Other African Textiles

Bark, beaten thin in the Ituri Forest and painted in loose freehand lines. African textiles here include wraps, dresses, blankets, mats and barkcloth from Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco and Congo, mostly from the 20th century. Mbuti barkcloth panels from the Ituri Forest are painted by women with patterns that read like maps or music. Women’s wraps and skirts come from the Dogon of Mali, the Mossi of Burkina Faso and the Baule of the Ivory Coast, some mounted and one fashioned as a poncho.

Yoruba asoke cloth from Nigeria, Ewe strip-woven cloth and an Ashanti blanket from Ghana, and a Congolese woven mat widen the range. From Morocco come Berber dresses from the Middle Atlas, and Tuareg saddle pads turn up as well. Frame a barkcloth panel for a hallway, or fold a strip-woven cloth over a chair back. Bark, cotton and wool, and none of it made in a hurry.