I saw this video posted by a foreigner online based on this standing myth that africa ancestors were bunch of ignorant and lazy souls who were not able to figure out how clothings are made and so run around dancing naked or with tree barks, leaves and anumal hides and we are what we are now thanks to the white man's intervention. One sad thing about this is that they believe that in the 1700s-1800s same thing applied. Am trying to counter that myth but I cant find any proof stating otherwise. Any help?

They are right actually

We all walked around like this ....

Except of course, those who only just painted themselves and walked around the streets

For hausas i know we wear what we've always worn. I know for centuries we've been one of the largest exporters of textiles and dyed clothing in Africa. As a matter of fact we have the oldest dye pit in Africa. One of our greatest kings and his court were known for their love for expensive ostrich feather shoes.

All this would not be possible if we as a people hadn't been clothed all through this period.

Theory that Africans were walking about the way they came into the world even as of the 18th or 19th century applied to some ethnicities and still does but to say the whole of Africa is just ridiculously stuupid.

WeissBarlow:
For hausas know we wear what we've always worn. I know for centuries we've been one of the largest exporters of textiles and dyed clothing in Africa. As a matter of fact we have the oldest dye pits in Africa. One of our greatest kings and his court were known for their love for expensive ostrich feather shoes.

Theory that Africans were walking about the way they came into the world even as of the 18th or 19th century applies to some ethnicities and still does but to say the whole of Africa is just ridiculously stuupid .

That is exactly my thought. I became so disappointed when I tried looking for candid proof online and came up with nothing except some articles white people posted online on our behalf, which obviously shamed us blacks. I can't believe we dont have our history.

Muafrika2:
They are right actually

We all walked around like this ....

Funny... But the myth is not tho. We can laugh about it now but for the sake of our future generations (our children) let's not joke about hateful speculations based on their ignorance.

Ifeoluwa17:


That is exactly my thought. I became so disappointed when I tried looking for candid proof online and came up with nothing except some articles white people posted online on our behalf, which obviously shamed us blacks. I can't believe we dont have our history.

What do you mean came up with nothing?

WeissBarlow:
For hausas i know we wear what we've always worn. I know for centuries we've been one of the largest exporters of textiles and dyed clothing in Africa. As a matter of fact we have the oldest dye pit in Africa. One of our greatest kings and his court were known for their love for expensive ostrich feather shoes.

All this would not be possible if we as a people hadn't been clothed all through this period.

Theory that Africans were walking about the way they came into the world even as of the 18th or 19th century applies to some ethnicities and still does but to say the whole of Africa is just ridiculously stuupid.

So you’re an Hausa man. Makes sense now.

Probz:


So you’re an Hausa man. Makes sense now.

And why does that make sense?

The Portuguese and the Dutch bought cloth from the Ijebu, the Bini and the Itsekiri.

The Igbo-Ukwu finds prove that the people had woven cloth as early as the 9th century.

In my part of Delta State (Anioma), we had towns that were widely famed for cloth-making long before the Europeans figured out how to sail a ship into West African waters, e.g., Ubulu-Uku and Ewuru, among others. The earliest Europeans to visit Ubulu-Uku were much impressed with the skill and the quality of the cloth of its weavers.

And of course up north, the clothes made in Kano were exported north as far as Morocco.

With the exception of a few isolated tribes here and there, there were no Nigerian ethnic group where woven cloth was completely absent in 1800. In some places, custom may dictate that children and unmarried women should not put on cloth, but this was a matter of custom - not that they had no idea of cloth.

What ignorant idiot says Africans were too stupid/lazy to figure out how clothes were made.

RedboneSmith:
The Portuguese and the Dutch bought cloth from the Ijebu, the Bini and the Itsekiri.

The Igbo-Ukwu finds prove that the people had woven cloth as early as the 9th century.

In my part of Delta State (Anioma), we had towns that were widely famed for cloth-making long before the Europeans figured out how to sail a ship into West African waters, e.g., Ubulu-Uku and Ewuru, among others. The earliest Europeans to visit Ubulu-Uku were much impressed with the skill and the quality of the cloth of its weavers.

And of course up north, the clothes made in Kano were exported north as far as Morocco.

With the exception of a few isolated tribes here and there, there were no Nigerian ethnic group where woven cloth was completely absent in 1800. In some places, custom may dictate that children and unmarried women should not put on cloth, but this was a matter of custom - not that they had no idea of cloth.

What ignorant idiot says Africans were too stupid/lazy to figure out how clothes were made.

It’s all part of their innate inferiority complex. A lot of these silly people have never stepped foot outside Nigeria so you can’t blame them for no knowing any better. They’re not aware of the racial implications of what they say because they’re unexposed little negroes. You can only pity them.

WeissBarlow:


What do you mean came up with nothing?

Exactly that. No concrete evidence to support the fact that our ancestors actually were clothed without the help of white people.

Probz:


It’s all part of their innate inferiority complex. A lot of these silly people have never stepped foot outside Nigeria so you can’t blame them for no knowing any better. They’re not aware of the racial implications of what they say because they’re unexposed little negroes. You can only pity them.

Why the hateful comment towards your own race? The ignorant video was made by a white guy.

Ifeoluwa17:


Why the hateful comment towards your own race? The ignorant video was made by a white guy.

Because pure Naija breeds who haven’t left home are no less guilty of with that oyinbo said and it pisses me off.

First of all Op,you shouldn't have bothered about watching such junk.

Op Ifeoluwa17,

First of all, Africans were and still the most diverse place in the world, so that racist white is generalizing. Second, the myth you read is a myth/not true (at least for some of the Africans).

Civilization started in Africa and Black Africans had built many great civilizations in present day countries like Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Tunisia, Mali, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Benin, Zimbabwe and some others.

I'm Ethiopian, so let me only say about Ethiopia since Africa is very diverse like I said (even Ethiopia is very diverse). Some Ethiopians did wear cotton made clothes as early as 2nd millennium BC. The above pics however are used to represent the ppl in the 15th and 16th century AD.

Ifeoluwa17:


Exactly that. No concrete evidence to support the fact that our ancestors actually were clothed without the help of white people.

I am actually having a hard time believing you couldn't find scholarly papers/articles online about pre-colonial clothing.

Ifeoluwa17:


Why the hateful comment towards your own race? The ignorant video was made by a white guy.

And you’re not even any better. See mumu.

Ifeoluwa17:


Exactly that. No concrete evidence to support the fact that our ancestors actually were clothed without the help of white people.

You were looking in the wrong place.

RedboneSmith:


I am actually having a hard time believing you couldn't find scholarly papers/articles online about pre-colonial clothing.

If you can, y don't you share.

Probz:
And you’re not even any better. See mumu.

Prov 26:4

i have personaly researched on yhis myself before now..the benins wore clothes even b4 a advent of the Portuguese they saw then portuguese clothes fascinating so decided to wear the clothes from them the benin local clothes were sown by the itsekiris but no shoes den to matchup they felt no neeed same as the hausas and the yorubas they were also special in thier tye and die they weeved the clothes themself

RedboneSmith:
The Portuguese and the Dutch bought cloth from the Ijebu, the Bini and the Itsekiri.

The Igbo-Ukwu finds prove that the people had woven cloth as early as the 9th century.

In my part of Delta State (Anioma), we had towns that were widely famed for cloth-making long before the Europeans figured out how to sail a ship into West African waters, e.g., Ubulu-Uku and Ewuru, among others. The earliest Europeans to visit Ubulu-Uku were much impressed with the skill and the quality of the cloth of its weavers.

And of course up north, the clothes made in Kano were exported north as far as Morocco.

With the exception of a few isolated tribes here and there, there were no Nigerian ethnic group where woven cloth was completely absent in 1800. In some places, custom may dictate that children and unmarried women should not put on cloth, but this was a matter of custom - not that they had no idea of cloth.

What ignorant idiot says Africans were too stupid/lazy to figure out how clothes were made.

^^^^^^
^^^^^^
Brilliant post... Well said!



Itsekiris started wearing George fabric
originally brought from India by foreign
white traders as far back as the 15th century.
Itsekiris popularised George fabric in
what is now modern Nigeria.


Cloths woven in the 16th century in the Oyo Empire were
considered by the white traders who
first visited as being far superior to
Manchester clothing. I read this in
a history book years back.

So people were wearing woven
cotton cloths in Yorubaland
and other big empires in Africa like Bini
Empire.