Introduction:
Cloth weaving, a traditional dying occupation in many Yorùbá towns, is the focus of my research project. This seminar project is a requirement for a master’s degree in Computational Language and Description at the University of Uyo, Nigeria. I embarked on the documentation project to preserve the age-old craft and its processes.
Of particular importance is the specialized vocabulary used to refer to tools, materials, styles, processes, and more within this indigenous occupation. This vocabulary is being compiled into a talking and illustrated dictionary. The research was made possible primarily through a grant from the Esperantic Studies Foundation (ESF), an organization to which I am greatly indebted.
Aṣọ Òfì/Aṣọ Òkè Woven Fabrics
Aṣọ òfì, popularly known as aṣọ òkè, are Yorùbá traditional fabrics woven on handlooms. These fabrics and the dresses made from them are commonly worn by celebrants and participants during ceremonies such as traditional weddings, chieftaincy conferments, birthdays, burials, festivals, rituals, and more.
The weaving of aṣọ òfì is a traditional occupation among the Yorùbá people of southwestern Nigeria. However, this occupation is prominent only in a few Yorùbá towns such as Ìsẹ́yìn, Ìlọrin, Ẹdẹ, Ọ̀wọ̀, Iléṣà, Ìjẹ̀bú, and Ọ̀yọ́. Of all the Yorùbá towns where aṣọ òfì production is common, Ìsẹ́yìn takes pride of place. According to Chief Adeyinka Adeleke, a community head in Ìsẹ́yìn, “Ìsẹ́yìn is the foundation of aṣọ òkè, and no other town matches Ìsẹ́yìn in aṣọ òkè weaving.” Ìsẹ́yìn, a town about 220 km from Lagos, is regarded as the headquarters of aṣọ òfì weaving.
Aṣọ òkè is an alternative and more popular name for aṣọ òfì; “òkè” in the name is a clipped form of “ìlú òkè,” a common name that city people, especially Lagosians, use to refer to the upcountry. According to a popular story, the upcountry that the woven fabric was named after is Ìsẹ́yìn, from where many weavers used to (and still do) travel to Lagos to sell their woven fabrics.
Although aṣọ òfì is a topmost Yorùbá traditional fabric, its processes are rather obscure even to many of its users. To document aṣọ òfì production, I traveled to Ìsẹ́yìn, as well as Ìbàdàn and Iléṣà, from the University of Uyo.
Aṣọ òfì production processes come in three phases: warp making, weft making, and weaving.
Warping Processes
Warp is the long stretch of yarns that is set vertically on the loom. In Yorùbá weavers’ terms, warp is called aṣọ, which is also the term for an already woven piece on the loom (fell) and for cloth in general. Warp making starts with aṣọ títa (warp preparation), which is carried out on a flat ground already measured to fit the length of a bundle (about 9 meters). Depending on the number of bundles to prepare, two or more warping rods, sánrin, are hammered into the ground at each end. Threads to warp are set in an ọ̀dádàá, or creel, and the threads are spread on the warping rods. The warp is then rolled up into an oval shape.
Afterwards, fẹ́rẹ́n (warp ends) are inserted into the heddles (ọmú) and then into the reed (àsà) — both tasks are normally carried out on the loom by either the master weaver or an experienced apprentice called a senior. The process of putting warp ends into the reed is known as aṣọ rírì sínú ọmú (threading). During threading, the warp is held in the left hand, and each warp thread is cut into two. One half is inserted into the front heddle while the other half goes into the back heddle.
The next step is inserting the warp ends into the reed dents, a process called aṣọ rírí sójú àsà (sleying or denting). Two warp ends are put into each reed dent; the two ends are actually one warp thread that is cut into two and inserted into the heddles. It should be noted that from the point where denting starts, no reed dent is omitted without warp ends being inserted into it.
Aṣọ rírí (threading and sleying) can be time-consuming; however, there is a faster alternative known as kókó síso or aṣọ síso (warp knotting). To do this, when the weaver cuts the last weave off the loom, they retain lengths of its warp thread on the heddles and reed. The ends of a new warp are then tied to the ends of the previous warp. This method takes considerably less time than threading and sleying.
The penultimate stage in the warping process is tying the warp ends on the cloth beam (agbọnrin), a rod on which the woven cloth is rolled. The final stage is aṣọ nínà, spreading the warp from the loom over an expanse of weaving ground (òde). The warp is then locked with a pin (òkééke) on the sled (òkùku) and a weight stone (òkúta) is placed on the sled to make the warp tense.
Weft Processes
Weft, known as àkáwú or àkárọ́, is the thread that is passed from side to side during weaving. Wefting processes start with winding five-ply thread into a loop (eékún) on a metal thread winding machine called ẹ̀rọ ìdáwùú. The thread is then starched, spread to dry in the sun, rinsed in water afterwards, and then placed on a spinning device called akata or ayí and wound onto bobbins (àkárọ́) using a wooden or metal device called kẹ̀kẹ́ or kómáa-roll.
Weft winding is usually assigned to young apprentices. Before the invention of the winding machine, spindles (kọkọgún) were used, but they are no longer common today. Another modern introduction to weft making is the use of glue (e.g., Top Bond) instead of starch; both starch and glue are used to make the weave stiff.
Weaving
The weft (àkáwú) is inserted into a boat shuttle (ọkọ́). At the press of a pedal (ìtẹ̀sẹ̀), an opening or shed (ẹnu aṣọ) is created in the warp. The shuttle carrying the weft is then thrown through the opening, and the weft thread is beaten into place with the beater (àsà). The process of interlacing the warp and weft threads and beating them into place is known as aṣọ wíwun (weaving).
NB: A draft copy of a dictionary of aṣọ òfì created from this project is available on www.webonary.org/ofi_weaving/
This documentation project was funded by the Esperantic Studies Foundation (ESF), to whom I owe a lot of gratitude. I extend my sincere appreciation to my supervisor, Prof. Eno-Abasi Urua, for her support and guidance.
I am also grateful to Mr. Chuck Mays for his support. My heartfelt thanks go to my good friend Clement Echa for his advice and encouragement.
Many thanks to the consultant master weavers in Isẹyin, Ibadan, and Ileṣa.
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