This is a man's headcloth - both men and women placed folded pieces of cloth on their heads as protection against the sun. The headcloth was woven as one long piece which was then cut across its width and the two panels were joined side-by-side with a decorative seam (known as a randa) worked with red and (faded) orange cotton. Four different threads have been used to form the brocaded pattern, each beginning with a knot on the back of the fabric: red, orange and green cotton and a very small amount of purple floss silk (in the right hand panel, second row from the lower edge). The purple silk was dyed with cochineal; although thought of as a red dye, when used with different mordants it will produce a wide variety of colours from violet to scarlet.