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
Yoruba: Machine-Stitched Resist Indigo-Dyed Cloth
Yoruba and Baulé Warp Ikat
Nigerian Starch-Resist (by hand)
Stencilled Starch-Resist
Stencilled Starch-Resist [1]
One of the many ways of applying a dye-resisting agent to fabric is by coating the surface of a cotton cloth with a flour paste and then immersing it in a cold water dye such as indigo. Noted for their arts, the Yoruba people of South-West Nigeria are not only some of Africa's most versatile weavers, but are also unsurpassed as indigo dyers. While much of the weaving profession is carried out by men, indigo-dyeing - along with hand-drawn starch-resist, which has always been a female occupation.
Stencils were first cut from the lead lining of tea and cigar boxes in the early 20th century at the town of Abeokuta but, for most of the 20th century, 30 x 20.3 cm (11 x 8 inches) panels of zinc have been used, with the required pattern chiselled into them. Until recent times, the application of the cassava starch-resist through stencils was exclusively a male occupation. Nowadays, many roles have changed. For instance, in Oshogbo, one of the last places for dyeing in natural indigo, women play a major part in the manufacture of these cloths, which are known, like their hand-drawn cousins, as adire eleko.
Starch is only applied to one side of the cloth. The starch-resist technique works on the same principle as wax batik. It is well-suited to indigo dyeing, in that the temperature of the vat never rises high enough to dissolve the starch. The cloth to be stencilled, which may be plain white or patterned mill cloth, is nailed flat to a table. The Zinc stencil is placed firmly on top of the cloth and cassava or cornflower starch mixed with alum (the paste is known as lafun is applied and pressed into the cloth with a metal spatula. Any surplus is scraped off and retained. Most designs require a series of stencils, which are used in the order of their importance to the overall design. Repeated immersion in the indigo dye-bath is required. Great care is taken not to crack the resist while handling it during this process. When the dyeing is completed, the lafun is scraped off the cloth, which is then hung out to dry. The resulting cloth, if a white base is used, therefore has a light-blue design on a very dark-blue ground. One of the favourite central motifs shows King George V and Queen Mary upon the occasion of their Silver Jubilee in 1935.
Adire eleko indigo-dyed woman's wrap with stencilled Yoruba proverb.
A 1970s Nigerian market scene. The woman wears an adire wrap.
Zinc adire eleko stencils, Oshogbo.
Yoruba, stencilled adire eleko showing King George V and Queen Mary in 1935, their Silver Jubilee year. Cassava starch has been stencilled on to mill-patterned cloth. The base pattern is revealed where the starch has been applied.
Adire eleko indigo-dyed woman's wrap with a lizard or terrapin stencilled motif.
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
Yoruba: Machine-Stitched Resist Indigo-Dyed Cloth
Yoruba and Baulé Warp Ikat
Nigerian Starch-Resist (by hand)
Stencilled Starch-Resist
Stencilled Starch-Resist [1]
One of the many ways of applying a dye-resisting agent to fabric is by coating the surface of a cotton cloth with a flour paste and then immersing it in a cold water dye such as indigo. Noted for their arts, the Yoruba people of South-West Nigeria are not only some of Africa's most versatile weavers, but are also unsurpassed as indigo dyers. While much of the weaving profession is carried out by men, indigo-dyeing - along with hand-drawn starch-resist, which has always been a female occupation.
Stencils were first cut from the lead lining of tea and cigar boxes in the early 20th century at the town of Abeokuta but, for most of the 20th century, 30 x 20.3 cm (11 x 8 inches) panels of zinc have been used, with the required pattern chiselled into them. Until recent times, the application of the cassava starch-resist through stencils was exclusively a male occupation. Nowadays, many roles have changed. For instance, in Oshogbo, one of the last places for dyeing in natural indigo, women play a major part in the manufacture of these cloths, which are known, like their hand-drawn cousins, as adire eleko.
Starch is only applied to one side of the cloth. The starch-resist technique works on the same principle as wax batik. It is well-suited to indigo dyeing, in that the temperature of the vat never rises high enough to dissolve the starch. The cloth to be stencilled, which may be plain white or patterned mill cloth, is nailed flat to a table. The Zinc stencil is placed firmly on top of the cloth and cassava or cornflower starch mixed with alum (the paste is known as lafun is applied and pressed into the cloth with a metal spatula. Any surplus is scraped off and retained. Most designs require a series of stencils, which are used in the order of their importance to the overall design. Repeated immersion in the indigo dye-bath is required. Great care is taken not to crack the resist while handling it during this process. When the dyeing is completed, the lafun is scraped off the cloth, which is then hung out to dry. The resulting cloth, if a white base is used, therefore has a light-blue design on a very dark-blue ground. One of the favourite central motifs shows King George V and Queen Mary upon the occasion of their Silver Jubilee in 1935.
Reference:
[1] J. Gillow, African Textiles, Thames & Hudson Ltd, London (2003).
