Allman, Jean, ed. Fashioning Africa: Power and the Politics of Dress. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2004.
Dance, body modification, and dress are all highly valued. The Dinka people of southern Sudan lead a highly mobile life as cattle herders. It is important, therefore, that their possessions be portable. Their artistic production centers on wearable objects and body decoration. Materials used in these arts include glass beads, cow hide, shells, ostrich eggshells, ivory, and metal. The colors and patterns in these ornaments are highly communicative, identifying the wearer’s age, social status, and level of prosperity.
This corset is a man’s garment. Traditionally, Dinka men do not cover their bodies beyond these rows of beads; a corset like this would be the entire outfit of a Dinka herdsman. The red and black rows that make up the majority of the beadwork indicate that this corset was worn by a man between fifteen and twenty-five years old. The rigid vertical strip that runs down the back represents his wealth. Here, it rises well above the shoulders, an indication to other Dinka people that the man’s family had quite a large herd.