Woman’s Head Scarf

The Berbers of Morocco popularized the use of henna in dyeing some of their textiles. Henna, not indigenous to the region, was imported and believed to possess special blessing power. The days of henna paintings are over since the practice apparently ended around the middle of the 20th century.

This piece is woven from wool with supplementary cotton weave and tassels and henna is added for decoration along the edges. Notice that the henna dyes the wool but not the cotton. Small, colorful wool balls and spools are tacked along the edges and at the very center for extra pizzazz.