Adire

Adire is a Yoruba resist-dyeing tradition that creates patterns on cloth by preventing indigo dye from reaching selected areas. Its methods include tying, stitching, and applying cassava paste.

Adire eleko: An adire technique in which cassava paste is applied to cloth as a resist before dyeing. Painted paste designs preserve undyed areas against the indigo bath.
Yoruba people: A West African ethnic group with a shared language and diverse cultural traditions, chiefly in Nigeria and neighboring countries. Adire is rooted in Yoruba communities and their textile practices.
Yoruba language: A Niger-Congo language spoken chiefly by the Yoruba people of West Africa. The name adire and many technique names come from Yoruba.
Yoruba clothing: Garments and dress practices associated with Yoruba communities. Adire cloth is made into clothing worn in Yoruba settings.
Yoruba symbolism: The use of images, objects, and patterns to convey ideas in Yoruba cultural contexts. Some adire motifs carry meanings beyond their decorative appearance.
Adire oniko: An adire technique that uses tied or wrapped materials to resist dye. Bindings create repeated circles and other patterns by shielding cloth from indigo.
Abeokuta: A city in southwestern Nigeria and a major center of Yoruba culture and commerce. Abeokuta became a prominent center for producing and trading adire cloth.
Cotton: A soft plant fiber used to make yarn and woven or knitted textiles. Cotton cloth is a common substrate for adire dyeing.
African wax print: A commercially produced patterned cotton fabric associated with dress across many African regions. Wax prints share adire’s patterned-cloth market but use industrial production methods.
Aso oke: A handwoven Yoruba textile traditionally made on narrow strip looms. Like adire, aso oke expresses Yoruba identity through cloth, but relies on weaving rather than resist dyeing.

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