Textiles from Mali |
Featured Textiles: merging culture, agriculture and
art;
Kaasa njowaaka blanket, Peul
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265 x 134 cm 6 strips, each 22 cm wide Wool, hand-spun thread Woven
by Hama Oumarou Sango, 1983 Acquired in Dialloubé 83-19-28
Kaasa njowaaka blanket, Peul
Until around 1985, kaasa blankets were the main product of Mali’s artisans.
You could find them in the markets of Mopti and Bamako, and
in all the markets of any importance in West Africa. Today,
this all-wool woven blanket has all but vanished. A kaasa
is invariably composed of six strips. Two or three generations
ago a blanket was worth more than one sheep. Today, you have
to search remote areas to find a «genuine» kaasa, with proper
decoration and woolen warp. Furthermore these blankets have
been decreasing in value, today worth less than a sheep. All
kaasa, including the individual motifs, are of symmetrical
construction. Each motif has a name, and is made up of individual
segments in the form of triangles, lozenges and bars. The
motifs can be combined to form any number of variations.
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