Download PDF - The National Society for Education in Art and Design

May be linked to the following KS1 & 2
units for the QCA Scheme of Work:
Investigating Materials, Investigating Pattern,
Talking Textiles, Journeys.
Further information:
www.artforschools.com
05
START
SIMPLY
TO DYE FOR
Tim Mainstone introduces a
tie-dye technique from the
African Yoruba peoples in the
first of a series of multicultural
classroom resources.
A resist tie-dye technique is used to
produce the complicated patterns of the
Adire cloth. Adire means ‘to take, to tie,
to dye’ and is similar to the common
batik process that uses wax as the resist
medium except that, traditionally,
cassava starch is used instead.
The design is painted on a white cotton
cloth with cassava starch, using a chicken
feather as the brush. The cloth is then
dried and the starch scraped off.
In another method the cloth is folded,
knotted or stitched so that those parts
protected from the dye remained white.
The numerous patterns and designs on
Adire cloth have symbolic meanings and
make reference to animals and plants from
the local environment. The pattern used
for this piece is ‘Ibadandun,’ which means
‘Ibadan is a happy place.’ The cities of
Ibadan and Abeokuta were the traditional
centres of textile design and were famous
for their indigo blue and white Adire cloth.
Where it comes from
Centuries ago great empires, kingdoms
and small family-centred chiefdoms
flourished throughout Africa. Ghana, Mali,
Songhai and Kanem-Borno were great
trading empires located in north-central
Africa in a region known as the Sudan.
These powerful and wealthy kingdoms
were well known to European and Arab
traders who crossed the Sahara Desert
with their caravans of products destined
for Marrakech in north-west Africa and
the ancient cities of Timbuktu and Gao.
At different times in history, one or another
of these empires controlled the trans-
Saharan trade routes as well as the routes
to the kingdoms of the Congo, Benin and
the Yoruba in sub-Saharan Africa.
By 800 AD the Yoruba speaking
inhabitants of what is now Nigeria had
created a number of highly urbanised
city-states or kingdoms. They left an
impressive array of objects that help to
document the rich and complex history
of the Yoruba speaking peoples from
800 AD to the present.
Objects made before the twentieth century
carry no dates and the identities of the
individual artisans are rarely known. The
purpose and style of the artefact, whether
it was a mask for initiation into a secret
society or a staff or tray used during
rituals, rarely changed from generation to
generation. Members of religious and
secret societies (institutions responsible
for maintaining control and social order)
commissioned these objects. Their
presence reminded the people of the
importance of their customs, traditions
and past history. In the nineteenth century
European and American traders, explorers,
and missionaries carried many artefacts
such as masks, jewellery, drums, weaponry
and textiles out of Africa. They thought of
these objects as ‘curiosities’ and often
displayed them in their homes. Eventually
many of these objects were collected by
museums and formed the basis of African
or primitive art collections.
How to use the Adire cloth
in the classroom
1. Have a discussion about the Adire cloth.
How do you think the cloth was made?
Who do you think made it? How old is it?
What patterns, shapes and symbols have
been used? Were different shades of blue
used in the dyeing process? What was
used to create the different patterns?
Which parts of the cloth were covered in
starch? How can you tell? Do you think the
shapes and patterns have hidden meanings,
if so what do they refer to? Do you like the
Adire Cloth?
What do you like/dislike about it? Would
you like to wear clothes made from
Adire cloth? If you had to wear an article
of clothing made from Adire cloth, what
would it be?
2. Apply a rectangle of thick blue paint
(chromar – Berol) to a sheet of A4 paper.
Using a variety of different implements
(plastic cutlery, lollipop sticks, old biros,
combs) scratch shapes into the paint and
create your own Adire pattern. Ask the
children to think about the designs and
symbols they use for their sheet. These
could refer to, or give clues about, the
environment in which they live. The
completed designs could be placed
together on a board, or wall, to create a
huge class Adire design.
3. Split the class into small groups and ask
them to design a treasure map based on
Adire symbols.
4. You are a famous detective and have
been asked to unravel the mystery of the
famous Adire Cloth. Can you decipher
the meaning of the cloth and tell its story...
a story which has eluded the greatest
minds throughout history?
5. Design a piece of clothing using the
traditional Adire method of either tie-dye
or starch paste (use flour and water).
Create patterns in the starch using feathers
and dye the piece with an indigo blue dye.
6. Discuss the type of clothes that we
wear for special occasions. Ask the class
to bring in, and compare different types of
clothing. What similarities and differences
are there in the design/function/comfort of
the clothing? How important are logos?
Are who made the clothes more important
than how comfortable they are? Look at
and compare clothing worn in different
countries (or at different times in history).
How does climate influence what we wear?
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