adire

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Object Type
Museum number: Af1971,35.7
Description: Adire textile: womans: composed a single length of machine plain woven European cotton. The textile is decorated using the stitch resist method. The producer has sewn in the desired pattern before dyeing the textile indigo. The textile is divided in 9 weft rows. The textile is bordered by rows of small circles. The central panel is decorated by rows of alternating circles and stylised birds and the pattern is called ELETU “the owner of guineafowl” (ETU). The hem is machine sewn.
Production ethnic group
Findspot: Found/Acquired: Oke-Seni (?); Found/Acquired: Ibadan; Found/Acquired: Nigeria
Materials
Technique: plain weave; stitch resist-dyed; sewn
Dimensions: Length: 139 centimetres; Width: 82 centimetres
Curator's comments: Part of the AF1971, 35. 1- 27 collection of ADIRE (indigo resist-dyed cloths made by the ) YORUBA, NIGERIA. The cloth used today is imported white cotton. Two pieces roughly a yard (approx 92cm) wide are sewn together to make a large square cloth and the patterns are applied either by tying and stitching with strands of raffia or painting freehand or stencilling with cassava paste: either method resists the dye. Each pattern has one or more individual names (John Picton Register 1971).; For further information on Adire cloths please consult; Barbour and Simmonds, 1971. "Adire Cloth in Nigeria." Institute of African Studies University of Ibadan: Ibadan
Location: Not on display
Acquisition name
Acquisition date: 1971
Department: Africa, Oceania and the Americas
Registration number: Af1971,35.7

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