Textile Item Number: 3473/3 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Large ndop cloth composed of twenty panels sewn together with plant fibre. The indigo-dyed panels have been stitched together along the short edge and have off-white designs throughout. Designs are done in vertical bands and filled with geometric and linear motifs. Motifs include: abstract interlocking “X” shapes, dots, zigzags, concentric diamonds, segmented circles, grid-like patterns, and connected lines.
Used as a backdrop to define the space for the ruler, his regalia and royal statuary, during public ceremonies such as funerals. Ndop can also be used as wraps in civil ceremonies or as part of masquerades in distinct ritual processes.
Tchuemegne purchased the Ndop cloth in Bayangam village, western Cameroon, during the funeral of Mr. Bernard Puepi, in Aug. 2020.
Created by a dye-resistant process, which involves long distance trade and a chain of associates. The cotton cloths are made elsewhere and brought to Bamileke territories where women, specialized in local designs, are commissioned to have them stitched in raffia. The raffia prevents dye from penetrating the cotton threads. The cloth is then shipped to the North, to Islamic specialists in the arts of indigo dying, and is afterwards shipped back to the grass fields where it serves a series of purposes.