“…The novice received from the abbot the tunic (qämis) and the belt or leather cord (qénat), while the monastic cap (qob ) and the scapular (askema) were bestowed after a period of spiritual apprenticeship. 73 A nun owed her allegiance to the abbot from whom she had received her monastic tunic and belt; he was her spiritual father, and she his spiritual daughter. 74 This pattern of allegiance is corroborated by the Portuguese priest Francisco Alvarez who lived in Ethiopia between 1520 and 1526.…”