The traditional cloth of Mali is called bogolan or the bògòlanfini, also known as mud cloth. It is believed that mud cloth was first discovered, when a hunter while chasing an animal got mud on his clothes from a river. The mud stain could not be removed. This mud from northern Mali with a natural acid, mineral combination acts like a dye on cotton fabrics, this mud continues to be used for the bògòlanfini.
Traditionally men weave the cloth and women create the designs. 5”-6” wide stripes are woven on a traditional loom. Panels of the woven cloth are joined together, and the design is painted on the surface. Mud cloth making is a traditional technique and is passed on from one generation to the other. The mud used for painting the motifs on the fabric, is mixed with water and set aside to sit for almost a year before being used.
The fabric is first dipped in a solution of tea made from the bogolon tree, an indigenous tree to west africa. The patterns are then painted and once dry the fabric is washed. To enhance the print/ design, the fabric is further treated with a soda solution, which further bleaches the white background. Different colors have a specif meaning in a bògòlanfini, white is worn by girls and women on special ceremonies or occassions, rust depicts the color of blood and grey is worn by hunters.
