Mossi Woman's Wrap / Skirt

A grid of tiny white rings and dashes floats on indigo, ending in loose fringe.

This woman's wrap or skirt is Mossi, from Burkina Faso, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is woven cotton & indigo. Indigo is a plant dye that gives cotton a deep blue, and the cloth is dipped repeatedly, then exposed to air so the color develops. Wide rectangular cloth in deep blue, covered with resist-dyed circles and short bars in tidy rows. Two small dark patches sit mid-field, and uneven fringe hangs from the left and right sides. It is 43 inches wide and 57 long.

Hundreds of small dots, each placed as if it mattered.