Bodice

This bodice-like object consists of approximately twenty beaded strands arranged one over the other. The upper strands are made of rounded-off pieces of ostrich eggshells strung on leather strips, while iron beads were used for the lower rows. In the second half of the 19th century, these garments were worn especially by wealthy Herero women. As the colonial subjugation of the Herero progressed under German rule and the influence of Christian mission stations, the Herero’s clothing changed and such bodices ceased to be worn.