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Kangas and Laysus
Traditional scarves cover Omani women in cool comfort.
By Amina Sadler

The newborn feels warm arms around her, hears her mother’s voice and senses a faint fragrance of incense and perfume. As she blinks and squints her eyes against the strong light, the bright colours and bold patterns of her mother’s laysu are before her. Her first few weeks in the world are spent snugly wrapped in a similar scarf, another one lying over the top of her basket to protect her from insects, bright light and drafts.

As she grows, her mother’s laysu becomes a plaything. She delights in grabbing at it or pulling it over her face as she lies in her mother’s lap. When she reaches toddlerhood, a discarded head cover becomes her security blanket, the soft cloth caressing her cheek as she dozes off. Scraps of laysus become bandages for scraped knees, icy compresses for bumps and bruises, rags for cleaning spills.The girl becomes a young woman and part of her rite of passage is wearing a scarf to cover her head and chest in public. She also wears a laysu when she performs her prayers; she may wrap a second scarf around her waist. When she dashes over to her neighbour’s house she might drape an extra-large laysu over her head and clothing rather than don a full-length black abaya.

She uses old laysus in her daily tasks. When she dries dates, mangoes or limes, she covers the tray with a laysu to keep off insects and dust. She may use it in a similar fashion to protect fruit or snacks set out for guests. Sometimes she wraps herbs in a scrap of laysu to steep in boiling water. When she applies henna or oil to her hair, she wraps it in the ubiquitous cotton rectangle. A laysu may support a heavily pregnant belly like a girdle or be used as a sling to carry a small child.

Indeed, the humble cloth that follows an Omani woman from the day of her birth throughout her life follows her in death as well, when her shrouded body is draped with laysus when it is taken to its grave.

The laysu (also called a lusy) is a more casual version of the lahaf, hijab or shayla worn for more formal occasions. It is larger, brighter and bolder; it invariably sports a border on all four sides. It may be worn at home, among friends, on picnics or while running small errands. The loosely-woven material is cool and breathes even in the intense heat of the Omani summer. Bright colours and bold patterns give the laysu a cheery look. A beautiful new laysu is a sought-after item for Eid morning. Although traditionally the laysu does not usually match the outfit a woman is wearing, more recently laysus and dress cloth are offered in matching patterns.

The laysu is primarily an unfussy garment meant for comfort more than glamour, but sometimes the scarves are dressed up for special occasions with gold outlining, bullet-like metal embellishments, fringes or beads.

Similar to the laysu is the kanga, which serves the same functions as the laysu but has a few distinguishing features that sets it apart. Kangas are sold as two rectangular pieces. Their unique feature is the Swahili (or sometimes Arabic or English) message across the bottom. In her book, Kanga: The Cloth That Speaks, Sharifa Zawawi lists some 750 of these messages. They include the expected (‘Happy Eid’; ‘Hello’), the philosophical (‘Love is being half mad’; ‘I love you as I love my eyes’), the funny (‘Do not see me dozing – I hear what you say’) and the puzzling (‘Indeed now I believe that a cat is not a friend’; ‘If you eat grapes you will give out the answer’, ‘So it is so’).

The kanga obviously has connections to Africa, where cloth is used even to promote political parties or candidates. Historians trace the kanga and laysu further back to Portuguese traders who brought leso kerchiefs to East Africa, from where they spread to Oman.

Most laysus or kangas are inexpensive, selling for 500bz up to a rial. They can be seen catching the breeze on hangers in front of cloth stores. A proprietor may have dozens of designs for sale of differing qualities and prices. The more embellished items are harder to find and can run up to 20 rials. They can be located occasionally in Muttrah souq or through personal contacts. Part of what gives Oman its unique atmosphere is the colourful display of these scarves. The laysu or kanga is a comfortable part of their daily lives, a part of their culture that will remain no matter what the latest fashion may be.