Yoruba Asoke Strip-Woven Cloth

Dark maroon with thin gold lines, and a corner that gave up early.

This asoke strip-woven cloth is Yoruba, from Nigeria, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is cotton. Cotton has long been a principal fiber for Yoruba weaving, and the strips are often patterned with stripes, checks and areas of colored supplementary thread. Deep wine-colored cloth striped lengthwise with fine yellow lines, bordered by wider grayish bands at each side. The top right corner is notched away and a few short tassels hang from the lower right. It is 65 inches wide and 84.5 long.

A little frayed, a lot dignified.