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1 Most mudcloth is made for use in Mali villages where the men weave the cotton fabric and it is then decorated by the women using a variety of symbolic designs that incorporate history, proverbs or traditional stories. DID YOU KNOW??? Mali men take the cotton grown on their land and handspin and weave it into strips of cloth that are approximately 3 to 8 wide. These strips are then sewn together into a larger piece of fabric. The process of making mudcloth is completely done by hand, from the spinning and weaving of the fabric, preparation of the earthen dyes, painting and cleaning. Mudcloth dyes are called bogolan dyes and are made from (often secret family recipes) bark, leaves and iron oxide rich mud to paint Malian history and symbols. Preparation The cotton that is used to make the mudcloth is grown and harvested from local fields. It is then processed to remove impurities, spun and prepared for weaving on a loom. The village men use small single or double heddle looms to weave the cotton into long strips, called finimugu. The 5-9 strips are then sewn into large panels that are range in size from wide and upwards of 72 long. After the strips are sewn into a large length of fabric, the women wash the fabric in boiling water to shrink it to its final size and lay it out to dry. After the fabric is dry, they place the fabric in a special tea bath made from the pounded leaves of the Bogolon tree or the Cengura tree to create a yellowish tint to the fabric. This also helps the fabric retain the mud dye that will be applied. 2

2 The women artists then create the designs on the fabric using a special iron rich mud dye collected from area ponds that has been allowed to ferment for up to a year until it becomes concentrated and black. DID YOU KNOW??? Staining concrete, for example, is a common use of iron oxide powders. However during firing, all irons decompose and produce similar colors in glazes and clay bodies The women then apply the iron rich mud to the woven cloth using a variety of tools including small bamboo sticks, feathers, and brushes made from palm fibers. Each design is outlined using the mud. The space around each design is filled in with the mud, highlighting the outlined design. After the designs are painted on the cloth it is set aside to dry and if the woman artist wants to accentuate the design even more, she will apply an additional coat of mud. The fabric is then washed clean and used for numerous items such as clothing, home goods, etc. DIVERSITY, YET ONE: Mali has several ethnic groups that make up its population. One of the largest ethnic groups in Mali is that of the Bambara. The name Bambara translates to those who refuse to be ruled. The Bambara people are considered one of the highest ranking ethnic groups in Mali and are predominantly Muslim. The Bambara, though mostly Muslim practice Folk Islam which is the melding of ancient worship practices such as fetish worship, spirit worship and sorcery and Islam. 3

3 The Color of Iron Oxide The striking iron rich mud that is used to make the mudcloth designs has been used as a coloring pigment for hundreds of years. DID YOU KNOW??? Mali mud paint is rich in iron oxide. The iron oxide changes into a tannic acid in the ground leaf solutions and forms an iron tannate dye. Iron oxides can include shades of yellow ( yellow iron oxide), red (colcothar iron oxide), and black (black iron oxide). The color from the iron oxides comes from where the oxide was formed, the concentration of the oxide particles, and the temperature when it was formed. Paints that have high iron oxide content include red ochre, red oxide, burnt sienna and Spanish red. Most clays have iron as their primary contaminant. 4

4 Make a Mudcloth Design by Jean Henrich c2013 Henrich Inc. We have provided two activities for you to try using Mali motifs. The first is making a Mali painted design and the second is coloring a larger Mali inspired artistic design. MATERIALS: *Terra-cotta clay *Various sizes of paintbrushes *PLAID black and red sienna acrylic paint *Plastic bottle *Metal paint tips (optional, but very helpful) *Tea bags *Cotton fabric *Scissors *Copy machine *White artist paper - (Select a paper that can handle water and light rubbing) *Black tempera or watercolor paint *White or yellow crayon *Oil pastel crayons (optional, but nice for the crayon resist project) 5

5 1. DESIGN A LAYOUT PATTERN OPTION A: Website design The easiest and most inspiring method for creating a Mali mud design for this activity is going to the website below. Not only will you have a visual and auditory presentation, but you can design and then print out your own mudcloth design to use as inspiration for this project. View the total presentation and then go to the section titled: Make your own Bogolanfini and follow the steps. At the end you will be able to print out your design. 6

6 DIRECTIONS 1. DESIGN A LAYOUT PATTERN *OPTION B: Crayon resist 1. Divide a large sheet of drawing paper into the following sections. ( Make sure the paper can withstand water and rubbing). This section is called Sokono bolo and is to be worn close to the body on the inside part of the arm. This section is referred to as the Mother of the Cloth or Fini ba This section is called Senkorola and the design is to be worn close to the ground and underneath the leg. 2. Use either a white or yellow crayon to draw one or more of the Mali motifs from page into the various sections. Make sure the crayon designs are bold enough to stand out against the watercolor paint wash. This section is called Kenema bolo and is to face outward toward other people and on the outside of the arm. 3. After you are pleased with the design, use a wide paintbrush to cover the surface with black watercolor or tempera paint. 4. Let the paint dry and then use a damp paper towel to gently remove any paint that may still remain over the surface of the crayon images. 7