page_title: Capulana
hierarchical_section_title: Capulana
caption_attribution_description: Mozambique 01200
context_page_description: A capulana is a type of a sarong worn primarily in Mozambique but also in other areas of south-eastern Africa. It is a length of material about 2 metres by 1 metre. It can either be used as a wrap-around skirt, dress or can become a baby carrier on the back. It is considered a complete piece of clothing.
  Capulanas have been in Mozambique since the establishment of the Arab/Indian trade routes. It was received from Indian traders as a means of trade for other goods. First, they came primarily in three colors: red, white, and black. White represented the protection of the ancestors, black represented evil, and red represented the spirit of war. After this time, Mozambicans preferred using Capulanas to the traditionally-used animal skins. Due to Africa's wildlife and environment, the most common early designs included suns, leopards, lions, the style "ndjiti", the style "xithango", and the style "ximangelani". These styles were dominant until the advent of the Portuguese Colonial power. Today, these early styles of capulana are used primarily by "tinyanga". "Palu", a style with very small plaid patterns in blue and white, was also popular in early years of the capulana.
context_section_description: A capulana (also spelled "Kapulana", or in Changana "nguvu" or "vemba") is a type of a sarong worn primarily in Mozambique but also in other areas of south-eastern Africa. It is a length of material about 2 metres by 1 metre.  It can either be used as a wrap-around skirt, dress or can become a baby carrier on the back. It is considered a complete piece of clothing.
  Capulanas have been in Mozambique since the establishment of the Arab/Indian trade routes. It was received from Indian traders as a means of trade for other goods. First, they came primarily in three colors: red, white, and black. White represented the protection of the ancestors, black represented evil, and red represented the spirit of war. After this time, Mozambicans preferred using Capulanas to the traditionally-used animal skins. Due to Africa's wildlife and environment, the most common early designs included suns, leopards, lions, the style "ndjiti" (a white and red geometric design), the style "xithango" (plaid, with the word meaning literally "condom"), and the style "ximangelani" (ducks). These styles were dominant until the advent of the Portuguese Colonial power. Today, these early styles of capulana are used primarily by "tinyanga" (witch doctors, spirit healers, "curandeiros"). "Palu", a style with very small plaid patterns in blue and white, was also popular in early years of the capulana.
  Today, there are many kinds of Capulanas of various designs and colors. They are used in a variety of manners, including everyday casual-wear, carrying heavy loads, or even careful tailored for special events. Early traditional colors and styles of capulana are highly coveted and sell for higher prices in markets today. In Mozambique they have a high value and are considered particularly beautiful.
  Brightly colored, Capulana are often offered as gifts to women. Some couples make matching "Kapulana" outfits for special events or for a significant reason such as a traditional marriage between the two. .
caption: Mozambican woman using a capulana.
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 5D Mark II", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "180", "Image YResolution": "180", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS4 Macintosh", "Image DateTime": "2010:10:05 18:03:04", "Image WhitePoint": "[313/1000, 329/1000]", "Image PrimaryChromaticities": "[16/25, 33/100, 21/100, 71/100, 3/20, 3/50]", "Image ExifOffset": "316", "GPS GPSVersionID": "[2, 2, 0, 0]", "Image GPSInfo": "620", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "734", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6015", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/100", "EXIF FNumber": "5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "800", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2010:09:10 07:04:18", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2010:09:10 07:04:18", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "35", "EXIF SubSecTime": "78", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "720", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1080", "EXIF Gamma": "11/5"}