Old Fine Bogolan Cloth – Mali
1960′; approx. cm. 150,0 x cm. 90,0 (59.06″ x 35.43″).
Handmade Malian cotton fabric traditionally dyed with fermented mud. It has an important place in traditional Malian culture and it’s a symbol of Malian cultural identity.
In traditional bògòlanfini production, men weave the cloth and women dye it. On narrow looms, strips of cotton fabric about 15 centimetres (5.9 in) wide are woven and stitched into cloths.
In traditional Malian culture, bògòlanfini is worn by hunters, serving as camouflage, as ritual protection and as a badge of status. Women are wrapped in bògòlanfini after their initiation into adulthood and immediately after childbirth, as the cloth is believed to have the power to absorb the dangerous forces released under such circumstances.
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