Among these more traditional clothes, are the still common clothing from India worn by my ethnic Indians, and the koto, which is the traditional dress of the African-Surinamese women. This simple dress, whose name comes from the keti koti, which roughly means the "chains have been broken" and originate with the time of slavery. These large, loose-fitting, puffy dresses were simple in design, but various designs existed, some of which were for particular occassions.
In the past, and today, many of the Hindis wear traditional clothing from India, especially the women, many of whom wear a sari. Some Hindu men also wear traditional dress from India, such as a dhoti kurta, but more and more Hindu men are wearing western clothes. Many of the Javanese women also wear traditional dress from Java (Indonesia), which is quite conservative as most of these women are Muslim so cover their knees, shoulders, and some cover their heads.
As a visitor to Suriname it is best to dress conservatively as showing your knees or shoulders is offensive to both the Hindis and the Muslims and together they make up nearly half the population. Both men and women should wear long pants while in Suriname and shirts that cover their shoulders and preferably reach past their elbows. If conducting business in the country, visiting religious sites, or visiting governmental buildings this is especially true as being more conservative and more formal is a good rule to follow in these situations.