LESSONS: Social Studies and History

Diverse Expressions and Identity through Dress from The Shining Cloth: Dress and Adornment that Glitter by Victoria Z. Rivers.

Textiles can convey complex messages about a person's identity and social status. Whether the textile is made for daily use, for ceremonial display, worn everyday or only at special times, it is often a certain shape, color, or contains specific images and patterns. In numerous societies, traditional clothing sets, which we will call "dress" are worn everyday and at special times. Information about a person's home place, economic and marital status, and even occupation is sometimes communicated at a glance. To those who know how to "read" the clues, these design characteristics form a visual language of identity. Light-reflective materials like silk embroidery, iridescent dyed surfaces, metallic elements, beads, mirrors, beetle elytra, and shimmering feathers are often used in this "language". For images, go to the Shining Cloth Web site at: http:// shiningcloth.ucdavis.edu Click on the Gallery, Beetles 8/1 to see a distinctive, festive dress set using beetle wing covers.

Beautiful variations in textiles and costume elements can be seen among some of China's minority nationalities such as the Miao and Dong people. Separated by mountains and hills throughout southwest China, distinct dress groups developed, and community styles helped to identify one group from another. Young men and women usually marry only within their dress group. The dress is often lavishly embroidered with distinct images and stitches. Two examples are seen in the Silks/Surfaces section: 1/9 Rongshoi festive dress set; 1/10 Huanping festive dress set;

In northwest India and along the common border with Pakistan, clothing details told a viewer a lot about the wearer. The fabrics used, the kinds of surface embellishments like beads, metal elements, or mirrors, the colors and images use, could distinguish a person. For very distinct dress images, see Silk/Surfaces 1/4; Gold 2/1; and Shells 6/8. The cloth, for example could tell a great deal about the wearer's lifestyle. People who had access to bazaars in cities could purchase manufactured cloth, while people who lived in remote areas often made their own fabrics. Many rural farming people made their clothing from locally grown and handspun cotton, while people who tended flocks of sheep and goats frequently used the wool from their herds. However, all this is changing rapidly. In the past twenty-five years, synthetic fibers like nylon and polyester have become popular because they are more affordable and easier to care for. Just as types of fibers could relay visual information, the embroidery stitches and images assisted in identifying the work of one group or region from another. To see images of household embroideries from three different communities of people living in the same region, see Mirrors 4/1, 4/2, and 4/3. Mirrors, shells and white buttons, the use of lead beads and trims can each give a clue about a person's community or clan. Many women within the large Banjara clan that is spread throughout India, often wear clothing with lead beads and large mirrors. Others might wear festive dress with pear-shaped mirrors, or very tiny ones. To see several garments with mirrors from diverse communities in northwest India, see Mirrors 4/4 and 4/5 Lohana chola.

These are but a few examples of how people around the world use dress to distinguish themselves from others. Of course, when one sees many examples from the same dress group, the identifying factors are more recognizable. For further study on the visual language of dress, look at the use of feather ornaments by some people of the Amazon Basin in South America.

A little story: Several years ago, I visited the huge Covered Market in Istanbul, Turkey. People who live in Istanbul shop there, as well as tourists from all over the world. Time and again, as I walked by individual stalls, shopkeepers made a game by asking people where they were from. I started saying " guess". It was amazing how often they guessed I was an American. They could distinguish Israelis, French, Germans, Spaniards, Dutch... How do they do it? What are the clues? I view this ability to distinguish such subtle information as a special kind of visual intelligence.

Social Studies and History- Identity and Dress, continued

Suggested Discussion and Projects:

1. When you go to a certain place (like Home Depot or McDonalds) describe what the employees wear. Why do they dress this way?

2. List as many groups as you can think of who dress alike. (For example, baseball teams, firefighters) What are some purposes for dressing similarly?

3. Students might design an identifying element of dress for their class, or design a new school uniform.

4. Students could create an imaginary civilization with several distinct dress groups/occupations, and design clothing types for each group.