Aso Oke: Prestige Cloth from Nigeria

September 29, 2023–March 10, 2024

Carolyn C. and William A. McDonnell Gallery 100

 

Aso Oke: Prestige Cloth from Nigeria

Aso oke (ah-shō-ō-kay) is prestige cloth created by Yoruba weavers in southwestern Nigeria. Individuals wearing this “high-status cloth,” as translated from Yoruba, fashion it into clothing for celebratory and ceremonial occasions such as weddings, naming ceremonies, and funerals. Families, who commission aso oke for the most important milestones of life, often pass the textiles on to the next generation as heirlooms.

In addition to strip-woven construction, three elemental types of aso oke – Sanyan, Alaari, and Etu – form the foundation upon which weavers have achieved boundless design and material innovations. While the oldest examples are created of natural fibers such as palm, cotton, and silk, 20th-century examples incorporate synthetic fibers and pigments. These materials demonstrate technological innovations in fiber production and expanded global networks. This exhibition presents variations of aso oke dating from the 19th through 20th centuries. The textiles on view explore the cloths’ myriad visual appeal and the continual inventiveness of weavers that persist in aso oke worn and created today.

The contemporary painter Nengi Omuku has found inspiration in aso oke, choosing the sanyan type as a canvas for her paintings. Juxtaposed with selections of historical aso oke in this gallery, the painting by Omuku helps to realize the artist’s vision. Omuku stated her desire, “to create a conversation between a contemporary artist and the weavers, who are also artists.”

This exhibition is supported in part by the McDonnell Textile Endowment.

 

“[The] one who wears expensive aso oke to pose resplendent in wisdom…”
– Oriki (oral praise poem) dedicated to Bamigboye (c. 1885-1975), a Yoruba sculptor

The Aso Oke Triad and Agbadas (Men’s Robes) 

These men’s robes, called agbadas, introduce the three historical elements of aso oke that have continued to inform production of this cloth to the present day. Sanyan is tan wild silk. Alaari is magenta imported silk.  Etu is indigo cotton. Synthetic fibers and pigments largely replaced the archetypal ones in the early 20th century. Many of these later cloths may still be referred to as sanyan if beige, alaari if purple, or etu if blue.

The agbadas reflect the mastery of Yoruba weavers, embroiderers, and tailors. The voluminous form and elaborate embroidered designs of these robes originated in the Islamic regions of northern Nigeria. Tailors reinterpreted the form for local clientele by utilizing aso oke, rather than imported cloth. Embroiderers reimagined the stitched embellishments, adapting designs that Koranic calligraphy experts developed in the north.

These agbadas share motifs including “king’s drum,” a circle on the right chest symbolizing chieftancy, and multiple “knives,” elongated triangles associated with wealth. The embroidery, combined with the splendor of the aso oke itself, lends extra elegance to these immense robes that amplified the physical presence of an elite Yoruba man.

 

Yoruba artists
Man’s Robe, early to mid-20th century
Cotton

Gift of A. Patrick Irue and Amber Wamhoff, in memory of Dr. Leonard and Mrs. Lenora Gulbransen  180:2015

Etu
The deep indigo hue of this agbada creates an intensely dramatic contrast between the aso oke cloth and the embroidered designs. Upon close inspection, the cloth reveals a delicate checked pattern alternating light- and dark-blue threads. Called etu in Yoruba, this subtle tonal effect is named for its similarity to the speckled feathers of a guinea fowl (Numida meleagris). The saturation of etu cloth corresponds to the length of time its threads were submerged in indigo dye, ranging from light (ofeefe) to medium (ayinrin) and dark (dudu). In Yoruba aesthetics, dudu signifies coolness, composure, and self-control, associating these qualities of an effective leader with the elite man who wore this robe.

 

Yoruba artists
Man’s Robe (agbada), late 19th century
silk (alaari), cotton

Funds given in memory of Pauline E. Ashton  12:2023

Alaari
Lively embroidered designs and varied wide, narrow, and pin-stripes, comprised of magenta silk and white-and-black cotton, combine to create this dramatic agbada. Called alaari, the bright purple silk fibers began arriving in Nigeria by the 18th century via trans-Saharan trade. These fibers were “waste silk,” remnants from textile production in Europe and northern Africa, which were dyed purple and then traded into western Africa. In Nigeria, spinners transformed these fibers into alaari threads. The distinctive color imbues this robe, and the man who wore it, with the powerful associations of pupa. In Yoruba aesthetics, pupa connotes warm and hot temperatures, while funfun (white) and dudu (black) suggest coolness. This agbada’s interplay between the dominant alaari threads and complementary funfun and dudu stripes suggests the balanced demeanor essential to any male leader.

 

Yoruba artists
Man’s Robe (agbada), early 20th century
silk (sanyan), cotton

Friends Fund  11:2023

Sanyan
This agbada suggests great presence despite a subtle, monochromatic palette comprised of light-brown silk fibers, narrow white cotton warp stripes, and ivory embroidered designs across the chest and back. Called sanyan, the undyed silk reflects the naturally occurring color of the silk-moth (Anaphe infracta or Anaphe moloneyi) cocoons from which the threads were sourced (see image). The silk-making process involves harvesting the cocoon pods from certain trees, then boiling them to separate the outer shell from the soft, fibrous interior. Artisans then spin the fibers by hand into textural threads that weavers transform into cloth. This light-colored garment suggests the radiance of funfun. Funfun signifies purity and wisdom in Yoruba color theory and is associated with Obatala, the Yoruba deity (orisha) who sculpted humans into being and is considered “lord of white cloth.”

 

Yoruba artist

Woman’s Wrapper, 19th century
palm fiber, cotton, silk (alaari)

Friends Fund 14:2023

Subtle perpendicular lines of burgundy alaari silk threads gently interrupt this cloth’s prevalent white, handspun cotton, and tan palm-fiber stripes. Likely a precursor to sanyan made of undyed silk (see Man’s Robe at left), aso oke cloth made of palm fiber such as this is rare. These threads originate as the veins of leaves from certain palm trees (Raphia) and are only as long as the palm leaf from which they are sourced.

After separating these fibers from the leaves, they are knotted together to create a long, continuous thread that can then be woven on a loom. Here, these tiny knots are barely visible, yielding a supple cloth that belies the complicated process of preparing palm fibers for weaving.

 

Nengi Omuku, Nigerian, born 1987
Mar Loj, 2023
oil on sanyan (cotton)

Courtesy of the artist and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London  2023.316

“On returning to Nigeria [from Senegal], my studio visited a weaving family in Ilorin, where we found one of the few families still spinning thread from locally sourced Nigerian cotton. The threads were then dyed with natural dyes to create a new ‘Sanyan’ thread. I commissioned them to create new surfaces for [my] paintings… Mar Loj was done on the first sample of newly spun Sanyan my studio commissioned.”
– Nengi Omuku, April 2023

The muted tones of this painting complement the beige sanyan aso oke, here in cotton, serving as the composition’s canvas and border. Women practice the art of spinning locally-grown cotton into thread on the island Mar Lodj, in southwestern Senegal. Although four women are fully visible, hands and feet located in the lower corners of this work suggest three additional spinners are present. In 2022 when visiting the workshop portrayed here, Nengi Omuku was inspired by the communal effort to revive the cotton-spinning and weaving industry in Senegal. The artist sought out weavers of locally sourced and spun cotton in Nigeria to produce new sanyan for the surface of her paintings. By painting on the cloth’s intended back, Omuku creates what she calls “two fronts,” the other side preserving the visual integrity of the sanyan.

 

Yoruba artist
Woman’s Ensemble, mid- to late 20th century
Lurex, cotton, wool

Collection of: A. Patrick Irue & Amber Wamhoff  2023.324a-c

The gleaming aso oke cloth which make up this three-piece outfit is a modern interpretation of sanyan, here primarily composed of Lurex rather than wild silk. The Lurex metallic thread creates the predominantly white cloth’s glowing sheen, along with fine metallic stripes in blue and green. Pink cotton carryover threads (njawu) woven as “X”-es and passages of red, brown, and orange checks interspersed with Lurex, further ornament this woven confection of new materials. Here, the full set entails a sewn blouse (buba), wrapper (iro) to be worn as a skirt, and headwrap (gele). A Yoruba woman likely wore this ensemble for a wedding, perhaps as the bride, or a similar special occasion.

 

Yoruba artist

Wrapper, mid- to late 20th century
cotton, Lurex

Gift of Thomas Alexander and Laura Rogers 88:2002

 

Yoruba artist

Wrapper, mid- to late 20th century
cotton, rayon

Gift of Thomas Alexander and Laura Rogers 190:2011

New Materials and “Shine-Shine”
Glistening with silver stripes and golden rectangles, these cloths feature synthetic threads that create a “shining” effect. At left, the parallel and intersecting tonal and textural lines of openwork (eleya) and carryover threads (njawu) enhance the interplay between undyed cotton and metallic thread. At right, supplemental weft motifs float over beige cotton strips accentuated by black pinstripes in assorted tones. Both cloths may be considered variations of sanyan, here in cotton and synthetic fibers, rather than wild silk.

Synthetic threads made possible both the continuation of and innovation upon aso oke’s historical precedents. The availability of wild silk for sanyan and imported magenta silk for alaari began to decline after the turn of the 20th century. Yoruba speakers call rayon siliki after the English silk; this new fiber was often substituted for silk after the 1930s-1940s. Lurex, a proprietary metalized synthetic fiber, became available during the 1960s. Yoruba speakers refer to Lurex as ide, meaning brass. The sheen of synthetics coalesces with a Yoruba aesthetic called “Shine-Shine,” associating reflectivity and light with wealth, health, and high social status.

 

Techniques of Aso Oke
Aso oke displays the boundless creativity and technical expertise of weavers. Building upon the fundamental composition of narrow-woven cloth strips, weavers incorporate an array of methods and material choices to create unique cloths demonstrating characteristics that make aso oke distinctive. Some of these – ikat, carryover warps, openwork, mixed strip, and supplemental weft designs — are introduced in the adjacent wall cases. Helpful terms to understand are “warp” and “weft.” Warp refers to the stationary, longitudinal threads set onto the loom. Weft refers to the threads woven over and under the warp threads.

 

Yoruba artist
Wrapper, mid-20th century
Cotton

Collection of: A. Patrick Irue & Amber Wamhoff  2023.317

Ikat
A vibrant stripe, changing repeatedly from white to indigo, contrasts with the burgundy ground and punctuates the center of each narrow-woven strip assembled to form this cloth. The gradual transition between white and indigo demonstrates ikat, an Indonesian term describing this technique evident historically in textiles worldwide. Ikat originates with the threads, which are bundled and resist-dyed to create graduated alternating tones. Artfully incorporated by the weaver into the loom as warps, the woven threads yield a distinctive ombre or gradient tonal effect, resulting in a dynamic, rhythmic pattern as seen on view here.

 

Yoruba artist
Wrapper, mid-20th century
Cotton

Collection of: A. Patrick Irue & Amber Wamhoff  2023.318

 

Yoruba artist
Wrapper, mid-20th century
Cotton

Collection of: A. Patrick Irue & Amber Wamhoff  2023.322

Carryover (njawu) and Openwork (eleya)
On the left, an interpretation of etu (indigo) aso oke features a deep dyed ground accentuated by fine light-blue stripes and a textural zigzag pattern comprised of raised threads. Seen here as diagonals, carryover threads may also be oriented in crisscross or parallel designs.

On the right, the narrow-woven strips alternating between solid tan and tan-and-white geometric patterns are an interpretation of sanyan (beige) aso oke. Here the strips are made from dyed cotton rather than wild silk. Eyelets formed in repetitive, parallel rows punctuate each solid-colored strip with small dots of openwork.

To achieve these distinctive aso oke effects, carryover (njawu) and openwork (eleya), the weaver introduces a thicker extra weft and inserts it behind a cluster of warps, securing it with a few passes of the weft. Repeating this technique creates a row of eyelets. If the weaver floats the extra weft down the surface of the strip to create the next row of openwork, the result is njawu (see image-carryover). If the weaver trims the extra wefts after each row of eyelets, this creates eleya (see image-eyelet). On the indigo cloth, the eyelets are tight and indiscernible; the weaver intended eleya to be the foremost decorative effect.

 

Yoruba artist
Wrapper, mid-20th century
Cotton

Collection of: A. Patrick Irue & Amber Wamhoff  2023.319

Mixed Strip
Highlighting the ingenuity of both the tailor and the weavers, this cloth demonstrates an array of weavers’ design expertise, such as ikat and experimentation with tonal stripes. Weavers produce aso oke on a narrow-strip, horizontal loom, yielding cloth a few inches wide and of variable length. Shoppers in Yoruba cloth markets typically purchase aso oke in strip form, later commissioning a tailor to sew the strips together along the selvedges, or finished edges, to create a garment.

Fourteen total strips are sewn together to form this cloth. Here, the tailor artfully assembled six distinctly woven strips, achieving a pleasing composition while experimenting with asymmetrical placement on either half of the cloth. Look closely to identify the six unique narrow-strip cloths that make up this wrapper.

 

Yoruba artist
Wrapper, mid-20th century
cotton, Lurex

Collection of: A. Patrick Irue & Amber Wamhoff  2023.320

Supplemental Weft Float (ona)
Ochre geometric motifs animate this cloth’s prominent white-and-burgundy striping. Graphic designs such as this, or others including recognizable shapes and lettering, became increasingly prevalent on aso oke through the 20th century. The weaver achieved these patterns by adding supplementary weft threads and weaving them on top of the ground weave, picking up selected warp threads to secure the floating designs. On this and most cloths in this exhibition, these supplemental weft designs are single-faced, showing no trace on the reverse. This cloth sparingly incorporates metallic silver Lurex threads, which intermittently sparkle.

 

Yoruba artist

Wrapper, mid-20th century
cotton, Lurex

Supplemental Weft Float (ona)
Ochre geometric motifs animate this cloth’s prominent white­and-burgundy striping. Graphic designs such as this, or others including recognizable shapes and lettering, became increasingly prevalent on aso oke through the 20th century. The weaver achieved these patterns by adding supplementary weft threads and weaving them on top of the ground weave, picking up selected warp threads to secure the floating designs. On this and most cloths in this exhibition, these supplemental weft designs are single-faced, showing no trace on the reverse. This cloth sparingly incorporates metallic silver Lurex threads, which intermittently sparkle.

Collection of A. Patrick Irue & Amber Wamhoff 2023.320

 

Yoruba artist
Wrapper, c.1950s
cotton

Collection of A. Patrick Irue & Amber Wamhoff 2023.323

Lettered, in addition to geometric, supplemental weft designs distinguish this interpretation of alaari (magenta) aso oke, here in purple- and maroon-dyed cotton rather than imported silk. Four words repeat in Yoruba: Oluwato / Oluwalase / Egbeajiro / Obiajuba. These words roughly translate to English as: God is enough / God will do it / The community will deliberate / Kola nut will pay tribute.

Text-based weft floats on aso oke became popular during the 1940s-1950s. Families and social groups typically commissioned such cloths for the group to wear on special occasions, demonstrating their unity and shared sentiments as communicated by the script. The message here suggests patronage by a religious group. Kola nuts (Cola acuminata), a bitter seed chewed as a stimulant, are a typical offering in both religious and social contexts.

 

Yoruba artist

Woman’s Wrapper, c.1900
cotton, silk (alaari)

Friends Fund 13:2023

 

Yoruba artist

Wrapper, mid-20th century
cotton, Lurex

Collection of A. Patrick Irue & Amber Wamhoff 2023.321

Geometric supplemental weft float patterns decorate both of these cloths. At left, the designs in purple alaari silk are generously spaced, creating a balance with the delicate blue­-and-white checked ground weave and alternating striped cloth strips. At right, the indigo motifs are densely composed, interplaying energetically with silver Lurex threads, eyelets, and subtle blue-and-white striping. This contrast reflects the historical development of weft float designs as a technique. Appearing on aso oke since around 1900, these designs appear more restrained on older cloth and become increasingly elaborate by the mid-20th century.

Largely based on squares and triangles, these patterns may also reinterpret items such as a Koranic writing board (rectangle with concave sides) or child’s doll (rectangle surmounted by arrow). Also visible is what weavers called “hawk’s tail” (parallel chevrons across three parallel lines).

 

Hausa artist

Writing Board, mid- to late 20th century
wood, leather, plant fiber, pigment

Dr. Martha J. Ehrlich 2023.325

The rectangular form, concave edge, and crescent-­like extension of writing boards such as this have inspired a supplemental weft float design motif. Many aso oke cloths have featured these weft float design motifs since the early 20th century. The faded ink handwritten scripts in Arabic attest to this board’s use as a surface for a Muslim student to practice verses from the Koran.