Adire eleko history book

The use of starch allows for a greater variety in the patterns that can be created. I read this book over the summer by catherine mckinley the book. In this post, you will learn about the history of the adire textile and follow its progression through time. Nigerian artist nike okundaye shares textile art in new. Learn the traditional nigerian dyeing and printing techniques of batik, adire eleko and tiedye. The fabric is first folded and pressed into distinct squares with the fingers or a small mallet. They use paper, glue and paint to imitate the technique and create similar patterns on paper. It was collected in ibadan, nigeria about 1972 and has never been used, only admired. Adire is the name given to indigo blue dyed cloth produced by yoruba women of south western nigeria using resist dye techniques. The journal generates and participates in debates to advance the discipline of history and promote its relevance to development. The color is slightly lighter than the black indigo, but the fabric is ready to wear.

The history of adire textile, pronounced as ahdeereh dates back to the old yoruba tribe of the southwestern nigeria. Nigerian dyeing and printing techniques of batik, adire eleko and tie dye. The paper therefore examines the styles and forms of contemporary adire in nigeria, its distribution and entrepreneurship. What started out as a quest for good adire fabrics in kemta market on my way back to lagos after a highoctane party turned into an insight into the history, manufacturing and marketing of adire.

Daviesokundaye chooses to continuously reference adire patterns in her artwork because adire is a womens art. Brochure published in conjunction with an exhibition at the smithsonian institution april 16august 17, 1997. Here are a few examples that i used in my power point presentation. I gave students a little background information about the history of this african art. A bridge construction near the market has resulted into some. The ancient art of the adire cloth makes a comeback in.

Origin of and visual semiotics in yoruba textile of adire margaret olugbemisola areo ph. D department of fine and applied arts ladoke akintola university of technology, p. Resistdyeing involves creating a pattern by treating certain parts of the fabric in some way to prevent them absorbing dye. Nov 01, 20 origin of and visual semiotics in yoruba textile of adire 1. Adire indigo resist dyed cloth from yorubaland, nigeria. Freehand eleko, stencil eleko, eleko splash, and lace eleko. With the whole lot of innovation the adire textile is going through, the indigenous craft still maintained and retained its cultural values among its various users most especially the yoruba people. Paradigmatic appraisal of techniques and technology of adire in the last five decades. Inside the yoruba textile art of adire with chief nike. Aug 12, 2012 i read this book over the summer by catherine mckinley the book relates her experience searching for authentic indigo cloth in africa while on a fulbright scholarship. Batik is the process of creating designs using wax.

We work with a network of partners throughout west africa to source exceptional museum quality textiles for clients that include leading museums worldwide, private collectors, and interior designers. This led to the development of stencils which also saw the entrance of men into this craft that up until the 1930s had been controlled by women. Adire eleko paste resistin the years after world war ii when american adire the history part 1 adire ahdihray is a yoruba term describing resistdyeing fabric. Here, the focus mainly on the sale of adire and kampala materials. Resist dyeing with cassava paste painted onto the fabric.

Adire eleko has starchy maize or cassava paste handpainted onto the surface of the cloth as a resist. Nov 01, 20 paradigmatic appraisal of techniques and technology of adire in the last five decades 1. Eleko means with starch and refers to the cassava starch hand painted on the cloth as a resist agent prior to dyeing with indigo, while adire is yoruba for tie and dye, alluding to the earlier traditions of resist patterning from which this style was. The dyeresistant paste can be either painted freehand or stenciled onto the fabric. Adire are indigo resist dyed cotton cloths that were made by women. Palm fronds or feathers from the wings of fowls traditionally serve as the painting brush, with other tools such as. An expose of the history and development of adire will reveal the design. You can find our products adire the history part 2. Mar 06, 2015 adire eleko design being done by hand using a feather. The market attracts tens of thousands of traders and tourists alike on a daily basis. As the translation of the name suggests, the earliest pieces of adire were probably simple tied designs on cotton cloth handspun and woven locally. Adire oniko is tied or wrapped with raffia to resist the dye. Yoruba people are known for their crafts and also known for travelling around and trading in their crafts. In nigeria, traditionally, we practiced adire with cassava paste.

Chief nike daviesokundaye is one of nigerias most renowned visual artists and cultural icons. Okundaye started her career in 1968 in a small art shop. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. English this interesting book describes the techniques and methods. Jun 25, 2014 abeokuta adire and batik market is probably the largest tie and dye market in the all of the west coast of africa. First graders are introduced to the art form of african adire eleko cloth painted patterned textiles. The handpainted adire eleko is the oldest, and most laborious. Discover the history and use of indigo dye to create stunning pieces with practices. Both good novel and uniqueness shall seek me profusely.

Power point lesson on adire eleko cloth showing examples. The process of making adire eleko involves the boiling of cassava flour, lafun. Adire cloth inspired wax resist the first graders learned about line and pattern by looking at the artwork of other cultures. This textile is rich in beauty and culture as much as it has a rich history. I noticed black history month is rolling around, and i noticed that some people have pulled out their african traditional tailored garments but do we know the african style of clothing that we are wearing. Colleen krigers book cloth in west african history provides us with a comprehensive history of precolonial and colonial cotton textile production. Apr 27, 2016 the map of africa at the beginning of the book could use a title. The project i picked is titled adire eleko cloth with senufo mud cloth animals. The original versions were indigodyed and decorated with resist patterns.

Adire refers to indigo dye, and eleko refers to the boiled cassava, lime, and alum resist technique used to create patterns. While adire is the specialty of nigerias yoruba, whose skill in. Adire cloth in nigeria available at university of ibadan. Origin of and visual semiotics in yoruba textile of adire. One of the most popular and detailed publications about the adire textile is adire cloth in nigeria which was published by the institute of african studies, university of ibadan in the year 1971. The process of making indigo dye is pretty intense. Nigerian artist and designer nike okundaye teaches students how to make the yoruba cloth, adire. An indigoadire workshop with the man who could be king. The wax can be applied to the fabric using wood stamps, stencils, or foam rubber.

There are 3 different resist techniques namely, adire oniko the use of raffia, which is tied to the both to create patterns, adire alabere the use of needle and raffia to see the patterns onto the cloth and adire eleko the use of cassava paste to create patterns on the cloth. A deep history gasali began his indigo journey as a young man, mentored by his mother, who is now an 83 yearold midwife. L adire eleko fabric art society of african journal editors. May 04, 2017 this book by denise logan is filled with fabulous projects for children. Resistdyed cloths of the yoruba national museum of african art, joan kelly on. In this comprehensive, generously illustrated handbook, textile artist and teacher nancy belfer leads readers step by step through the technique required to successfully create imaginative and beautiful batiks and tiedyed textiles. Although published as a print on demand book and with budget limitations apparent in the reproduct. The outcome is beautifully patterned fabric, once worn as a form of communication and storytelling. Nigerian culture is multiethnic and gives a lot of value to different types of arts. It is the major local craft by the women who use a variety of resist dye techniques in their entrepreneurial and artistic efforts, to.

The earliest pieces of this type were probably simple tied designs on cotton cloth handspun and woven locally rather like those still produced in mali, but in the early. Arts and design studies issn 22246061 paper issn 2225059x online vol. The starch was only applied to one side of the cloth so the underside would be plain blue. Contemporary lent by the victoria and albert museum. Adire are indigo resist dyed cotton cloths that were made by women throughout yorubaland in southwestern nigeria. Tiedye adire is not only an art of fabric production and decoration but a way of life that is rooted in the life and culture of most people. There is a strong tendency to keep dyeing recipes and methods secret from inquisitive outsiders. Oct 31, 2018 this textile art is was founded by the yorubas. Adire eleko is a specialist craft that originated in approximately 1910, is unique to yorubaland in southwest nigeria and traditionally practiced by women they designed and dyed the cloth.

Adire pronounced ahdeereh is a textile resist dyeing technique in nigeria. Cloths were made up of two strips of factory produced cotton. It was first made by yoruba women of old by using a variety of resistdyeing techniques. Batik and tie dye techniques by nancy belfer, paperback. Paradigmatic appraisal of techniques and technology of adire. Oct, 2019 nigeria a type of traditional yoruba tiedyed cloth. It has four spoons, indication next to the top quality. Today, this highly informative book has been further revised to accommodate the recent discoveries in tie and dye. Adire, is a yoruba a tribe in southwestern nigeria word for tie and dye. Adire eleko cloth glue patterns lesson plan for 1st grade.

Oniko, raffia tied and adire eleko, starch resist, both stencil and free hand applied ones. However, modern adire accommodates an array of dye shades and hues. Vaz profiled okundayes story in her book the woman with the artistic brush. The artist uses a thick paste of cassava flour which enables the textile to remain undyed in drawn areas. This adire eleko cloth glue patterns lesson plan is suitable for 1st grade. Inside the yoruba textile art of adire with chief nike davies. The starch resist is applied by stencil to the cotton cloth, parts combed away, then dyed. Derived from the yoruba words, adi to tie and re, adire means tie and dye. There are four other methods in this medium, but with varying technology in their pattern creation.

Im fascinated by the indigo cloth made in yoruba, africa called adire eleko which uses cassava paste as a resist. Research on humanities and social sciences issn 22221719 paper issn 22222863 online vol. Born in ogidi, kogi state, to an artistic family with a long history of textile craftsmanship, the 63. Apr 10, 2014 in part an updated version of doig simmonds and nancy stansfields classic 1971 book on adire, this new work is without doubt the most useful and comprehensive book on the yoruba tradition of indigo resist dyeing to date. Stanford libraries official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. Adire textiles which, is the indigo dyed cloth is an integral part of the culture and cultural heritage of the people of egba kingdom in south western nigeria. Cloths decorated by using starch made from cassava flour to resist the indigo dye were known as adire eleko. Jan 28, 2015 adire african textiles is a small london based gallery dedicated solely to exploring the vintage textile traditions of subsaharan africa. Okundayes story of using art to empower women is what attracted vazdeville to her work and to bringing her to new orleans. This adire eleko is made with colorfast dyes in the traditional ibadandun ibadan is sweet pattern. Even beginners, following the instructions in this thorough.

The journal aims to serve the academic community with a bias towards history and policy formulation. Abeokuta has remained the major producer and selling centre of adire, but ibadan, a larger city to the north, become a nucleus of women artists who specialized in handpainted adire eleko. This tedious and delicate art can be traced back to the 19 th century. The first adire is said to have emerged in abeokuta. Story telling through adire march 25, 2015 urbanknit we are huge fans of batik fabric, in particular adire which is the type of tie dye fabric popular among the yoruba people of southern nigeria. The markings on adire eleko textiles often appear more handdrawn than their stitch and tieresist relatives, and thats because the images usually are drawn free hand. Today, adire eleko can be seen in other west african countries where yoruba descendents have settled. Another issue is that the last page of the book is irrelevant. But adire eleko, or paste resist, was not used in africa until the early 1900s.