Wrapper (adire eleko)

Adire is the name for any indigo resist-dyed Yoruba cloth produced through a variety of techniques such as tying, knotting, binding, stitching, freehand painting, or stenciling. Adire eleko refers to hand-painted designs typically applied by women, as seen on this wrapper. The artist painted the motifs on commercially-produced cloth using cassava starch paste as the resist material, dyed the cloth in an indigo bath, then washed away the starch. The central double-foliate motif is identified as the Olokun pattern, named after the Yoruba goddess of the sea and of wealth.