Nigerian Textiles

            In many African cultures, clothing is seen as a very significant factor in cultural expression.  The naked body is seen as a symbol of nature, an uncivilized being, while a clothed body is viewed as a product of culture.  The body is used as a canvas to cloak oneself in cultural meaning.  It is a form of non-verbal communication, a means to impart information about identity, especially in terms of social status, religion and politics (Turner 1980: 112-114).

            Clothing is very important to all African cultures, yet it is especially important to the Nigerian people.  In Nigeria, the main form of clothing is made from textiles, which is defined as ‘woven fabrics.’  Textiles are a very prestigious art form that requires skill, patience, and time.  It is a very labor-intensive endeavor, yet that is what makes it such an admirable art form.  There is evidence that the Nigerian people have been cultivating the art of weaving for over a thousand years.  The Yoruba people in Western Nigeria are especially known for their weaving.  The market for textiles has decreased with the introduction of European printed cloth ever since the mid-20^th Century.  Even though traditional hand-woven cloths are sometimes overlooked in favor of the cheaper cloth, it is still considered an important and valuable form of both clothing and art.  It is possible that because there are cheaper and more convenient cloths available on the market, these textiles are considered even more valuable and special to the culture (Eicher 1976:32-33).

            Clothing is important in several different ways.  Cloth is used to signify wealth and status, highly respected qualities.  The Yoruba people often times will cover themselves in beautiful, colorful garments that drape and fold over the body, giving the impression of a person of high stature.  Both the quality of the cloth and the amount of cloth used in creating the garment determine its worth.  Hand-woven garments are very valuable in this culture.  The production of these textiles is a costly and time consuming procedure yet this process is part of what makes them so important to this culture (Cordwell 1983:56).

            The actual making of the textile is a long and calculated process.  The weaver has to know what the final creation is going to look like.  The textile is made to flatter the person wearing the garment, and how the robe will flow in motion.  He must pick out all the colors of the threads and know the structure of his weaving pattern before he begins.  This is especially true for the narrow strip weaving because after all the strips are woven, they are then sewn together and they have to make a cloth with a unified pattern.  The weaving is made with two sets of threads, called the warp and weft.  These two sets are interlaced together on the loom to create a structure that holds the cloth together.  The weaver can change this structure into more complex designs by adding supplementary wefts (threads), or by alternating the way that the two sets of threads are interlaced (Picton 1979: 99-102).

Typical of the textiles found in the Yoruba culture, and other parts of Nigeria as well, are robes made out of narrow strips of weaving.  These strips, about 4-5 inches wide, are then sewn together to create the garment.  This type of cloth is referred to as aso oke.  This is the way of making aso oke even though there is no entirely satisfactory reason for making cloth in this manner besides its tradition (Picton 1979:102).  These strips are woven on a horizontal, narrow, double-heddle loom.  This type of loom is most common in West Africa and men traditionally work on this kind of narrow strip loom.  As defined by John Picton, the loom is a wooden frame that supports the reed and heddles, which are the tools that hold the warp in place.  The foot treadles at the bottom actually lift the designated threads that are chosen to make the design.  The warp is extended out behind the loom for about 50-60 feet and is held down by stones to keep tension in the warp.

            The striped patterns found in most of the Yoruba textiles are made by alternating the colors in the warp.  The warp runs lengthwise in the garment and those are the threads that hold the tension while set up on the loom.  Pedals that are attached to the loom lift up a pattern of threads so that the weft can be laid in at a right angle.  Depending on how many of the warp threads are lifted, the fabric can be either warp- or weft-faced.  Many of the Yoruba textiles are warp-faced so that the colored stripes can be seen in the cloth (Eicher 1979:39, 54).  Many factors go into the design of the cloth:

Textile design depends upon three variable factors: the nature and colour of fibres employed, the kinds of

relationship between warp and weft which may be effected on a loom, and the possible methods of

embellishment of a fabric after manufacture

(Picton 1979: 16).

           These indigenous textiles remain extremely valuable in the Yoruba culture because of its artistry, the deep sense of respect for tradition, and the meaning these textiles impart about the Yoruba people’s social and ethnic identity.

           There are several different groups of people found in West Nigeria along with the Yoruba people.  There are also Christians and Muslims that migrated into the area during the mid-20^th Century.  Muslim influence is found in the style of dress, evident in the long flowing robes that men wear (Eicher 1976:5). “Christianity and Mohammedanism alike demanded the use of a certain amount of covering for the body (Negri 1976:73).”

            Also, embroidery is a form of Islamic fashion.  “Embroidering Islamic-inspired large designs on fronts, backs, and necklines of men’s gowns also added to the aesthetic value of woven garments (Cordwell 1983:59).  Today, most of the designs are machine embroidered on hand woven cloth.  But is adds to the aesthetic appearance as well as inherent value of the cloth.

            Textiles are a very important part in understanding these African cultures.  The concept of textiles is different than the Western world’s view where we consider textiles as more of a craft.  In the Western world, the majority of the garments worn are mass-produced and manufactured.  In researching West African textiles, I learned of the importance and care that African people give to constructing the textiles that they use, which is extremely different from our notion.  These textiles are a very rich and deep part of these cultures and it is their art, a vehicle to express their beliefs and values.

 

Sarah Lerman '02

 

Bibliography

Cordwell, Justine.  “Art and Aesthetics of the Yoruba.”  African Arts 16 (1983): 56-59.

 

Eicher, Joanne Bubolz.  Nigerian Handcrafted Textiles.  Ile-Ife, Nigeria: University of Ife Press, 1976.

 

Negri, Eva de.  Nigerian Body Adornment.  Nigeria Magazine, 1976.

 

Picton, John, and John Mack.  African Textiles.  London: British Museum, 1976.

 

Turner, Terence S.  The Social Skin.  Activities Superfluous to Survival.  Temple Smith, LTD., 1980.