"Aso Olona" - Ijo Yoruba and Akwete Igbo "patterned cloth"

Yoruba aso olona has a long history that likely predates the Atlantic slave trade, and between 5-10% of American slaves had Yoruba origins.  Notably, like Kongo embroidered cloth, aso olona exhibits none of the "Africanisms" said to be found in African-American quilts. Its motifs are symmetrical in one or two directions; the entire cloth is symmetrical; and its panels are carefully joined at the seams to create continuous horizontal (not vertical) bands of design. The symmetry and careful planning these textiles evidence would have easily transferred to quiltmaking.  

Aso olona ("patterned cloth"), believed to have been woven by the southern Yoruba Ijo people since the 15th century, is worn toga-style both by Ijo ruling elites and members of the Oshogbo society (although modern Oshogbo versions are much more elaborate and colorful). According to Aronson, the cloth "function[s] in the context of power"; its "patterns and colors represent the richness and diversity of an individual's experience in life, including acquired knowledge of the spirit realm."  

Aso olona uses supplemental wefts to produce brocaded patterns on the top of the fabric, and is simultaneously woven in four panels on a vertical, continuous-warp loom. The panels, whose patterns are symmetrical in at least one direction, are carefully joined along their lengthwise edges to create continuous bands of pattern across the fabric's width.  

As the Oshogbo society gained members in the mid-19th century and prosperity came to the region from the sale of palm oil, nearby Akwete Igbo weavers saw a marketing opportunity and developed a similar cloth specifically for sale to the Yoruba called ikakibite ("tortoise cloth").  Originally it was simultaneously woven in three panels, then only two;  but eventually Akwete weavers decided weaving in a single panel was more cost-effective. Not only did their clients not object; today the Yoruba regard ikakibite as "traditional".

Although today's aso olona and ikakibite are made from factory- spun yarn in a rainbow of colors rather than the traditional red/brown/orange/yellow, and may be woven in once piece, the basic appearance of these ritual cloths and their use have not changed substantially over the centuries.  Crocodiles, frogs, mudfish and snakes remain the most common aso olona motifs; in modern cloths they are minimalist and abstract, while late 18th century examples are more realistically rendered.  A shag or looped plush design is also common, referring not only to tripe, a Yoruba delicacy, but to the individual's vulnerability to higher powers (who can presumably see one's "insides").  The edge is sometimes divided into seven tasselled sections, representing the six ruling chiefs and the divine king. A smaller version of the aso olona, the itagbe, is worn over the shoulder, and sometimes is presented to a shrine of the gods as a kind of prayer offering. Today, actual words are sometimes woven into the itagbe.

   "Aso ipo" - Bunu Yoruba "cloth from red cloth"

The long history and widespread use of aso ipo suggests that the 5-10% of American slaves with Yoruba origins would probably have been familiar with this textile.  Like Yoruba aso olona, aso ipo is carefully planned and symmetrical in at least one direction; like Kongo embroidered cloth, its palette is usually monochromatic and many of its designs are small-scale, overall patterns.  

Aso ipo, meaning "cloth from red cloth," is a red and tan woven-patterned Yoruba status textile used by the Bunu Yoruba at funerals, where it is hung over the thatched roof of the deceased's house and sometimes buried with him.  It may originally have also been woven by other Yoruba, but by the 19th century its only weavers appear to be the Bunu. 

The rank of the deceased determines the number and type of aso ipo cloths displayed at a Bunu funeral. It also determines their size, which ranges between a single 5-7" wide strip about seven feet long with a variety of patterns, to a large panel made of 11 strips, each woven in a single, different design.   

Left, aso ipo at a Bunu funeral. Right, a c.1903 masquerade costume containing aso ipo 

Other Yoruba eagerly bought this luxury fabric, whose puzzling construction helped imbue it with mystery and power (some mistakenly believed the weavers were elderly witches who worked in the nude and committed suicide when the cloth was completed).  As early as 1900 non-Bunu were incorporating aso ipo into masquerade costumes, but today it has been almost completely replaced by imported luxury fabrics, which may carry a similar cachet. Later the Bunu also adopted its use in masquerade, developing special patterns for these cloths.  

Unlike most West African textiles, aso ipo was made by both men and women. Originally it was woven on a vertical loom using supplemental weft yarns, producing a woven pattern which (with the exception of the highest-status cloth) appears only on the cloth face.  Its warp was handspun cotton, which for cloths intended for the king was dyed with indigo. The patterns were worked in handspun cotton dyed a yellowish-tan with turmeric (jute from burlaps sacks was substituted beginning in the 1950s) and red wool unraveled from imported  blankets.  It is unknown whether the Yoruba first obtained red wool cloth from Hausa traders, or whether it came from European traders via Benin; certainly, by the 1580s Europeans were shipping red wool cloth to the region.  As suggested by its name, the recycling of imported fabric seems an integral part of aso ipo; even as late as the 1940s, Bunu weavers were unraveling red hospital blankets for their red wool rather than using factory-spun yarn. 

Three different aso ipo patterns. The cloth on the left has a blue warp, indicating it was woven for a king

Above, a 20th c. single-strip "ebe" aso ipo; right, 17th century bedcurtains at Parham House in Sussex, England       While aso ipo designs have names, they do not appear to be representational in the way, for example, aso olona motifs are.  Most designs are small, complex, and symmetrical along at least one axis.  One of the few asymmetrical designs, consisting of parallel zigzags, also has a history in Europe (where it is commonly known as "flamestitch") predating the transatlantic slave trade.

When aso ipo was first produced is unknown, but if as Renne suggests it could be a Bunu imitation of an imported fabric (for example, a patterned  red cloth said to have been woven by Benin female royalty), aso ipo's origin may date as early as the 16th century.   Bunu production of aso ipo appears to have died out in the 1960s with the spread of Islam, although in the 1980s some Oworo Yoruba wove it on a horizontal strip loom (the same kind of loom used for kente).   The vast majority of aso ipo used today are generations old.