Amazigh
Gabès region, southern Tunisia
Bakhnouq (Woman’s Cover or Veil)
INV-2804
Amazigh
Gabès region, southern TunisiaEarly 20th century
Bakhnouq (Woman’s Cover or Veil)
Amazigh Gabès region, southern Tunisia →africantextileAfrican Textiles
Date
Early 20th century
Medium
Wool, plain weave with cotton supplementary pattern weft, with indigo resist dyed threads (likely wool) and white supplementary pattern weft (likely cotton); embroidered with silk or cotton; with extended tied warp fringe
Dimensions
88.9 × 200.7 cm (35 × 79 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of the Michael R. Mack Collection in memory of Cynthia E. Moore Mack
Shawls created and worn by women in southern Tunisia for everyday or special occasions share common features and simultaneously highlight how techniques differ across one small area. Many motifs are repeated on creations throughout the region. For example, diamonds, crosses, or triangles may represent the North Star, the center poles of a tent, or an abstracted healing symbol, respectively. The colorfully embroidered designs on the two smaller head shawls in the collection [2024.882 and 2024.885] distinguish them from the more formal composition of this bakhnouq (cover or shawl); rubbed indigo dye on the bakhnouq attests to its use.
Amazigh (singular) or Imazighen (plural), which translate as “free people,” are the preferred terms among the diverse and ancient cultural groups indigenous to North Africa, previously called the Berbers (which translates as “barbarians”).
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