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[/vc_column_text][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-fb-icon4.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”https://www.facebook.com/Â鶹ֱ²¥esearch/” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-tw-icon4.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”https://twitter.com/Â鶹ֱ²¥esearch?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-in-icon4.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-schools-of-oriental-research” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/social-ml-icon_7.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”mailto:info@asor.org” margin_bottom=”0″][mk_image src=”http://www.asortest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/blog-icon3.jpg” image_width=”42″ image_height=”42″ hover=”false” custom_url=”https://asor.org/blog” margin_bottom=”0″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” width=”1/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1493004112151{margin-right: 20px !important;border-left-width: 2px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;border-left-color: #99422f !important;}”][mk_divider divider_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.01)” thickness=”1″ margin_top=”3″ margin_bottom=”3″][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”ca-sidebar-50561″][/vc_column][vc_column border_color=”rgba(170,170,170,0.01)” width=”8/12″ css=”.vc_custom_1487276122024{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 30px !important;padding-right: 30px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;border-right-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;border-bottom-color: rgba(227,228,228,0.75) !important;}”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1591900955213{padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][mk_image src=”/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/CHI-terracotta.png” image_width=”186″ image_height=”100″ crop=”false” hover=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1591901348504{padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]CHI Update: Promoting Awareness of Local Textile Production Techniques in Mali
By Darren P. Ashby | Â鶹ֱ²¥ Cultural Heritage Programs Manager
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][mk_divider thickness=”1″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”10″][vc_wp_text] [/vc_wp_text][mk_padding_divider size=”10″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_wp_text]The Dogon country of east-central Mali is famous for its stark natural beauty and precarious settlements built into cliff sides. Hard to access due to the Bandiagara Escarpment, which runs through the middle of it, the region has long been connected to the rest of West Africa and, through ancient trade routes across the Sahara, to the wider Mediterranean world. Although traces of human presence go back at least as early as 3,000 BCE, the Dogon communities date their arrival to the late 14th–early 15th centuries CE. Over time, they have expanded into all three local ecological zones, shifting between the plateau, cliffs, and plain in response to socio-political, economic, or environmental factors.[/vc_wp_text][vc_single_image image=”98791″ img_size=”700×639″ alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1724166176506{margin-right: 10px !important;}”][mk_padding_divider size=”10″][vc_wp_text]Mali and the Dogon Country; Photo Credit: ADI
[/vc_wp_text][mk_padding_divider size=”10″][vc_single_image image=”98792″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1724164771370{margin-right: 10px !important;}”][mk_padding_divider size=”10″][vc_wp_text]View of Yendouma Atô; Photo Credit: ADI/Â鶹ֱ²¥
[/vc_wp_text][mk_padding_divider size=”10″][vc_single_image image=”98793″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1724164786281{margin-right: 10px !important;}”][mk_padding_divider size=”10″][vc_wp_text]View of Youga Dogourou, with buildings renovated by ADI in collaboration with the local community; Photo Credit: ADI/Â鶹ֱ²¥
[/vc_wp_text][mk_padding_divider size=”20″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_wp_text]Historically, most types of craft production in Dogon communities were either the domain of women or men. In contrast, textile production involved the work of both. Women processed the cotton and spun the thread while men wove the cloth. Although only a limited number of men practiced weaving at any time, processing and spinning was considered part of a woman’s daily routine and the knowledge required for this work was passed down from mothers to daughters.This traditional practice is now increasingly under threat from both the spread of industrially produced textiles and the disruption of the transfer of knowledge from mothers to daughters. In response to these challenges, Â鶹ֱ²¥ and its partner — a locally based NGO dedicated to improving the wellbeing of residents of the Dogon region —organized an event in mid-May in the village of Neni to raise awareness about the shared history of textile production among the inhabitants of the Dogon region and to promote its renewal through wider participation in its practice.
Music, dance, and conversation filled the event space. At the heart of it, local women demonstrated each step of the spinning process and gave hands-on guidance to some participants. The spinning process consists of four main steps. First, the raw cotton is ginned to remove the seeds. This is done either by hand or by using a small bar and flat stone to push the seeds out. Second, the cotton is untangled and cleaned using two wooden carding boards with fine teeth. Once clean, the cotton is added to a distaff and twisted onto a spindle with a special metal end, which is made by local blacksmiths for this purpose. Finally, these small spindles are transferred to a larger spindle for storage.[/vc_wp_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”98796″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1724168137121{margin-right: 10px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_wp_text]