worldart-brightonmuseums:A prestige cloth from Sierra Leone This vast cloth (measuring over 12 foo
worldart-brightonmuseums: A prestige cloth from Sierra Leone This vast cloth (measuring over 12 foot in length) was acquired in Sierra Leone in the late 19th century. It is of a form locally known as kpoikpoi (or kpokpo), one of the largest and most complex of textile traditions, and was made to be displayed at important events rather than to be worn. It was woven from strips of hand-spun cotton in a ki gbembele (‘chequerboard’) design. Incredibly complex and laborious to make, this cloth would have been created by one of a small number of master weavers, and its display would have reflected the wealth of the person who commissioned it. The cloth was acquired by Thomas Joshua Alldridge, originally a trader, later a key figure in the colonial service for the region. Alldridge served as United States Consular Agent at Sierra Leone (1871-2), travelling commissioner for the colony (1889) and District Commissioner of Sherbro. Between 1890 and 1894 Alldridge extended British influence from the coast and helped establish the area as a colony by exploring and mapping the country’s interior. He acquired a wide range of objects, as well as examples of indigenous technologies (including dying and weaving) and local raw materials, to demonstrate the potential for trade. He also took some of the earliest photographs of the region. His collection of 373 items was purchased by Brighton Museum & Art Gallery in 1899 and 1904. The recent history of conflict in Sierra Leone means that cloths of this kind are now extremely rare. An academic initiative involving researchers in the UK and in Sierra Leone sought to raise the profile of material from the country now in UK museum collections and to reconnect it with cultural organisations and cultural activities still practised in the region (http://www.sierraleoneheritage.org/). Helen Mears, Keeper of World Art -- source link