• DOI:10.1162/desi.2007.23.2.31
• Corpus ID: 57568755

Printing Contemporary Handwoven Fabrics (Aso-oke) in Southwestern Nigeria

@article{Ojo2007PrintingCH,
  title={Printing Contemporary Handwoven Fabrics (Aso-oke) in Southwestern Nigeria},
  author={E. B. Ojo},
  journal={Design Issues},
  year={2007},
  volume={23},
  pages={31-39}
}

• E. B. Ojo
• Published 22 March 2007
• Economics
• Design Issues

Introduction Aso-oke (preserved cloth) is a Yoruba handwoven cloth made on a horizontal or vertical loom. Many types exist. The Sanyan type usually is woven from anaphe wild silk and cotton yarns. Alaari is woven with either synthetic or locally grown cotton and shinning threads, sometimes with perforated patterns, while the Etu type usually bears dark indigo colors with tiny white stripes noted for their simplicity. These three notable, woven cloths have flourished from time immemorial with virtually no innovations in their design. This is why a facelift is desirable if Aso-oke types are to match the challenges of modern fabric embellishments, and the demands of the international market. Modern motifs and patterns, such as those mentioned in this paper, also are desirable to enhance Aso-oke aesthetic values for the insatiable desires of consumers and sellers. A research effort by the author has led to handwoven fabrics deco rated with silkscreened traditional motifs and designs to maximize their value. Over the centuries, each locality where weaving is done in southwestern Nigeria has reserved the right to produce its own style of cloth. The woven pieces differ characteristically from one ethnic group to another. The general name for the types of fabrics they all produce is Aso-oke which, according to Okeke,1 is the traditional cloth of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. The Iseyin people of Oyo State produce Aso-oke from locally obtained wild silk called Tussah. Research findings of Okeke2 and Lamb3 include recorded oral traditions, which linked the woven fabric Iseyin with Akwete. (Akwete is the name of traditional fabric woven by the Akwete people of the Ndoki clan in southeastern Nigeria.) Okeke's research findings suggested that Iseyin and Akwete weavers exchanged technical weaving skills in the past when their trade contacts in palm produce flourished. Okeke has argued that, since both names are derived from their respective founders, the etymology of both Iseyin and Akwete suggests a common reference to palm produce. 1 C. S. Okeke, "Textile: An Art Form" (Paper