{{Short description|Traditional Malagasy garment}} [[File:Sakalava Cuillères.jpg|170px|thumb|right|Sakalava ''lamba arindrano'' and ''malabary'']] A '''lamba''' is the traditional garment worn by men and women who live in [[Madagascar]]. The textile, highly emblematic of Malagasy culture, consists of a rectangular length of cloth wrapped around the body.<ref>Tortora, P.G. & Merkel, R.S. (1996). ''Fairchild's Dictionary of Textiles.'' New York: Fairchild Publications.</ref>
Traditional lambas used for burial were often made of [[silk]] and cow hides while those for daily wear were more often made of [[raffia]], pig skin, [[cotton]] or [[Bast fibre|bast]]. They could range in color from a tie-dyed motif or solid white cloth to the striped red, white and black cloth found in most parts of the island. The geometric patterns display unique shades of green and brown, while other lambas have brilliantly multi-colored, complex weaves favored by the pre-colonial [[Merina]] aristocracy.<ref>Turner, J. (Ed.). (1996). "Madagascar", in ''The Dictionary of Art, Volume 20''. London: Macmillan Publishers Limited.</ref> Today, it is common to find printed cotton or rayon lambas produced in India for the Malagasy market in addition to those fabricated locally.<ref name="green">Green, R.L. (2003). Lamba hoany: proverb cloths from Madagascar. ''Africa Arts, 36''(22), pp. 30–46.</ref>
Besides its daily use as basic clothing, the lamba is also used for tying children to mothers' backs or as a cushion when carrying a heavy object on top of the head. The lamba is also used ritually to wrap the remains of the dead before placing them in the family tomb, which after the ceremony, are then placed on the dead for an order of respect to their souls.
==In Malagasy culture== [[File:Merina woman wearing lamba.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Merina woman in a white lamba]] The term ''lamba'' is the name in the Highlands dialect of the woven cloth that traditionally formed the essential article of clothing throughout Madagascar. This garment is known by other words in various regions where other dialects are spoken; in some parts of the east, for instance, the garment is known by the word ''simbo''.<ref name="envoys">Mullen Kreamer, Christine and Fee, Sarah. ''Objects as Envoys: Cloth, Imagery and Diplomacy in Madagascar.'' Smithsonian Institution, 2002.</ref> Many of the ways in which the cloth may be wrapped around the wearer are specified by a wide variety of terms that vary from region to region.<ref name="envoys"/> The color, print and type of cloth varies from region to region. The largest lambas (''lambamena'') are made of a heavy white silk and are used to wrap the bodies of the deceased before placing them in [[architecture of Madagascar|the family tomb]]. Among some ethnic groups, lambas were also traditionally exchanged between a man and woman as part of their engagement ceremony, or as diplomatic gifts, as demonstrated by the two detailed silk ''lamba akotofahana'' (one multicolored, the other white-on-white) given in 1886 to President [[Grover Cleveland]] by Queen [[Ranavalona III]] on display at the [[Smithsonian]] [[National Museum of African Art]].<ref>[http://www.nmafa.si.edu/exhibits/malagasy/queen.html ''Gifts and Blessings: The Textile Arts of Madagascar.''] Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Accessed on November 11, 2010.</ref>
===Types=== [[File:Lamba of Madagascar - comparison coastal style.JPG|thumb|right|Colorful prints from Asia are popular in coastal towns.]] There are numerous types of lambas produced in Madagascar. The names can serve to distinguish the material used, pattern type, ritual purpose of the garment or the intended wearer. Names of lambas vary from one region to the next according to local dialects, so the list below is not exhaustive but rather representative of some of the most commonly distinguishable types of lamba. It is many types in Madagascar
====Lambahoany==== [[File:Lamba of Madagascar - detail lambahoany.jpg|thumb|right|Lambahoany reading ''Coming home is lovely'']] A printed cotton lamba typically featuring a proverb on the lower border of the design, identical to the [[Kanga (African garment)|kangas]] worn throughout eastern Africa. The lambahoany is presently the most commonly worn type of lamba. These are traditionally made of printed cotton featuring a repeated border design that encloses either a secondary pattern (often around a central medallion) or a large image depicting a pastoral scene from daily life. A popular proverb, or ''[[hainteny#Ohabolana|ohabolana]]'', is typically written just above the center of the lower border. The uses of the ubiquitous lambahoany are numerous and varied. They are often wrapped to attach an infant to its mother's back, freeing her hands for other uses. They may also serve as light blankets, sheets, an apron, a transport sack, a tablecloth or a sunshade, and when tightly coiled they can be used as a cushion when carrying heavy objects on top of the head.<ref name="green"/>
====Lamba akotofahana==== A woven silk lamba featuring highly complex geometric designs.
====Lamba mpanjaka==== A ceremonial lamba traditionally worn by nobles, the wealthy, or elders.
====Lambamena==== [[File:Madagascar lambas in shop.JPG|thumb|Lambamena shop]] A silk burial shroud. Its name means 'red lamba'; the colour red is a common [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]] motif associated with blood, the underworld and later aristocracy which may hark back to the Malagasy's [[Malagasy peoples#Genetics and origins of the populations|ancestral peoples]] in [[Borneo]] where the fabrics of its present remaining descendant ethnicities like the [[Ngaju people|Ngaju]] still bear similar motifs today.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beaujard |first1=Philippe |title=The Worlds of the Indian Ocean: A Global History |date=2019 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-34100-4 |pages=632-3 |edition=1st |chapter-url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/worlds-of-the-indian-ocean/austronesian-expansion-and-the-first-malagasy-cultures/AB18FAEABB150D8B9F0A102BC816A0E6 |chapter=15 - The Austronesian Expansion and the First Malagasy Cultures}}</ref>
====Lamba arindrano==== A traditional lamba made of a blend of silk and cotton.
====Jabo-landy==== A traditional lamba made of a blend of silk and raffia fibers.
====Laimasaka==== A traditional [[Sakalava]] raffia lamba commonly decorated with geometric [[ikat]]-dyed patterns and often used as a burial shroud. It is still a tradition in Madagascar..
====Salaka==== A lamba worn as a loincloth, measuring about 30 cm wide and 300 cm long.<ref name="envoys"/>
===Modes of use=== [[File:Hira gasy musicians 2008.jpg|thumb|300px|Hiragasy musicians wearing coordinating lambas]] The style of wearing the lamba likewise varies between regions and according to the gender of the wearer. Both sexes will wrap it around the waist, much like a [[sarong]]. Women will also wear it wrapped over or beneath the bust to form a sheath dress, often with matching lamba headdress. These styles can be paired with a tank top or other light shirt.
Men may drape the lamba over one shoulder as a shawl over shorts or – in cooler weather – over a ''malabary,'' a long-sleeved, knee-length cotton tunic. Traditionally, the lamba is draped over the left shoulder but is draped over the right when in mourning. Among mature [[Merina]] and (to a lesser extent) [[Betsileo]] women, wearing a narrower version of the traditionally white lamba around the shoulders is a mark of "elegance, dignity, [[femininity]] and respect for tradition."<ref>Ranaivoson, D. (2007). ''100 Mots pour comprendre Madagascar.'' Paris: Maisonneuve & Larose. pp. 57–58.</ref>
Narrow lambas may be worn like a sash. Men drape them diagonally across the chest or knot them around the waist, while women may wear them loosely over the shoulders. The sash-like fashion was popularized due to European influence and is especially typical of the costume of [[hiragasy]] dancers.
==Production== Traditional lambas were most often woven on horizontal ground looms, the most common type of loom found in Madagascar. The weaver was most often a woman and would be seated to one side of the loom as she worked the threads.<ref name="unwrapping">Kusimba, Chapurukha; Odland, J. Claire; Bronson, Bennet (Eds.). ''Unwrapping the Textile Traditions of Madagascar.'' Regents of the University of California, 2004.</ref> For many women, weaving formed a basic domestic responsibility required to produce clothing for family members. Surplus could be sold to supplement family income; this occurred most often among the Merina and Betsileo of the Highlands.<ref name="envoys"/>
==As art== [[File:Lamba of Madagascar - three styles of lambahoany.JPG|thumb|left|Three lambahoany showing pastoral scenes from daily life]] The ''lamba akotofahana,'' the highly colorful lamba weaving style associated with the [[andriana|Merina aristocracy]], consisted of complex geometric designs created by the uniquely [[Merina]] practice of using extra heddles across the loom to create raised bands of pattern. This striking statement of [[andriana]] class distinction in the imperial era was preserved in a toned-down form under colonial rule: the same intricate patterns were retained but the designs were woven in white-on-white to draw less attention to the statement of class and ethnic identity they made.<ref>Spring, C. (2010). ''African Art in Detail.'' London: British Museum Press.</ref>
In recent years, the interest in (and demand for) traditional, highly colored ''lamba akotofahana'' has increased among well-to-do Malagasy expatriates, tourists and textile aficionados, which has led to a resurgence in their production and sale in fine art galleries in Antananarivo.<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aoa/s/silk_textile_lamba_akotofahan.aspx Silk Textile: Lamba Akotofahana] British Museum. Accessed on November 12, 2010.</ref> Contemporary artists have turned their attention to the resurrection of these ancient, half-forgotten techniques, producing unique works of art featured in exhibitions at internationally renowned museums. At the [[American Museum of Natural History]], for instance, a ''lamba akotofahana'' was displayed that had been woven entirely from the silk threads produced by the female [[Nephila inaurata|golden orb-weaver spider]].<ref>[http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/spidersilk/ One Million Wild Spiders from Madagascar Supplied Silk for Rare Textile.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017002613/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/spidersilk/ |date=2010-10-17 }} American Museum of Natural History. Accessed on November 10, 2010.</ref> A ''lamba akotofahana'' exhibiting the full range of colors and detailed patterns of the shawls worn by pre-colonial nobles, woven by artist Martin Rakotoarimanana, has likewise been recently displayed at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]].<ref>"Recent Acquisitions: A Selection, 1998–1999," The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 57, no. 2 (Fall, 1999). [http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1999.102 Martin Rakotoarimanana: Textile Mantle.] Accessed on November 8, 2010.</ref> Malagasy artist [[Madame Zo]] has incorporated the traditional styles of lamba weaving into her textile art.<ref name="OnArt">{{cite web |url= https://www.onart.media/en/artistic-news/a-new-place-of-creation-and-dialogue-for-artists-from-africa-and-the-diasporas-the-fondation-h-expands/ |title= A new place of creation and dialogue for artists from Africa and the diasporas: the Fondation H expands|last= |first= |date= 7 March 2023|website= onart.media |publisher= |access-date= 9 July 2023 |quote=}}</ref>
==See also== *[[Malagasy weaving]] *[[Feather cloak]]
==Notes== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== * [http://www.nmafa.si.edu/exhibits/malagasy/funerary-gallery.html Lamba Gallery 1] * [http://www.nmafa.si.edu/exhibits/malagasy/contemporary-gallery.html Lamba Gallery 2]
[[Category:Culture of Madagascar]] [[Category:African clothing]] [[Category:Textile arts of Madagascar]]