Baule Cloth Cushion (85.5.B70) Planters Men hand-weave narrow cotton strips

Men hand-weave narrow cotton strips on a double-heddle loom and stitch them together into a single cloth

Each shield is carved from a single piece of Baobab wood — a sacred wood used for medicinal and ritual purposes for centuries — then covered in thousands of small pearly beads on manila string in a striking geometric design

Used along the Niger in ceremonies tied to fishing and farming

these special properties represent the ultimate African encounter

Baule Cloth Cushion (85.5.B70) Planters Men hand-weave narrow cotton stripsMade from pagne Baoul, the handwoven cloth of the Baoul an Akan people of Cte d'Ivoire whose weaving tradition traces to the 16th century Ashanti Kingdom that once spanned present day Ghana and Cte d'Ivoire. For generations it has been worn at gatherings, ceremonies and celebrations, and in weaving towns such as Sakiar it remains a livelihood, with nearly the whole village working at the loom. Each cushion is hand stitched from individual strips of