Rare African Dida Tie-Dye Raffia Ceremonial Woman\'s Tube Dress/Early 20th Cen. for Sale

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Rare African Dida Tie-Dye Raffia Ceremonial Woman\'s Tube Dress/Early 20th Cen. For Sale

$Rare African Dida Tie-Dye Raffia Ceremonial Woman\'s Tube Dress/Early 20th Cen.$
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Rare African Dida Tie-Dye Raffia Ceremonial Woman\'s Tube Dress/Early 20th Cen. :
$599.00

Beautiful, very rare, circa early 20th century, African tie-dye ceremonial textile, done by the Dida people of the Ivory Coast. These textiles were made of the fiber of the raffia palm, and the technique pre-dates the later strip loomsthat weave cotton and silk -an outside Islamic influence.This woman\'s tube skirt is created in an astonishing technique where up to 1500 raffia fibers are tied into a bunch, tacked to a tree, and then split into groups of fifty fibers. Half the groups will form the warp and half the weft and, in the absence of a loom, the weaver controls the groups with her hands and feet. The gauzy fabric is then tied and resist dyed, and re-dyed in a striking pattern of rectangles, ovals, and circles with a palette derived from plant roots, leaves, and minerals.
These skirts, as well as woven loincloths, cloaks and kerchiefs were used for special occasions such as births, marriage, and funeral ceremonies. Research states that the textiles are no longer being made today and were seldom seen in Western collections due to the importance of the items to the Dida cultures. But it is said that a series of crop failures brought about their sale into the world market in the last quater of the 20th century.
Work is tubular and is hard to measure exactly: it is 30\" long, but missing the fringe that I have seen on some; the black, more tighly plaited top and mid sections, that would have been at the top and waist, measure !5\" across (30\" around) and the middle and bottom sections are 18\" across (36\" around); there are a few tiny holes from wear and use, but I was told this is normal and is nothing that interferes with the quality of the piece.
I\'m selling on behalf of my mother in law who is an avid African art collector.
Further information and details of the dye process can be seen in the wonderful book, \"African Textiles\" by John Gillow, Chronicle Books, 2003.