Object Details
- Label Text
- This cloth is a fine example of West African narrow-strip weaving. Nine identically patterned strips, each about five inches wide, are joined to form bands of pattern across the width of the fabric. The textile was woven with two different techniques, a plain weave with twill patterns and a tapestry weave. Both the overall design and the combination of weaves indicate the diffusion of North African weaving traditions to Sierra Leone. This particular type of weft-dominated cloth, known as kpokpo, is intended for display as an architectural space divider, furniture covering or as a door.
- Narrow-strip weaving is done by men on looms with horizontal beds. In Sierra Leone the primary weaving parts--the treadle, the heddles and the beater--are suspended from a tripod composed of poles. The warp, or lengthwise threads, are fixed to poles stuck in the ground to maintain proper tension. Both the weaver and the tripod move along the threads as the cloth is woven. Unlike cloth woven by women on vertical looms, the narrow strips can be almost any length. The strips are cut to a fixed length and sewn together to create a larger cloth. Because the design is carried by the weft, or crosswise threads, it can be of any desired width.
- Description
- Textile consisting of nine strips of narrow plain weave cotton and tapestry weave joined to form bands of white, blue, light blue and light brown patterns across the width of the fabric.
- Provenance
- Mr. Stott-Cooper, acquired in Yengema, Sierra Leone, 1930s
- Venice and Alastair Lamb, England, ca. 1970
- Exhibition History
- Patterns of Life: West African Strip-Weaving Traditions, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., September 28, 1987-February 29, 1988
- Published References
- Gilfoy, Peggy. 1987. Patterns of Life: West African Strip Weaving Traditions. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 57, no. 7.
- Lamb, Venice and Alastair. 1975. West African Narrow Strip Weaving. Washington, D.C.: Textile Museum, p. 35, no. 34.
- National Museum of African Art. 1999. Selected Works from the Collection of the National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 38, no. 18.
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Mende artist
- Date
- Early 20th century
- Credit Line
- National Museum of African Art, National Museum of Natural History, purchased with funds provided by the Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, 1983-85, EJ10408
- Medium
- Cotton, indigo dye, kola nut dye
- Dimensions
- H x W: 207 x 125.7 cm (81 1/2 x 49 1/2 in.)
- Type
- Textile and Fiber Arts
