NOTES
A variety of indigo resist-dyed designs span the entire length of this 40-foot long cloth. The geometric symbols convey ideas of royal hospitality, diplomacy, and sacred knowledge that are the purview of a Bamileke fon, or chief. For example, the quartered circle motif signifies the kola nut, a typical offering to guests. Expansive ndop cloths such as this served as a setting for official events and ceremonies.
Ndop are commonly exchanged as gifts among elites across the Bamileke Plateau of the western Cameroon Grasslands region, where there are more than a hundred chieftaincies. Ndop were originally imported from the Upper Benue River region of eastern Nigeria. During the late 19th century, ndop producers moved closer to their patrons in the Grasslands. In 1910, the Bamum king Njoya, also in the Grasslands region, invited these artisans to his court to train local textile makers.
