Unknown Nigerian
Adire Wrapper
Dimensions: 43 x 66 in. (109.22 x 167.64 cm)
Medium: textile/natural fiber
Date Created: 20th century
Nigerian Textile production is the largest employer in the country, but the labor market is not without strict gender roles. The artist of this particular textile is unknown, but the textile’s design reveals much of its history. This textile was produced by the Yoruba women in South-Western Nigeria. Only certain families in certain areas of Nigeria were allowed to produce Adire. The families would all wear this one textile, so they could easily identify outsiders. It takes approximately thirty-four hours to weave one yard of textile for the wraps. Then, the textile is dyed indigo, representing freedom and peace. The circular pattern on this textile was made by wrapping raffia around little stones. The role of women in the textile industry has changed dramatically in the last few centuries. Before the 20th century, women could gain power and fortunes through the farming, production, and exportation of textiles. During the 1900s, the rest of the world became infatuated with Nigerian textiles, and European and Nigerian men began dominating the textile market. Women’s work is now dismissed as unskillful as a way for men to reap the industry’s economic advantages.
