Cloth That Does Not Die: The Meaning of Cloth in Bunu Social Life

by Elisha P. Renne

"Cloth only wears, it does not die," the paradoxical phrase from a Bunu Yoruba prayer, emphasizes the power of cloth as a symbol of continuing social relations and identities in the face of uncertainty and death. The Bunu Yoruba people of central Nigeria mark every critical juncture in an individual's life, from birthing ceremonies to funeral celebrations, with handwoven cloth. Anthropologist Elisha Renne explains how and why this is so and discusses...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0295973927
• ISBN13: 9780295973920
• Release Date: November 1995
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.6"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher