Like Senufo Korhogo cloth, Bogolanfini cloth is dyed with a type of iron-rich mud. Bogolanfini cloth differs from other mud cloths, however, in that the mud dyes are not only especially rich in minerals, but also fermented, and they therefore produce an especially deep brownish-black color.  Bogolanfini cloth also differs in being made using a negative process.  The designs are outlined on the cloth and the background is painted out; the patterns thus appear as bright white designs on a strongly contrasting dark ground.

The designs on Bogolanfini are believed to have protective powers, helping people through transitions and protecting them when they are in danger.  Accordingly, Bogolanfini mud cloth is used in clothing for young women and men who have been circumcised and are being initiated into adulthood; it is also used to make protective clothing for men going off to war, and it is used in burials to ease a person’s transition into the spirit world. Researched by Hannah Harmon

For more information, you may contact the researcher(s) noted in the title of this exhibit entry, or Dr. Billie Follensbee, the professor of the course, at BillieFollensbee@MissouriState.edu