Preamble
For your convenience I have listed below other posts in this series:
Diversity of African Textiles
African Textiles: West Africa
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part I
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part II
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part III
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part IV
Djerma Weaving of Niger and Burkina-Faso
Woolen Stripweaves of the Niger Bend
Nigerian Horizontal - Loom Weaving
Yoruba Lace Weave
Nigerian Women's Vertical Looms
The Supplementary Weft Cloths of Ijebu-Ode and Akwete
African Tie and Dye
Tie and Dye of the Dida, Ivory Coast
African Stitch Resist
Yoruba Stitch Resist
Nigerian Women's Vertical Looms[1]
Nigeria is one of the few places in West Africa where women, as well as men, weave. This phenomenon was pearticularly noticeable amongst women of the Youruba and Igbo peoples and other small groups in southern Nigeria.
A Yoruba woman weaving on a vertical loom at Owo, southwest Nigeria.
Almost the only women's vertical looms left in Yorubaland are at Owo, though amongst the Igbo, the women's looms of Akwete still prosper. The woman's loom consists of two sturdy posts set into the ground (usually large palm ribs) and two horizontal beams (again, palm ribs lashed to the posts at an appropriate height), around which the cotton warp is wound. The loom operates with a single heddle to preserve the weaver's cross and a heavy wooden sword is used, both for beating the weft and turned on its side to keep the shed open. The weaver pulls the heddle towards herself, adjusts the position of the shed sticks, turns the sword on its side, inserts the weft in a wooden shuttle, beats that pick in with the sword, lets the heddle go, re-adjusts the shed sticks, turns the sword on its side again and countershed has been made and the whole process is repeated until the cloth has been completed. The loom is continuously warped and, as the looms are quite high, a long length of cloth can be woven. As the weaving progresses, the warp is loosened off and the woven portions of the cloth are taken around the back and the part still to be woven is brought in front of the weaver.
The textile is often plain white cloth, but sometimes incorporates dark warp stripes. The finished cloth is usually dyed by dipping it into the indigo vat. Each strip is about the weaver's cubit wide. A woman's cloth is made up by sewing together two lengths selvedge to selvedge.
Woman's cotton cloth with supplementary weft decoration in the Nupe style.
Fine Nupe supplementary weft-decorated cotton cloth. Two lengths have been sewn together to form a wider cloth.
Igbomina Yoruba indigo-dyed supplementary weft alara (with wonders) marriage cloth from Esie.
Igbomina Yoruba indigo-dyed supplementary weft alara marriage cloth from Esie. The longitudinal spiral motifs are said to symbolize snakes.
Nupe woman's cotton cloth with supplementary weft decoration along one border and central beam.
Reference:
[1] J. Gillow, African Textiles, Thames & Hudson Ltd, London (2003).
For your convenience I have listed below other posts in this series:
Diversity of African Textiles
African Textiles: West Africa
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part I
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part II
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part III
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part IV
Djerma Weaving of Niger and Burkina-Faso
Woolen Stripweaves of the Niger Bend
Nigerian Horizontal - Loom Weaving
Yoruba Lace Weave
Nigerian Women's Vertical Looms
The Supplementary Weft Cloths of Ijebu-Ode and Akwete
African Tie and Dye
Tie and Dye of the Dida, Ivory Coast
African Stitch Resist
Yoruba Stitch Resist
Nigerian Women's Vertical Looms[1]
Nigeria is one of the few places in West Africa where women, as well as men, weave. This phenomenon was pearticularly noticeable amongst women of the Youruba and Igbo peoples and other small groups in southern Nigeria.
Almost the only women's vertical looms left in Yorubaland are at Owo, though amongst the Igbo, the women's looms of Akwete still prosper. The woman's loom consists of two sturdy posts set into the ground (usually large palm ribs) and two horizontal beams (again, palm ribs lashed to the posts at an appropriate height), around which the cotton warp is wound. The loom operates with a single heddle to preserve the weaver's cross and a heavy wooden sword is used, both for beating the weft and turned on its side to keep the shed open. The weaver pulls the heddle towards herself, adjusts the position of the shed sticks, turns the sword on its side, inserts the weft in a wooden shuttle, beats that pick in with the sword, lets the heddle go, re-adjusts the shed sticks, turns the sword on its side again and countershed has been made and the whole process is repeated until the cloth has been completed. The loom is continuously warped and, as the looms are quite high, a long length of cloth can be woven. As the weaving progresses, the warp is loosened off and the woven portions of the cloth are taken around the back and the part still to be woven is brought in front of the weaver.
The textile is often plain white cloth, but sometimes incorporates dark warp stripes. The finished cloth is usually dyed by dipping it into the indigo vat. Each strip is about the weaver's cubit wide. A woman's cloth is made up by sewing together two lengths selvedge to selvedge.
Reference:
[1] J. Gillow, African Textiles, Thames & Hudson Ltd, London (2003).
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