1971.28.4

Collection type

Object

Description

Adire cloth patterned using starch resist dye method.

Long description

Adire cloth, a rectangular piece of machine woven cotton that has been dyed green and dark blue with indigo. There is a hem of 8-9cm down each side which has been machine sewn with a running stitch in white thread. The textile is a half-cloth, typically paired with another half to form a complete iro (wrapped skirt). A row of unpicked stitching is visible down one side. The pattern is known as the ‘adire oloba’ meaning ‘cloth with the king’ or ‘jubilee design’ which features a central medallion framing an oba (king), and a queen. It also features the word Oba (king) which sits below a crown motif. This was a common design which derived from images of George V and Queen Mary which were circulated in 1935 to mark the Silver Jubilee and which were adapted over time to represent the changing leadership in Nigeria after independence. The central frame is surrounded by floral designs, leaves, birds and spots. The bottom edge is patterned with a border of four pairs of bird motifs, usually helmeted guinea fowl, facing each other and a series of four rectangular blocks of dots. Above this sits two rows of the printed word Ologun which is the name of a member of the social class of warrior chiefs in Yoruba society or ’war general’. Commonly the letter ‘o’ is replaced with a cowrie shell which was formerly used as currency and is a symbol of wealth. The textile is an example of adire cloth which has been dyed using a resist dye technique. The word adire literally means "that which is tied and dyed," but it is commonly used to refer to all indigo-dyed cloth in Nigeria. Adire eleko is the name for the resist dye technique that has been used which involves the application of starch paste to the surface of cotton cloth. The paste is made from cassava flour, known as lafun in Yoruba, which is boiled with alu to form a thick starch. The paste for this piece has been applied through a stencil using either a brush or metal comb. Small areas of starch paste residue are visible across the surface of the textile. Plants of the Indigofera Linn family are generally used for dyeing. These plants are known as elu-aja to the Yorubas. Usually after the dyeing process, the starched areas remain white, and the rest of the cloth turns a deep indigo blue, however this piece has been dyed with a green dye giving a finished result of green and blue. Within these areas a smaller floral and geometric pattern can be seen underneath and the adire dye process has been applied on top of an existing pattern. The starch of the adire process is applied only on one side, leaving the underside plain blue. Part of the collection made by Jane Barbour of 23 Adire, indigo resist-dyed cloths, made by the Yoruba in Nigeria (see 1971.28.1-23).

Geographical reference

Nigeria

Africa > Western Africa > Nigeria

Cultural groups

Yoruba

Person

Field collector Jane Morris Barbour

PRM source Jane Morris Barbour

Date / Period

Date made: Before 1971

Date collected

June 1971

Acquisition information

Purchased: 1971

Materials and processes

Material Pigment, Process Stencilled, Process Woven, Process Resist Dyed, Material Cotton Seed Fibre Yarn Plant, Material Cotton Seed Fibre Textile Plant, Process Stitched, Process Indigo Dyed

Dimensions

Width: max 825 mm, Length: max 1970 mm, Depth 1 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 1971.28.4

Research and responses

This textile was viewed by Dr. Louisa Onuoha, Assistant Director in the Museum Educational Services and Training for the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Nigeria on Tuesday 17 June, organised as part of the Clothworkers’ Textile Project.

Please see a summary of Louisa’s comments below;

Adire cloth is culturally significant in Yoruba culture and was traditionally worn at special events such as naming ceremonies and weddings. Nowadays the fabric is available in all garments such as jeans, T-shirts etc – it has evolved greatly. Adire is still made and is a symbol of Yoruba identity, but there are changes such as men now being more involved, rather than just female dyers, and replacement materials such as wax, instead of cassava paste, being used.

At the time the pieces in the collection were made [pre 1970s] there very little mass production and the cloths were made by hand. The cloth was 100% cotton meaning the dye can be taken well (synthetic fabrics do not absorb the dye) and the richness of the colour shows it is of a high quality. Adire like this is really expensive today. We now have very few handmade textiles, and we mainly do not have this quality because there is a lot of imitation, a lot of mass production and makers wanting to make as many in as little time as possible to make money. So, there’s no longer the beauty and the creativity. In reference to the hand painted ones – this is a lot of work, and it’s a lot of hard work for little money. But I prefer these ones, they are the originals.

The designs depict everyday life on the fabric, a closeness to nature, the environment and a connection to spirituality. All the designs have meaning. “Koko” is seen on many cloths and means communication in Yoruba, passing on the message and making a connection. Geometric shapes such as the large V shapes, represent strength, stability, protection, energy, movement and dynamism. Cowries represent wealth and status and are worn as a status symbol. Floral designs represent growth, beauty and fertility. Leaves represent abundance, prosperity and good fortune. Many animals feature and all have individual meanings, the tortoise for example symbolises resilience, longevity and wisdom

Cassava is a staple of Yoruba culture, they eat it, they use it for a lot of things, so it’s normal that it would be depicted in fabric because it’s something they see every day as well as being used in the resist dye process.

The Ikin Ifa or Ifa divinity tree is seen often and represents a connection to traditional Yoruba religion. We see the use of characters like Adam and Eve come into later designs showing the change that came with colonisation and the spread of Christianity.

The design and symbolism of the textiles all have their meaning and combine to communicate a message. For example, cloth with cowries, geometric designs and floral motifs will convey wealth, strength, resilience, beauty.

Regarding the overprinting of adire on fabric with existing decoration or supplementary weft designs, this is seen occasionally when cotton fabric was reused, and the pattern was layered as part of the artwork.

Patches of discoloration seen on a couple of the textiles are due to faults in the batches of dye mix, but no art is invalid and adds to creativity.

Several pieces have the raffia from the adire oniko dying process still in place. This is often left in to show that it is a newly made cloth and that the buyer if the first person to own it. The threads fall out and are lost during use. In a similar way a few cloths have seeds remaining tied in situ.

The main people to mention when talking about contemporary adire are Nike Davies-Okundaye and Susanne Wenger.

Nike Davies-Okundaye is a batik artist and champion of adire as a symbol of Yoruba heritage, empowerment and emancipation by giving people a livelihood. Nike has worked to preserve traditional culture and teach is to new generations.

Nike Davies-Okundaye praises Susanne Wenger in helping people respect and revive the tradition of adire. Wenger was born in Austria and moved to Nigeria in 1950. She became initiated in traditional Yoruba religion and learnt the art of adire eleko. Thorugh the revival of sacred artworks and redevelopment she helped to get the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove designated as a national monument in 1965 and as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005.

Indigo dyers pay tribute and pray to Iya Mapo, goddess associated with women's crafts, and to the Osun the Yoruba water goddess. There is an annual festival in August which is dedicated to Osun, also the goddess of fertility, love, beauty which is held at the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove.

Louisa demonstrated how the cloths would be worn by women and explained that adire cloths are worn as an iro (skirt), iborun (shawl) and gele (headscarf) with a buba (blouse). There are many different creative ways of tying them, see YouTube! A key factor to always consider when tying a cloth was to have your feet are shoulder width apart to ensure it is not too tight to walk! Adire is now also worn by men as a buba (loose round necked shirt), sokoto (trousers) and agbada (robe.)

Associated publications

Adire Cloth in Nigeria, Editor: Jane Barbour; Editor: Doig Simmonds; University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 1971 Object: The Origin of Some Adire Designs, Main author: Jane Barbour; University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 1971, Page: 53, Notes: Technique described under subheading 'Stencilled cloths' Adire coth in Nigeria 1971 - 2016, Editor: Doig Simmonds; Editor: Pat Oyelola; Editor: Segun Oke; Additional author: Dele Layiwola; Additional author: Bisi Akpata; Additional author: Nancy Stanfield; Additional author: Segun Oke; Additional author: Jane Barbour; Additional author: George Jackson; Additional author: Nike Okundaye; Additional author: Pat Oyelola; Additional author: Margaret Areo; Additional author: John Picton; Additional author: Doig Simmonds; UK on behalf of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 2016

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