Dogon Woman's Wrap / Skirt

Faded to a soft grey-blue and patched in places, this cloth has clearly been put to work.

This woman's wrap or skirt of woven cotton and indigo is Dogon, from Mali, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. The Dogon live in the cliff and plateau country of central Mali, and they are known for their masks, their architecture and their long-established textile traditions. Wide rectangular cloth of narrow horizontal stripes in pale blue-grey and cream. Small patches and mended spots sit near the lower center, with a tear along the top edge. The color is soft and chalky with frayed side edges. It is 42 inches wide and 59 long.

Faded, mended and still holding its stripes.