Adire Eleko Cloth

The Adire Eleko textiles of the Yoruba were created by applying a resist paste of cassava flour to the cloth with a sharpened quill. The design was drawn on one side only and then the cloth got dip dyed in an indigo bath.The dying was repeated numerous times to achieve the deep blue black so prized by the Yoruba.

In between dippings the cloth was laid out carefully on racks to dry without cracking, thus achieving straight edges. The pasted areas absorbed some indigos well to further enhance the blue shading. The typical design is in a grid enclosing motifs with proverbial meaning. Adire cloths were produced during periods of relative calm and prosperity and therefore can all be dated as pre 1930 or from the nineteen sixties and seventies.