Hunter’s Shirt: Bògòlanfini or Bogolan Cloth

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Hunter’s Shirt: Bògòlanfini or Bogolan Cloth

Artist Bamana Peoples (African)

Place of OriginMali, Beledougou region

DateMid 20th century

DimensionsH. 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm): W. 31 1/2 in. (80 cm).

MediumCotton with mud-dyed painted design called bògòlanfini in Mali culture.

ClassificationTextiles and Fiber

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Slater

Object number

1981.133

Not on View

DescriptionConstructed of 7 long strip weavings sewn together lengthwise.

Label TextThis hunting shirt from Mali features a secret form of writing. Literally meaning “mud-cloth,” bògòlanfini garments like this one are woven by men of the Bamana people of Mali and painted with mud-dyes by elderly Bamana women, who guard the knowledge of the profound meaning of the designs they paint into the cloth. Through geometric motifs that form a rigorous graphic system of communication, bògòlanfini embody medicinal knowledge, historical facts, and moral precepts. Imbued with such information, the shirts are considered so potent that they must never be worn by another person after the original owner’s death. Bamana mud-cloth garments are considered documents, because they carry accumulated knowledge belonging to society.Published References

Roberts, Mary Nooter, Facing Africa: The African Art Collection of the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, 1998, pp. 28-29, repr. (col.).

Exhibition History

Washington, D.C., International Exhibitions Foundation, African Textiles and Jewelry from the Niger Delta, 1974-1976, no. 4.