Mud cloth fabric is more than a beautiful hand painted work of art -- it is an extraordinarily beautiful fabric incorporating many African proverbs. These cloths enrich our lives by providing us a peek into the mind and soul of the African culture. The unique and exotic colors and designs of mud cloth combine with an almost impossible to find hand spun and hand woven fabric to produce a rich and elegant textile. No extra meaning is needed to gain pleasure from this art form. However, knowing more about the meanings behind this art adds to our satisfaction and depth of spirit.

Without even knowing the proverbial meanings of patterns, mud cloth has become very popular in the U.S. and Europe. Each mud cloth has a story to tell. The symbols and the way in which they are arranged, as well as the color and shape of the mud cloth reveal a variety of different secrets- social status, a person's character or occupation are all things which a piece of mud cloth can reveal. Even today, African people are very careful about what they wear, as each fabric, color, and pattern can be interpreted by others.

Making of Mud Cloth

Making mud cloth is a time-consuming process, normally taking four days to a week to complete, depending upon weather conditions. Each piece is made of 100% cotton, and is completely and totally handmade, most often by men. They start the process by weaving cotton thread on a loom. The loom is normally hand-held and makes a strip of cloth five to six inches wide. For a normal piece (6'x45"), they will weave nine strips and then sew them together.

Women traditionally hand paint and design the cloths. A mud cloth artist is much like any western artist. Each concept must be taught or learned over a long period of time. A person working in the art of mud cloth painting must learn how to make each of the different dyes out of organic substances, as well as how each of the substances will react with the fabric and fixatives. The mud used to make mud cloth is usually mixed with water and then set aside to ferment for about one year.

The first step in painting the cloth is to place it in a solution that dyes the cloth yellow and acts as the fixative. Typically this is a tea made from the Bogolon tree which is native to Mali, West Africa. Using twigs or metal instruments the artist hand paints the designs onto the cloth with the mud, being careful to saturate the area so the mud won't fade out. The tea acts as a fixative for the mud dye. The fabric is then washed and another layer of mud is applied over the first, and so on, for each color. The fabric is then dried and put in an organic solution to make the patterns appear darker. Finally, a soda is painted to areas that will be white. This bleaches the fabric causing it to regain its original white color.

Colors of Mud Cloth

Each color in a mud cloth sheet has its own meaning. The most traditional coloring has been the black background with white designs. This type of mud cloth is typically used for story telling or the portrayal of a proverb.

A color popular among hunters and the Fulani people is rust. It is said that rust represents the strong supernatural powers that protect the hunter; and signifies blood either from the hunt or from warfare. Because mud cloth is made from the soil it has been useful to both groups as a form of camouflage.

White mud cloth is perhaps the most difficult to make as it is easy to stain with the dyes. It is typically worn by girls and women in ceremonial events. Another rarely seen is gray, this is also worn as camouflage by hunters. Cream is the natural color of the mud cloth before it has been dyed. Many of the other colors also have meanings.

Many other colors have been added to the traditional colors. Bright reds, purples, yellows and oranges are all new colors that are being developed by new African artists. Many of the elders view the newer colors with disdain as they are not made in the traditional ways.

Patterns of Mud Cloth

There are so many patterns that have meaning that it is difficult to find precise meanings -- different people have different meanings that they will give to the same pattern or color combination. Some meanings differ depending on the region, ethnic group, or individual. So don't be surprised if someone tells you a meaning different than those identified here. That's why it's important to find information from as many different sources as possible to avoid individual biases.

Following are ten of the more common patterns and their meanings that you may find in a piece of mud cloth. There are other symbols which you may also find in your mud cloth if you look closely -- the patterns and varieties are endless. Because mud cloth is often meant to be interpreted there are sometimes long discussions among the artisans about how the patterns should be put together. Many times, however, there is no symbolic meaning: the colors and patterns are simply meant to be beautiful.