Detail of Bida cloth -- Nupe (Murnane, 1978)

Item — Box: 16, slide: 30.22.26

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

Slides of Africa from various sources; these slides document a variety of topics such as agriculture, landscapes, city scenes, villages, architecture, industry, transportation, commerce, and people, from throughout Africa during the 20th century.

Dates

Majority of material found within 1960 - 2000

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on use of the materials in the department for research; all patrons must comply with federal copyright regulations. To inquire about access to this collection, please contact the Herskovits Library at africana@northwestern.edu.

Extent

From the Collection: 99 Boxes (99 slide boxes.)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

General

Using the typical West African vertical loom, Nupe women weave a rich cotton cloth with multi-colored inlaid silk or rayon designs appearing on one side of the fabric. Red predominates as background color, but blue or yellow, with wide sections in one harmonizing color, are also popular. Thus, the length of the fabric may be broken into two or three wide strips of contrasting colors. Borders woven with rows of decorative holes constitute another characteristic feature. Current motifs have a geometric quality that suggests an Islamic influence from the Hausa.