generations and garments. Garbasars are worn with diracs and baatis. Guntiinos exist and have the same fabric as all of our other clothing I mentioned (and there’s still some I haven’t mentioned like sadaxqayd). Somali textiles, fabrics, wraps, and dresses all connect back to a long history of Somali weaving, styling, and cultural practices developed by Somalis over centuries.

Of course trade and outside influence existed, just like with every culture in the world, but influence does not erase ownership. Nobody says other cultures lose claim to their traditional clothing because fabrics, dyes, or ideas traveled through trade routes. Yet Somali clothing is constantly generalized into “East African clothing” or stripped of Somali attribution entirely, even when the garments are historically documented as Somali.

What makes this especially frustrating is that Somali women themselves have preserved these clothes for generations. Somali aunties sew them, sell them, pass them down, and keep the traditions alive, only for people to buy the clothing directly from Somalis and then deny that the clothing is Somali afterward. There is a difference between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. Appreciating Somali clothing while acknowledging its Somali roots is one thing. Erasing those roots while benefiting from the culture is another.

South African xenophobes killed two innocent Ethiopian shop keepers and then looted their store while they were lying on the ground bleeding.

I’m terrified for all Africans there especially Somalis. I remember they used to kill Somalis in the early 2010s. How are you if you’re a Somali in SA rn? Is it better in the cities? I hope the ones with shops in the Townships keep themselves safe.

I can’t believe nearly the entire continent fought for their independence during apartheid.

AUN to the two men and all of Africans killed by these animals.

Recently, a lander went and stabbed two Jewish people. However, landers are trying to blame Somalis and Somalia and differentiate themselves.

Whole time the attacker is a separatist and calls for Somaliland recognition.