Preserving Traditional Clothing Identity: An Overview of the Past and Present Uses of Aso-Oke by the Ondo People of Southwest, Nigeria

Hand-woven fabrics such as as-oke were the major clothing items especially for the commemoration of traditional ceremonies and festivals in Ondo land before the colonial era in Nigeria. Art historian review methods were adopted for this study by reviewing related literature. Data was gathered from both online sources and physical libraries. The population of the study include the inhabitants in Ondo town, Southwest, Nigeria. The study also used interview for data collection and the data collected was analyzed using the narrative method. This study surveyed the types of traditional aso-oke used by the Ondo people in the past and present times; and identified Alaari, Sanmiyan, Etu, Petuje and Ogungunelu as the major ones. Therefore, this study examined their uses in the past and recent times and considered developmental trends in the use of these types of aso-oke. This study dwelled more on historical records as methods of data collection. In conclusion, this study revealed that Ondo people are prominent users of aso-oke fabrics and also preserver of the cultural identity of the Yoruba people of Southwest Nigeria through the use of aso-oke fabrics.