I was once told a story of how the bogolan dyes were discovered, a story which has been told and retold for generations.

There was once a hunter, who was not always successful due to his frivolous and somewhat undisciplined nature. His wife had made him a new outfit, using clean, white cotton which she had sewn in strips. She beseeched her husband not to get his new outfit dirty as he went out to hunt for food. After many hours without finding anything to hunt, the hunter decided to lay down and have a rest in a shady spot near a riverbed. Soon he fell asleep, and was so soundly asleep that he didn't awake when he began to move and roll in his sleep, until he had inadvertently rolled into the river water. When he awoke, his beautiful white clothing was completely black, stained from the river mud.

He was scared to go home where his wife would not be pleased with his stained clothing, and that he had not hunted successfully either. However, he sheepishly headed home, as his clothes began to dry under the hot sun. When he arrived back to his village, and his wife saw his clothing, she was very upset at the stained condition of his clothing, and immediately tried to wash off the mud.

To her surprise, the black mud stains would not wash out of the clothing. She tried everything, but couldn't get the black stain out. She then had an epiphany—and asked her husband to immediately take her to the river where the mud had permanently stained his clothing. Upon scooping river mud out of the water under the quizzical eye of her husband, she realized she had discovered a new type of dye or stain. She looked around, and the other components of nature around her—the trees, with their bark and leaves, the other brush in the area became a source of staining. She was thrilled. The natural dyes for bogolanfini had just been discovered.

On travels throughout Mali, one can come upon villages in which individual strips of cotton, some already stained, some unstained, are hanging on posts and cord outside of homes or just in open spaces. They are drying in the sun, waiting to have dye applied or reapplied, or a waiting for a new design to be added. We have passed through these villages, such as Sao, or Ségou, or villages outside of Mopti, and marveled at the resourcefulness of the people and the beauty of their work.

In the global picture, there is something of which those interested in Malian cotton should be aware— that despite no longer having significant cotton or textile industries, the wealthiest countries in the world, most notably the United States and some members of the European Union, apply a tariff to imported cotton from Mali. As 50% of the GDP of Mali comes from the cotton industry, this has provided the single largest obstruction to true, sustainable economic development for millions of working poor in this beautiful, rich West African country.

Finally, we are frequently asked how to wash Bogolan cloth. If hand or machine washing, a "colorfast" element must be added to the cold water wash. We have been told that vinegar is a good agent for holding the natural dyes in place. In general, however, we recommend dry cleaning, as machine washing can cause fading, simply because of the nature of these handmade, hand-dyed textiles.

You can use them to make pillows, curtains, or upholstery, as wall tapestries, table runners, room dividers, clothing, quilts, throws, and blankets and for any other item for which beautiful hand-made textiles are employed.

Sincerely,

Andrew Berz,
Owner

Photographs © Andrew Berz