Woman's wrapper

NameWrapper

CultureYoruba

Dateca. 1960s

Place madeNigeria, Africa

MediumCotton, indigo dye

Dimensions75 3/8 × 70 1/16 × 1/8 in. (191.5 × 178 × 0.3 cm)

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, gift of Barbarine Rich, A.2018.4.3

Object numberA.2018.4.3

ProvenanceThese textiles were sourced by Dr. Duncan Clarke, who earned his PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, specializing in aso oke (Nigerian strip weaving). He published a number of books on West African textiles and works as a high-end dealer in London. The donor purchased the textiles from Dr. Clarke. She began selectively collecting textiles many years ago and intended to launch her own private textile museum in a house beside the Wheelwright Museum on Museum Hill in Santa Fe. These plans were stalled and more recently abandoned when her young daughter was discovered to be terminally ill; she began to divest her large textile holdings.

DescriptionThis woman's wrapper consists of 36 dyed blocks of two alternating patterns. In each block the words "ko dele ri yi" repeat twice. One block shows two, ninteeen-footed creatures and two birds that are centered by a circle and oval shapes that lead to opposite corners. The other blocks have bird figures in each corner and other stylized patterns. The reverse hem edges have designs (possibly signatures).