Yoruba Asoke Strip-Woven Cloth

Crimson, for starters. Then thin lines of white, black and pink, set down lengthwise.

Yoruba men make asoke on narrow looms, and the long strips are sewn edge to edge into wrappers and garments worn at weddings, funerals and festivals. This one is cotton, woven in Nigeria in the 20th century, forty-five by seventy-five and a half inches.

The stripes shift slightly in spacing from strip to strip. The upper edge is gently uneven, and the cotton has the soft hand and slight irregularity of handweaving.

Hang it, drape it, lean on it. It can take the attention.