‘My jewelry gives me strength’

March 30, 2023 Luisa Rey

Image: Judith Anna Pronk

Sharday Abel (38) is single mother of Gaillysio (18), Divainyo (14), Jayvièn (12), Ni’shayro (2) and Ni’laiyah (1). On special occasions she wears Surinamese costumes.

“A colorful blouse and a long, wide skirt: in a koto, like the one I’m wearing here, you can be seen. It is the showpiece of the Surinamese traditional costume. I wear my kotos during festive occasions such as birthdays. Almost all of them belonged to my grandmother and mother. Last year I gave birth to a girl after four sons. I think it’s fantastic that she can take over the clothes from me again later and our family tradition continues to exist.

Surinamese costume

I was born and raised in Rotterdam. Partly thanks to the traditional costume, I feel closely connected to my Surinamese roots. My family is mainly descended from Creoles. Traditionally, this population group also wears a pangi, a colorful shawl that you wrap around your waist or upper body. I have a few and find them especially nice and airy on hot summer days, but also wear them on special days. This is how we celebrate Keti Koti, the abolition of slavery, and the independence of Suriname.

“Partly thanks to the traditional costume, I feel closely connected to my Surinamese roots”

Traditionally, there is also a dress with a headscarf worn by creoles: the kimona. I have some of those too. When I was in Suriname last year, I had a matching kimona made for myself and my daughter in the colors pink and brown. The other day we wore it on her first birthday – after I took mine quite a bit, because I’ve lost my remaining pregnancy pounds and thirty pounds lighter.

Read also – ‘I wear henna as a jewel, but also to give myself strength’ >

Jewellery

I wear matching jewelry with all Surinamese costumes. Earrings, for example, but also a ring in the shape of a carpet beater, the Surinamese symbol for ‘sweeping away’ evil. My ala kondre necklace is also very dear to me. It refers to the wintis, a kind of spirits, who offer protection. Not that I’m doing that every day – I’m just a down-to-earth Dutch person, but if I’m not feeling well, my jewelry offers something to hold on to. They give me strength, as if I am supported by my ancestors.

My sons feel the same way. They wear a Surinamese ‘buoy’, a metal bracelet from the time of slavery. ‘When I wear these, I am protected and I feel strong’, Jayvièn said proudly to his teacher recently. It is nice to see that what I pass on to my children about Surinamese culture sticks in my mind.”

portraits traditional dress Suriname Sharday