Producers unknown to us
Wrapping cloth (Aaik)
Africa, Morocco, Anti-Atlas, Afouzar
1940-1960 und 2019
Textile; woven, painted
Annette Korolnik-Andersch (artist) and Marcel Korolnik (media designer) acquired the wrapping cloth on one of their travels in Morocco
Donation to the Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden by Korolnik-Andersch in 2019
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A woman from the Feija community crafted this wool Haik between 1940 and 1960 in Afouzar, Morocco. This women’s garment features various protective symbols and white cotton embroidery, the meanings of which were known only to the maker. At that time, a few henna designs were already applied to the textile.
However, in 2019, collector Annette Korolnik-Andersch took the Haik back to Morocco before donating it to Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden. She invited women and girls from the Feija community to add further henna designs. As a result, the Haik now includes historic symbols like the crescent, comb, and scorpion alongside modern motifs such as mosques, footprints, handprints, the word "Allah," and images of a teapot, bus, flowers, and birds. There are also symbols offering blessings (Baraka) or protection from negative influences (Djinnun), such as a protective eye symbol or the Hand of Fatima. The women incorporated both positive protective symbols and script characters from the Tifnagh alphabet in the decoration.
Team GRASSI.SKD