Adire eleko is a tradition of producing indigo patterned cloths using resist dye technique. The Yoruba people – one of the largest ethnic groups of West Africa – first introduced adire eleko in the early 20th century. It may have started as a way to recycle discolored cloths by re-dyeing them. According to Adire African Textiles, Adire signifies “tie and dye” in Yoruba language, referring to the earlier traditions of resist patterning from which this style was fashioned. Eleko translates into “with starch” and alludes to the cassava starch hand painted on the cloth as a resist agent prior to dyeing with indigo.

The manufacture of indigo-dyed cloth has a long history in the south Niger area, and the manufacture of adire eleko is firmly rooted in that history. Traditionally adire eleko are worn by both men and women, enfolding the body and secured by fastening the ends of the cloth. This tradition is still common nowadays but since 1960, when Nigeria gained independence, adire eleko cloth has become fashionable and the dying technique has been used for European-style clothing and head-ties.

Indigo dyeing. The most common dye used to color the adire eleko is indigo, a deep-blue pigment, obtained from the indigo plant (Indigofera) or from the elu vine (Lonchocarpus cyanescens), which is a vine in the pea family. Yoruba women traditionally collected the plants’ leaves and grinded them into a pulp that form a fist-size balls. The second step consisted of mixing the dye extraction with a mordant – a metallic salt dye fixative – derived from ash. The dyeing process is long and is transmitted from mother to daughter. During the dyeing, Yoruba women often made presents to the deity Iya Mapo, who helps them all the way through the process.

Starch-resist. The invention of the starch paste technique allowed the creation of cloth detailed designs. This technique involves hand-painting with a brush or feather quill the cassava paste on one surface of cotton cloth before dying. The paste is a mix of cassava flour (or lafun) and alum which when heated form a thick starch. This starch acts as a resist substance against the penetration of the indigo pigment into the fabric: after several dips, the cloth is dark where no starch is applied and light where the design was applied. After the dying, the starch is washed off leaving the cloth slightly rigid. The dry cloth is then placed over a flat log, and crushed with a wooden mallet which leaves a soft luster on the cloth surface.

Stenciling. Stenciling was regarded as man’s task, in contrast with painting the fabrics which was regarded as women’s task. The motifs were first drawn and then cut off on flat roofing sheet. Starch was painted onto the cloth over the stencil.

Designs are framed by a geometric structure of squares and rectangles. With the geometric structure lie endless compositional variations of motifs such as leaves, plants, various animals, turtles, fish and other aquatic flora and fauna as well as representations of various natural and man-made objects. The indigo used has a particular symbolism in Yoruba culture, where color has sacred associations. White, for instance, has a connotation of serenity, insight and age, while blue evokes balanced brightness, richness and depth.

Nike Davies Okundaye is a Nigerian designer considered one of the foremost female artists and indigo textile designers from Africa. She is known for her modern approach to traditional themes. She teaches her art to disadvantaged women. “My great-grandmother started teaching me how to weave — from weaving to embroidery, embroidery to adire, adire to painting, painting to patchwork,” she told CNN in an interview. From there her talent blossomed and began selling her creations from her bedroom, which later led to her first gallery and workshop. “I was very proud of this shop,” she said to CNN.

Though adire has witnessed a decline in its fabrication since the 1970s – artists such as Okundaye are continuing to keep the Yoruba tradition alive and well.

See some of Source4Style’s indigo-dyed fabrics in the marketplace – including this handspun cotton from Thailand and organic cotton denim from India.

All images courtesy of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.