A gele ("gay-lay") is a head wrap worn by women of western Nigeria as part of their traditional "Buba" attire. There are lots of ways to tie a gele, but the most common way involves pleating. While it is easier to tie a gele on someone else, it is possible to tie it yourself.
Method Two of Two:
Tying a Gele Yourself
1
Fold your scarf in half lengthwise. Just about any scarf will wok for a gele. It needs to be long enough so that you can drape it over your head, then hold each end in each hand, with your arms outstretched.
2
Drape the scarf over your forehead. Make sure that the folded edge is covering your hairline. The scarf should be centered, with equal amounts hanging off to either side.
3
Pull back the tails and cross them at your nape. Take the left and right ends of the scarf, and pull them back behind your neck. Cross the left side over the right. Hold both ends taut so that the fabric is nice and snug across your forehead.
- Angle the left and right sides so that they cover both of your ears down to the earlobes.
4
Drape the right side of the scarf across your forehead. Position the fabric so that the new side edge is just behind the previous edge. Don't worry if your fabric wrinkles—this is actually a good thing!
5
Cross the tails over your left ear. Pull the right side of the scarf down towards your left ear, and hold it in place. Pull the left end of the scarf upwards so that it covers the right.
6
Wrap the left side of the scarf across your forehead and towards the back. Again, position the fabric so that the new edge is just behind the previous one, thus creating more pleats.
7
Tuck the end under the hem at your nape. If you tied your gele tight enough, you should be able to slip the end of your scarf right under the hem, and not worry about it slipping. If your scarf had a fringe, be sure to tuck all the tassels in
8
Adjust the pleats, and create more pleats as needed. Adjust the folds and "pleats" across your forehead first. Next, use your fingers to sharpen the creases in the top layers of fabric to create more pleats. There is not specific rule as to how many pleats you should do—just go with what you think looks nice!
9
Tuck in any loose ends, then pull the gele back a little. Check your gele in the mirror at various angles. If you spot any corners that are hanging out, tuck them unde the band of the gele. Finally, pull the gele back so that it rests right at your hairline.
Tips
Pull the gele tight at first, so that it is nice and secure. Keep the final wraps loose so that you can pleat them.
There is no specific science to tying a gele. A large part of it has to do with sculpting the fabric.
Not all fabrics will pleat, fold, and drape the same way.
Tying a gele takes practice. Consider practicing folding, pleating and draping the fabric over other round objects, such as wig heads, large balls, up-turned bowls, etc.
