Item SH 980214 Head Piece - Elga Kivicka, Latvian, Zemgale Region, Green, Red & White, circa 1945

Summary

Head Piece for a traditional Latvian Costume from the Zemgale region, made by Mrs Elga Kivicka, in 1945. Elga owned a loom similar to the Apinis Loom, which was also made by fellow survivors of World War II, in a displaced persons camp in Germany with wood scavenged from bombed-out ruins.

Zemgale was one of the more prosperous regions of Latvia during the 19th Century, and this led to an earlier loss of national dress than in other parts of Latvia. The first items to vanish in the 19th century were the maiden's crown and wife's head cloth, which were replaced by silk scarves. However, homemade white linen scarves with coloured threads were everyday headwear for married women and girls alike.

Physical Description

Head dress consisting of a woven headband which ties together at the back and piece of white linen cloth. The headband has a green background with a zig zag pattern with geometric shapes in red and white. There is a thin boarder in white along the top of the headband.