page_title: Basotho blanket
hierarchical_section_title: Basotho blanket
caption_attribution_description: English: Parade of Basotho Women in Lesotho, Africa
context_page_description: The Basotho blanket is a distinctive form of woollen tribal blanket traditionally worn by Sotho people and unique to the Kingdom of Lesotho. Originally gifted to the then ruler King Moshoeshoe I by a British man known only as "Mr Howell" in the late 19th century, these blankets quickly gained popularity in the Lesotho region.
  The way that Lesotho men wear these traditional blankets is founded on the traditional Kaross, an animal skin cape, although their transformation to "factory-woven textile" is attributed to King Moshoeshoe I. By 1860 securing sufficient skins for Karosses was increasingly difficult and by 1872 a large majority of sheepskin covers had been replaced by poor quality cotton or wool. The King secured the production of "special blankets" in 1876 after meeting with Scottish textile manufacturer Donald Fraser. These new blankets were not only sturdier but they could also be fashioned in a way which more resembled the Kaross and they therefore quickly replaced the poor quality imported cloth that the people of Lesotho were previously wearing.
context_section_description: The Basotho blanket (Seana Marena) is a distinctive form of woollen tribal blanket traditionally worn by Sotho people and unique to the Kingdom of Lesotho. Originally gifted to the then ruler King Moshoeshoe I by a British man known only as "Mr Howell" in the late 19th century, these blankets quickly gained popularity in the Lesotho region.
  The way that Lesotho men wear these traditional blankets is founded on the traditional Kaross, an animal skin cape, although their transformation to "factory-woven textile" is attributed to King Moshoeshoe I. By 1860 securing sufficient skins for Karosses was increasingly difficult and by 1872 a large majority of sheepskin covers had been replaced by poor quality cotton or wool. The King secured the production of "special blankets" in 1876 after meeting with Scottish textile manufacturer Donald Fraser. These new blankets were not only sturdier but they could also be fashioned in a way which more resembled the Kaross and they therefore quickly replaced the poor quality imported cloth that the people of Lesotho were previously wearing.
caption: Basotho women wearing blankets
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