Mende Display Cloth

The Mende people of Sierra Leone were famous for their weavings , called kpokpo. These cloths were used as ceremonial wall hangings and sometimes are quite large. They were strip woven on tripod looms. The strips are warp faced and mainlywhite, indigo and brown . Sometime additional motifs are added with supplementary floats. Bold design, subtle coloring and high accuracy in execution distinguish these textiles. Civil strife has made survivors quite rare. Current production is easily identifiable as it uses synthetic fibers.