BANDANA

bandana, or bandanna, a word probably derived through the portuguese from the hindustani _b[=a]ndhn[=u]_, which signified a primitive method of obtaining an effect in dyeing by tying up cloth in different places to prevent the particular parts from receiving the dye. the name was given to richly coloured silk handkerchiefs produced by this process, of which bright colours were characteristic. bandanas are now commonly made of cotton and produced in lancashire, whence they are exported. the effect is also produced by a regular process in calico printing, in which the pattern is made by discharging the colour.