Mad in Pursuit Notebook
Ndop Textile of Cameroon
What. "Ndop" -- a ceremonial cloth made of cotton woven in narrow strips, sewn together; patterns stitched with raffia to form a resist; dyed in indigo. Abt. 85" long. From the Bamileke people of the Cameroon Grassfields, west Africa. 20th century.
STORY. Whenever a new collectible enters our home, I blame Jim. He's the collector. But his collecting bug settled down more than a decade ago. I think it's jumped to me--not so virulent, but a little bit of "I need/I want" grabs me from time to time. This week, while researching some African beads, I found a dealer selling ndop cloth. I've had an eye out for ndop since I became interested in indigo. I love the soft geometry of the patterns. I love the old-jeans softness of the cotton. So... had to have it.
I found a photo of men wearing this type of cloth during the annual Ngoun-Ngoun Saa ritual. I hope the piece I bought has absorbed some of that energy!
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