Additional information:  For several centuries, stripwoven cloth just like this was the prized material for clothing throughout western Africa.  The indigo dying of textile started with the Yoruba, but eventually it spread outward and was adapted by dozens of other cultures.  The Tuareg, Malinke, Soninke, Manding, and Huasa are just a few of the tribes that saw the dyed textiles as a symbol of wealth.   Indigo dyes can be made from local plants in West Africa, using the leaves or seeds of the indigofera or lonchocarpus plants.  But more recently, synthetic dyes are also available.  Stripwoven textiles like this one could have been made in Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mali, Sierra Leone or anywhere in between.  The Dogon, Bamana, Yoruba, Mossi and Guro are all still heavily involved in the making and trade of indigo dyed cloth.  We do not recommend laundering textiles, and do not accept returns of textiles which have been laundered in any manner.  Even dry cleaning is too much for some of these antique textiles.  For some of them, a very gentle HAND washing  (NEVER MACHINE, on any setting)  in cool water with a very gentle detergent works, but even then, dyes may not be colorfast, and fabric may be less strong than it appears.

• Type of Object: Indigo Dyed Textile
• Materials: Cotton, dyes
• Country of Origin: Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso
• Dimensions: Height: 59 InchesWidth: 18 Inches
• People: unknown

Type of Object: Indigo Dyed TextileAfrica Direct