'Correct attire for a Xosa matron is the shoulder cape, apron and the half circle, braided skirt. A large stitched head swathing or 'ciya’ is also an essential. Formerly the 'ciya' colour denoted the wearer's home district, as the ochre, red, orange or yellow does today. In some districts it is said that the numbers of braid layers on a skirt denote the wearer’s financial position. These skirts, of the half circle design, are a fashion from Port St. Johns to Port Elizabeth and are a direct descendant of early Victorian missionary styles. Today the missions encounter stubborn resistance to their efforts at reforming the style.'