Object Details
- Label Text
- In West Africa, cloth is made of wool, cotton or silk, or combinations of these materials. Woven on narrow strip looms, they are then hand or machine-sewn together to create large wrappers, cloths or blankets with patterns dyed or woven into the fabric.
- In the exhibition Patterns of Life, curator Peggy Gilfoy describes this extraordinary cloth as having colorful blocks and a dramatic background striping. She continues: "Although the zigzag is the only design between the weft bands, four alternating warp patterns and variations on the zigzag give the cloth a great vitality. The warp pattern with bold red, green, and yellow stripes is known as oyokoman ogya da mu, 'there is fire between the two factions of the Oyoko clan.' It refers to 'the civil war after the death of Osai Tutu between Opoku Ware and the Dako (c. 1730). This (type of) cloth was worn by the King of Ashani' (Rattray 1927, 238)."
- Gilfoy, Peggy. 1987. Patterns of Life: West African Strip Weaving Traditions. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 85.
- Description
- Sillk wrapper composed of sixteen strips with varying warp patterns in geometric blocks of yellow, red, black, green, light blue and white.
- Provenance
- Venice and Alastair Lamb, England, purchased in Bonwire, Ghana, 1969 to 1985
- Exhibition History
- Traditional Textiles / Coded Fashion, Experimental Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 30, 1993-March 25, 1994
- 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. 85, no. 33.
- Stockstad, Marilyn and Michael W. Cothren. 2010. Art: A Brief History (4th edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
- 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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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
- Asante artist
- Date
- Mid-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, EJ10583
- Medium
- Silk, synthetic dye
- Dimensions
- H x W: 209.6 x 130.8 cm (82 1/2 x 51 1/2 in.)
- Type
- Textile and Fiber Arts
