We'd like to use analytics cookies to understand which symbols people look up, so we know what to research next. They are not used for advertising and we set none of them unless you say yes. What we store.
Cotton cloth patterned in fermented-mud dark on cream.
Also known as: Bogolan, Mudcloth, Malian mud cloth, Dark patterns on cream cloth
Bògòlanfini is dyed with fermented mud, and the process is chemical rather than pictorial: the mud reacts with a tannin mordant in the cloth to fix the dark colour. The patterns carry meaning in Bamana practice, and much of what is sold to tourists does not.
Denotes Malian cotton cloth patterned by applying fermented mud over a tannin mordant, producing dark motifs on a pale ground.
Contexts: History
Depends on a chemical reaction between iron in the mud and tannins in the cloth rather than on the mud staining it, which is why the colour is fast.
Contexts: History
Carries motifs with documented meanings in Bamana practice, including cloths made for specific life stages, distinct from the decorative versions produced for export.
Contexts: History
Handwoven cotton strips bearing geometric motifs — zigzags, dotted grids, concentric rectangles — in dark brown or black on an undyed cream ground.