Textile

Nigeria is renowned for rich variety of designs, colours, materials and production techniques of its textile craftsmen. The traditional embroidery, weaving, tie-dye, and recast technique and modern work in silk-screen priniting are well known for years. Akwete, Ibadan, Oshogbo, Kano, Abeokuta, Oyo, Bida, Ado Ekiti, Ishan, Jukun have important centres for textile of all kinds. Tie-dye (or tie and dye) originated in several areas of the world and cannot be traced to one particular place.Tie-dyeing existed in China during the T'ang Dynasty (618-906AD). Tie-dyed silks of this period were found in the burial grounds at Astana and at Khotan on the Old Silk Road in Sinkiang, East Turkestan.

During or just before the T'ang Dynasty, tie-dye spread to Japan in its Nara Period (552-794AD). Traders travelling the old caravan routes through Asia, India and the Far East carried tie-dye cloths as part of their merchandise.Tie-dye also existed in Indonesia and Peru.

In India, tie-dye was known as Bandhana work. The girls or 'bandhani' who tied up the cloths of fine muslin or silk grew the nails of their thumbs and forefingers very long to enable them to pick up small points of material to bind with cotton, producing small spots on the fabric.

North African tribes produced spot patterns on woollen cloths. Tie-dye still flourishes in the West African countries of Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Dahomey and the Cameroons. The Yaruba women of West Nigeria produce magnificent indigo-dyed cloths elaborately patterned by the folding and tritik (sewing) methods.