Where does Bandana come from?

Bandana comes from India, South Asia, first documented in the 1700s.

Plate No. 056pattern

The classic workwear square. Ground color shows through the motif details, the discharge-print look.

First documented: 1700s
Origin: South Asia, India
Fiber: cotton
Weave: printed cotton square
Family: motifs

Plate No. 056 · pattern

Bandana

The bandana is a printed cotton kerchief, classically a deep indigo or turkey red square covered in white paisley botehs and dotted borders. The word comes from the Hindi for tie-dyeing, and the first bandanas reaching Europe and America in the eighteenth century were Indian resist-dyed squares; mill printing later fixed the now-standard paisley-and-dots layout. Few textiles have worked harder across class lines: sailors, farmhands, railroad crews, cowboys, miners, and bikers all made the same square of cloth part of the uniform.

Illustration: an American railroad work camp in the 1880s, a printed indigo kerchief with white motifs tied to a post by a water barrel, tools and a bedroll, evening light — An American railroad work camp in the 1880s, a printed indigo kerchief with white motifs tied to a post by a water barrel, tools and a bedroll, evening light.

Named for

From the Hindi bandhnu, tie-dyeing: the original bandanas were Indian resist-dyed kerchiefs.

Also known as

bandanna

Common questions

What is Bandana made of?: The bandana is a printed cotton kerchief, classically a deep indigo or turkey red square covered in white paisley botehs and dotted borders.
Where does Bandana come from?: Bandana comes from India, South Asia, first documented in the 1700s.
What is Bandana named after?: From the Hindi bandhnu, tie-dyeing: the original bandanas were Indian resist-dyed kerchiefs.