Bogolanfini

Bogolanfini is also called ‘Mud-Cloth’ and is a handmade Malian cotton fabric. The name ‘Mud-Cloth’ describes the fact that the fabric is dyed using fermented mud. The town of San in Mali is the main place that this fabric is produced and manufactures the highest qualities of Bogolanfini available. It is a very important part of the Malian culture with the men weaving the fabric and the women dying it. The heavily patterned fabric is created by using the leaves of the n’gallama tree for the white parts and mud from the river bed that has been fermented for a year for the rich, brown parts. Bogolanfini is typically used by Malian tribes as camouflage, ritual protection or as a status symbol as the cloth is believed to have the power to absorb dangerous forces.