Hi thank you Mr Samuel. This is a fascinating essay. Textiles are a really interesting topic because they link culture, economics, gender and class so beautifully.
For Igboland, here are some references that could have enriched the section dedicated to their historical textile industry/industries
Olaudah Equiano, when talking about his Igbo town that was probably part of the Igbo Kingdom of Aboh, he tells us about how
"The dress of both sexes is nearly the same. It generally consists of a long piece of callico, or muslin, wrapped loosely round the body, somewhat in the form of a highland plaid. This is usually dyed blue, which is our favourite colour. It is extracted from a berry, and is brighter and richer than any I have seen in Europe."
(Can't cite the exact page number since it is the EPUB version I read)
Most of the accounts on the historical textile industry comes from the 1800s & from one from the 1850s that I have read, they even used to export their textiles to the Niger-Benue confluence markets that was visited by many ethnic groups in contemporary southern Nigeria/the middle belt of Nigeria
I quote from the account
"The scene showed the disposition of the people to trade, and that a trading establishment at the Confluence would prove beneficial to the country in general. The languages spoken here are Igara (Igala), Igbira (Egbira), Nupe, Kakanda, Haussa, and Yoruba. The Yorubas find their way to the Confluence by way of Lade or Rabba, from Ilorin. People speaking Doma (Idoma and Djuku (Jukun), the language of Kororofa (Kwararafa), also visit the market at Igbebe at the Confluence, and the Ibo (Igbo) traders come up as far as this from the Delta. Among the things purchased as curiosities, was a kind of fancy cloth, said to be manufactured by the people of Igbo, south of Idda, near the Ibo country"
- pages 167-168 "Journal of an Expedition up the Niger and Tshadda Rivers Undertaken by Macgregor Laird, Esq. in Connection with the British Government, in 1854" by Samuel Crowther
The above account & some other ones (that I am yet to read) also helped inform a particular passage in the article "The Growth of Trade among the Igbo before 1800" by David Northrup
I quote (from page pages 226-227)
"Another group of regional trading networks grew up around the centres of the textile industry, which had already attained considerable sophistication in the days of the Igbo-Ukwu culture. In the sixteenth century, the inhabitants of Benin used types of cloth similar in description to that found at Igbo-Ukwu, and in the next century they were wearing and exporting large quantities of cloth.46 It is possible that some of this was of Igbo origin. Direct observations of Igbo-made cloth come only much later, but a nineteenth-century Niger explorer noted that the Northern Igbo made an intricately woven cloth which was sold in quantity in markets as far away as the Benue-Niger confluence.47 Missionaries also noted the extensive cloth industry using cotton (which grew in a semi-cultivated state throughout much of the Igbo territory) and other fibres which were woven and dyed. Most of the cloth was a luxury item intended for ritual, political, and ceremonial occasions, though plain cloth was also made.48 The southern Igbo town of Akwete has long been famous for its fancy cotton cloth, which may once have been made from locally grown cotton.49 These textile industries thus seem to have played an important role in regional exchange."
Lastly, I quote from an 1857 description of the Igbo town of Onitsha that I have come across second-hand (in a secondary source) which also tells us about the historical textile industries
“I took a short walk in the extensive corn and yam plantations, when I had a good opportunity of observing that cotton was extensively cultivated. The people of Onitsha...manufacture their own clothes, generally plain or fanciful white. European manufactured goods are not so commonly used here as in the lower parts of the river"
- from page 11 of "Origins of the Niger Mission 1841-1891" by K. Onwuka Dike
Great, I want to do one on the Igbo separately. This was originally about just yorubaland and Benin, but I had to include the Akwete textiles and Nupe textiles to highlight their interconnectedness. I think Igbo textiles deserve their own essay
This article omits the fact that Ijaw people introduced Ijebu aso-olona (known in the Delta as ikaki) to Akwete weavers to replicate. Framing it only as "longstanding trading relations" leaves out a key part of the true origins and influences on Akwete cloth.
From the mid-19th century, Akwete women began reproducing aso-olona for Eastern Ijaw patrons, who had adopted it as royal and chieftaincy attire. Over time they innovated on those designs, but Akwete weavers still produce ikaki/Aso-olona patterns till today. This is well documented by textile historians, including Lisa Aronson (1980) and John Gillow (2003).
None of this takes away from the skill and creativity of Akwete weavers. It simply gives the full picture. Please amend this article to reflect this so the historical record stays accurate.
This is mostly a summary of textile trade and production; an examination of the origins of specific styles and motifs deserves a separate essay focused on just that.
It's why I only included a few sentences on the continued use of aso olona in Jebu (despite Indian and European imports), and I only included Akwete to stress the ability of local weavers to import foreign cotton threads and finish the manufacturing process at home.
Fabric styles such as adire eleko, aso oke, and olokun, and their connection to other West African styles could not be examined in any great detail for this same reason.
I tend to write a separate essay for the Textile industry of the Delta and South-Eastern Nigeria, focusing on the Igbo, Ijaw, Efik, and other groups.
This was a very detailed article and I commend you for the research, but summary or not we should always credit properly. In just a few lines you could have highlighted exactly what you meant by longstanding trade relations. Anything short of that is erasing historical facts.
I have no skin in the game, but my bullshit detector is tingling cause I can see the ethnic narcissistic "I invented everything and taught everybody everything and credit must be given to me and shit" bullshit from a mile a way.
Is there any positive evidence about this supposed true origin of Akwete cloth that you are crying about? or is this just the usual speculative and circular reasoning crap based on horseshit evidence like some interview in the late 1900s by a time traveller that one finds in secondary source texts with a boring prose?
The source he has listed is stated right there. The author has also mentioned he didn’t include it because this was meant to be a summary. If you cared to look it up, you will find the evidence you are looking for, have a good day.
Here is a summary on the British museum page for aso olona showing the spread to Ndoki and how aso olona motif was renamed to Ikaki
This is a joke. I thought you were going to point me to some or put me on some 19th century account or a bunch of 19th century accounts *contemporary to the historical time* when this supposed diffusionism was occurring that illuminates or helps me make sense of the true origin of Akwete that you are clearly passionate about with regards to its supposed origin from some "aso olona"
Maybe you can provide some of your own 19th century accounts of Akwete before the said diffusionism rather than making claims out of thin air. That will be a more solid rebuttal no? 😊
The detail that stayed with me is that Portuguese traders entered an existing African textile market and had to adapt to it. I’m researching the early sixteenth century for my book, and this completely changes the usual image of Europeans arriving with finished goods in a passive market.
High fashion was fashionable in Africa, some of these these would work on a runway today.
Very True.
Hi thank you Mr Samuel. This is a fascinating essay. Textiles are a really interesting topic because they link culture, economics, gender and class so beautifully.
thank you too
For Igboland, here are some references that could have enriched the section dedicated to their historical textile industry/industries
Olaudah Equiano, when talking about his Igbo town that was probably part of the Igbo Kingdom of Aboh, he tells us about how
"The dress of both sexes is nearly the same. It generally consists of a long piece of callico, or muslin, wrapped loosely round the body, somewhat in the form of a highland plaid. This is usually dyed blue, which is our favourite colour. It is extracted from a berry, and is brighter and richer than any I have seen in Europe."
(Can't cite the exact page number since it is the EPUB version I read)
Most of the accounts on the historical textile industry comes from the 1800s & from one from the 1850s that I have read, they even used to export their textiles to the Niger-Benue confluence markets that was visited by many ethnic groups in contemporary southern Nigeria/the middle belt of Nigeria
I quote from the account
"The scene showed the disposition of the people to trade, and that a trading establishment at the Confluence would prove beneficial to the country in general. The languages spoken here are Igara (Igala), Igbira (Egbira), Nupe, Kakanda, Haussa, and Yoruba. The Yorubas find their way to the Confluence by way of Lade or Rabba, from Ilorin. People speaking Doma (Idoma and Djuku (Jukun), the language of Kororofa (Kwararafa), also visit the market at Igbebe at the Confluence, and the Ibo (Igbo) traders come up as far as this from the Delta. Among the things purchased as curiosities, was a kind of fancy cloth, said to be manufactured by the people of Igbo, south of Idda, near the Ibo country"
- pages 167-168 "Journal of an Expedition up the Niger and Tshadda Rivers Undertaken by Macgregor Laird, Esq. in Connection with the British Government, in 1854" by Samuel Crowther
The above account & some other ones (that I am yet to read) also helped inform a particular passage in the article "The Growth of Trade among the Igbo before 1800" by David Northrup
I quote (from page pages 226-227)
"Another group of regional trading networks grew up around the centres of the textile industry, which had already attained considerable sophistication in the days of the Igbo-Ukwu culture. In the sixteenth century, the inhabitants of Benin used types of cloth similar in description to that found at Igbo-Ukwu, and in the next century they were wearing and exporting large quantities of cloth.46 It is possible that some of this was of Igbo origin. Direct observations of Igbo-made cloth come only much later, but a nineteenth-century Niger explorer noted that the Northern Igbo made an intricately woven cloth which was sold in quantity in markets as far away as the Benue-Niger confluence.47 Missionaries also noted the extensive cloth industry using cotton (which grew in a semi-cultivated state throughout much of the Igbo territory) and other fibres which were woven and dyed. Most of the cloth was a luxury item intended for ritual, political, and ceremonial occasions, though plain cloth was also made.48 The southern Igbo town of Akwete has long been famous for its fancy cotton cloth, which may once have been made from locally grown cotton.49 These textile industries thus seem to have played an important role in regional exchange."
Lastly, I quote from an 1857 description of the Igbo town of Onitsha that I have come across second-hand (in a secondary source) which also tells us about the historical textile industries
“I took a short walk in the extensive corn and yam plantations, when I had a good opportunity of observing that cotton was extensively cultivated. The people of Onitsha...manufacture their own clothes, generally plain or fanciful white. European manufactured goods are not so commonly used here as in the lower parts of the river"
- from page 11 of "Origins of the Niger Mission 1841-1891" by K. Onwuka Dike
Great, I want to do one on the Igbo separately. This was originally about just yorubaland and Benin, but I had to include the Akwete textiles and Nupe textiles to highlight their interconnectedness. I think Igbo textiles deserve their own essay
This article omits the fact that Ijaw people introduced Ijebu aso-olona (known in the Delta as ikaki) to Akwete weavers to replicate. Framing it only as "longstanding trading relations" leaves out a key part of the true origins and influences on Akwete cloth.
From the mid-19th century, Akwete women began reproducing aso-olona for Eastern Ijaw patrons, who had adopted it as royal and chieftaincy attire. Over time they innovated on those designs, but Akwete weavers still produce ikaki/Aso-olona patterns till today. This is well documented by textile historians, including Lisa Aronson (1980) and John Gillow (2003).
None of this takes away from the skill and creativity of Akwete weavers. It simply gives the full picture. Please amend this article to reflect this so the historical record stays accurate.
This is mostly a summary of textile trade and production; an examination of the origins of specific styles and motifs deserves a separate essay focused on just that.
It's why I only included a few sentences on the continued use of aso olona in Jebu (despite Indian and European imports), and I only included Akwete to stress the ability of local weavers to import foreign cotton threads and finish the manufacturing process at home.
Fabric styles such as adire eleko, aso oke, and olokun, and their connection to other West African styles could not be examined in any great detail for this same reason.
I tend to write a separate essay for the Textile industry of the Delta and South-Eastern Nigeria, focusing on the Igbo, Ijaw, Efik, and other groups.
This was a very detailed article and I commend you for the research, but summary or not we should always credit properly. In just a few lines you could have highlighted exactly what you meant by longstanding trade relations. Anything short of that is erasing historical facts.
I have no skin in the game, but my bullshit detector is tingling cause I can see the ethnic narcissistic "I invented everything and taught everybody everything and credit must be given to me and shit" bullshit from a mile a way.
Is there any positive evidence about this supposed true origin of Akwete cloth that you are crying about? or is this just the usual speculative and circular reasoning crap based on horseshit evidence like some interview in the late 1900s by a time traveller that one finds in secondary source texts with a boring prose?
The source he has listed is stated right there. The author has also mentioned he didn’t include it because this was meant to be a summary. If you cared to look it up, you will find the evidence you are looking for, have a good day.
Here is a summary on the British museum page for aso olona showing the spread to Ndoki and how aso olona motif was renamed to Ikaki
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_2018-2036-106
This is a joke. I thought you were going to point me to some or put me on some 19th century account or a bunch of 19th century accounts *contemporary to the historical time* when this supposed diffusionism was occurring that illuminates or helps me make sense of the true origin of Akwete that you are clearly passionate about with regards to its supposed origin from some "aso olona"
What do you mean by some Aso Olona. We have documentation, where is yours?
This is an intellectual conversation, not an emotional one.
Here are links to documentation for you to read:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_2018-2036-106
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/872/
https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/107170461/viewcontent-libre.pdf?1699222063=&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B+filename%3DThe_Meaning_of_Yoruba_Aso_Olona_is_Far_f.pdf&Expires=1790679909&Signature=BW1JFYDhjJRDcAcLEY08029EZh97ioCO8YuOb2FLxltpGzFcet7IHwRpaqrEmD5iBka75lcHAoiaIAdDQggPFP4orcwz~1MaBd1BEFZiY9VzX7ffMgC3bIdlkU90XB2SNABWaUgpGswu4kG3uTP6SE9OUhbIrnL5KSAx17YUexySx~sQ5Z35iB~6IsQ7xuQvnIZ02XLgSktm96exf0UrYFIxUYtxegbZRfPxjUl2G6ItXKvn-GC1kzxGj~Hc46MnMHVeHDHN8tGRAUzc9ttkFVtg50XCitePD3bHBd~zDpg0yvl8i11He1APdW20TuoBL4QAoU6AuD84AuTXR-LAUw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
https://artquill.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-supplementary-weft-cloths-of-ijebu.html?m=1
Bring yours.
Maybe you can provide some of your own 19th century accounts of Akwete before the said diffusionism rather than making claims out of thin air. That will be a more solid rebuttal no? 😊
The detail that stayed with me is that Portuguese traders entered an existing African textile market and had to adapt to it. I’m researching the early sixteenth century for my book, and this completely changes the usual image of Europeans arriving with finished goods in a passive market.