Meaning
The red-and-white (sometimes yellow) plaid madras cloth that is Jamaica's national fabric, worn as folk costume for cultural events, Independence, and school heritage days — as skirts, headwraps, and the classic 'quadrille' dress. Distinct from the American sense of a neck kerchief: in Jamaica 'bandana' first means this checked heritage cloth itself.
Examples
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She sew a bandana skirt fi di culture day.
She sewed a madras-plaid skirt for the culture day.
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Di pickney dem wear bandana fi Independence.
The children wore the national plaid for Independence.
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Bandana cloth mek di quadrille dress.
Madras plaid cloth makes the quadrille dress.
Origin
From 'bandana' (via Hindi/Portuguese for a tie-dyed cloth); in Jamaica it names the madras plaid adopted as national dress. See [[kerchief]].
How it’s used
Jamaica's red-and-white plaid national cloth (folk costume), not primarily a neck scarf. See [[kerchief]], [[quadrille]].