Koto (traditional clothing)

The koto, kotomisse[1] or kotomisi is a traditional dress from the Afro-Surinamese women or Creoles in Suriname.

A Surinamese woman wearing the Koto.

Different kotos exist for various occasions like weddings or funerals. The development of the koto as regular dress is not complete but it is still used in special occasions like the koto-dansi.

With the koto, women wear a head or body covering called an angisa or anisa. The folding of the angisa sends a social message, for example “Let them talk.”

For men the traditional clothing is the pangani.