Arkilla Kerka Room Divider
Cloths of this type, known as arkilla kerka, are used as tent-dividers and to divide off the area for the bridal bed and the reception area in their dwellings. Belongings of grandeur and refinement, they were the most costly textiles produced in the Niger River-bend region and were almost always woven on commission by rich Fulani, marabouts (holy men) and nomadic Tuareg.
Woven from wool on a horizontal strip loom and made of many panels, they are sewn selvedge to selvedge. Each strip has decorations and motifs influenced by North Africa. The designs on the upper and lower borders symbols water and fertility, while the central motifs represent the paths taken by the Fulani herds. The thickness gives not only warmth at night but protection from mosquitos.
Cloths of this type, known as arkilla kerka, are used as tent-dividers and to divide off the area for the bridal bed and the reception area in their dwellings. Belongings of grandeur and refinement, they were the most costly textiles produced in the Niger River-bend region and were almost always woven on commission by rich Fulani, marabouts (holy men) and nomadic Tuareg.
Woven from wool on a horizontal strip loom and made of many panels, they are sewn selvedge to selvedge. Each strip has decorations and motifs influenced by North Africa. The designs on the upper and lower borders symbols water and fertility, while the central motifs represent the paths taken by the Fulani herds. The thickness gives not only warmth at night but protection from mosquitos.
Cloths of this type, known as arkilla kerka, are used as tent-dividers and to divide off the area for the bridal bed and the reception area in their dwellings. Belongings of grandeur and refinement, they were the most costly textiles produced in the Niger River-bend region and were almost always woven on commission by rich Fulani, marabouts (holy men) and nomadic Tuareg.
Woven from wool on a horizontal strip loom and made of many panels, they are sewn selvedge to selvedge. Each strip has decorations and motifs influenced by North Africa. The designs on the upper and lower borders symbols water and fertility, while the central motifs represent the paths taken by the Fulani herds. The thickness gives not only warmth at night but protection from mosquitos.