The skirts that we see everywhere are apparently mainly sourced from the Mandara mountain region in northern Cameroon, where the Bana Guili Kirdi women of the villages around Bourrah and Mokoro, wear these colourful beaded aprons (known as Dibul Kouana) during special occasions such as rites of passages, dances and other ceremonies. Related Kirdi groups living in southern Chad, eastern Nigeria and Niger, make very similar glass beaded aprons.
Although I have got quite a few pictures of Fali (aka Bana or Kirdi) women and children wearing aprons / cache sexe, very few of them resemble the commonly represented versions of the Kirdi beaded aprons (in either the rectangular or triangular shape), that are in museums, galleries and shops for sale
In most of my images they are made from metal, or leather, or a combination of metal and leather, or leaves.
BUT I did find one or two that could be of interest.
"Voyage au Congo" by Marc Allegret and André Gide. Chapter 6 of the publication covers their travels between Feb and March 1926 to the Léré, Binder, Bibemi. Southwestern Chad.
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| Source | Culture.Gouv.fr |
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| Source | Culture.Gouv.fr |
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| Source | Culture.Gouv.fr |
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| Source | AAO Arts ~ scroll down to nearly the bottom of the page |
"Jeunes filles Moundang de Léré - Tchad". Publisher R. Bègue. Post stamped 1931 || Moundang kingdom was located around the town of Lere in southwestern Chad, near the border with Cameroon. The Moundang people belong to the Kirdi.
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| Source | "Jeunes filles Moundang de Léré - Tchad". |
A postcard showing three girls with beaded aprons with the title "Danseuses Guidar". Mayo Louti, northern Cameroon. || I think these young maidens are dressed for the Guma dance.
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| Source | "Danseuses Guidar". |
A postcard from 1974: Tchad - Dance "Da Boloum" chez des Moundangs (Mayo Kebbi). Photo J Gabin
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| Source | "Da Boloum" |
Lastly, although not a great picture at all, as u can only just see the top of the skirt there is this postcard of a Sara woman, from the Fort Archambault region. From the colour version it looks like she is wearing a skirt that is similar to the ones you regularly see as Kirdi beaded aprons. Dated 1930.
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| Source | "Sara Dancer". 1930. Publisher Lefreve |
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| Source | "Sara Dancer" |
I am trying to remember if I have seen any other good pictures in publications, and nothing really comes to mind, as most of them again show cache sexe that are not beaded. Another problem is that all too often when I have seen images of these beaded aprons being worn, unfortunately the owner/seller of the apron or the person who wrote the article has used images of the girls attending the Reed Dance in Swaziland, Zulu girls from South Africa or even Bassari initiates from Senegal or Guinea Bissau.
I do however remember, if my memory serves me well, Irving Penn, has a few pictures of Kirdi women wearing beaded 'aprons'. Taken in the 1960s, although obviously posed studio photos, one of them was of a wife of a young Kirdi chief, wearing a very elaborate beaded apron. I think he did a whole photo shoot in 1967 for Vogue on the Kirdi or perhaps it was on the adornment in Cameroon, with focus on glass beads.
Other than that, I cannot think of any other image that I have got that would show these beaded aprons, unless they are far more recent photos. As I have mentioned above, most of my other images show Kirdi cache sexe, that do not take the 'common' beaded apron form.
Hope this is at least slightly helpful.
