Old African Mali Mudcloth Fabric

Made in Mali, at north of Bamako, the bogolan fabric are hand woven and decorated with geometric patterns.
They served as a dress for pregnant women and as clothing for hunters, who protected against evil spirits.

Strips of cotton fabric, hand-woven sewn edge to edge, decorated with vegetable dyes obtained by maceration of tree leaves: The woven cotton is soaked in a decoction of tree leaves containing a high concentration of tannin, in order to to be dyed. The tribal patterns are then made with mud, freehand. The chemical reaction that will then occur will give the characteristic black color to the "magical" decorations of this textile.

This textile is in good condition, with a few holes on one of its longitudinal sides, having served as a wall tapestry.