Korhogo Mud Cloth

• Title Korhogo Mud Cloth
• Category Painting
• Medium Mixed Media
• Dimensions 50"h x 60"w
• Year Completed Undated
• Description The cloth in the collection features eight guinea fowl symbolizing female beauty, two antelope suggesting hope and good fortune, and a large turtle representing the earth. The cloth was purchased in Liberia in 1987. This type of painting is made by the Senufo people from the Korhogo area in northern Ivory Coast. Living in the savanna grasslands, the Senufo cultivate cotton, kapok, rice, millet, peanuts, corn, and yams. Founded in the 14th century, Korhogo town was on an important pre-colonial trade route to the Atlantic coast. Although the Senufo, first the rulers and later the common people, embraced Islam, like other Africans they also retained many traditional beliefs and practices. As was true for many West Africans, Senufo life was regulated and guided by the trans-ethnic Poro secret society. Poro adjudicated legal matters, safeguarded moral standards, and oversaw important rites of passage, including the circumcision ceremonies marking the transition from childhood to adult status.
• Notes An entire Senufo village takes part in the creation of Korhogo cloth. Both men and women cultivate the cotton which women spin into yarn. Using hand looms, men weave 4” wide strips of cloth which they sew into a large canvas. Women make a dye created from swamp mud saturated with decaying roots and mixed with boiled leaves. This fermented mud-based dye darkens over time. An iron-bonding agent found in the mud causes the fibers to absorb and hold the dye, resulting in a permanent color. Because of the pungent smell of the dye before it dries, Korhogo cloth is sometimes called dung cloth. Men use knives to apply the first fine lines of the images to be painted on the cloth. The final product is decorated with symbols of humans and natural elements such as the sun, moon and stars and animals, all of which are rooted in Senufo culture and mythology. The design around the border of the cloth sometimes features suggestions of images such as drum or leopards. Traditionally, the Senufo used the cloth as a shield against vengeful spirits by wearing it or by hanging the textiles in homes and shrines. Korhogo cloth can be worn by hunters in hopes of avoiding injury and for bringing good luck. The Senufo Poro society also incorporated Korhogo cloth into their ceremonies. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, American Peace Corps volunteers were instrumental in popularizing Korhogo cloth among both tourists and urban Ivorians. Hoping to preserve tradition and expand income generating opportunities, Peace Corps volunteers encouraged the people to explore new means of textile production. Both the cloth itself and the images became larger and the Senufo began to purchase the hand-woven strips from their Dyula neighbors. Popular with interior designers, Korhogo cloth now is widely used in Europe and the United States. While some may criticize this commercialization of a traditional product, the change allows the tradition to continue and flourish.
• Artist The Senufo People Ivory Coast
• Credit John and Janet Yoder Collection
• Location Lindaman Second Floor Hallway
• Accession Number 2022.0154
• Status Checked Out
• Administration Admin View
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