The Finimougou pillow is a beautiful example of the much sought after mudcloth from West Africa. The mud dyed hand spun organic cotton is painted with symbols, with each design and pattern having a special meaning. Finimougou translates to “indigenously woven cotton strips.” This unique one-of-a-kind pillow will be a focal point in any room.

DETAILS:

• 18.5” x 18.5”

• Front - cotton

• Back – linen, in black

• Zipper closure

• Down duck feather pillow insert

• Fabric origins: Mali, Ghana

THE STORY:

I have long been fascinated with the African textiles known as “mud cloth.” Every piece of this cloth is unique and has a story to tell. Originally, mud cloth was from Mali in West Africa. Mud cloth is also called “bogolanfini” and consists of three words: bogo, lan, and fini. Bogo means “earth” or “mud,” lan means “with,” and fini means “cloth.” Each symbol painted in the cloth has special meaning and can tell the history of a village, a person’s occupation, social status, or proverbs. Some symbols remain a mystery.

Traditionally men weave narrow 4 ½”cotton strips of fabric that are pieced together to form a larger rectangular cloth. Women dye the cloth by first soaking the fabric in ground leaves creating a yellowish color. It is then dried and covered with a fermented mud to achieve patterns in black, brown, and white. These first two steps can be repeated many times to achieve the desired patterns and colors. 

This pillow, made from three different pieces of mudcloth, is woven using handspun natural organic cotton.  Each piece has its own unique patterns and symbols.  Four batik bone beads embellish this pillow and are from Kenya.

I purchased the mud cloths in a large market in Bolgatanga, Ghana. I was working with basket weavers who were part of a women’s development project within Trade Aid Integrated, a fair trade organization that markets the baskets.