Korhogo mud cloth is one of the few African textiles that is produced by men. The cloths are made by painting iron-rich mud onto handmade panels of cotton cloth and then submerging the entire cloth into a dye made of boiled vegetation. The stylized images on the cloths are figures and animals that hold great symbolic meaning for the Senufo. The central figure on this cloth represents a bush spirit, while the two birds have various meanings; if, for example, they represent swallows, they symbolize independence in one’s life. Panels like this are hung on walls as decoration, but korhogo cloth is also used by men to make protective clothing for hunting and for combat. 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