Prestige Hanging (Kpoikpoi)

Together with Ghana’s kente cloths and the Fulani weavings of the Niger Bend, Sierra Leone’s kpoikpoi prestige hangings are among the most spectacular creations of West African master weavers. The imposing thirteen-foot-long example, produced on a tripod loom by highly specialized Vai or Mende weavers constitutes an epic statement of pictorial sophistication and technical skill. It was built from a series of rectangular blocks filled with alternating geometric motifs -- stripes, checkerboard patterns, and triangles in shades of blue, white, pink and brown -- thoughtfully arranged into a vibrant, balanced composition. The proportions and ordering of the four different pattern blocks had to be carefully calculated during weaving in order to create evenly matched lengths. The weft-faced bands were then cut at the appropriate places and reunited into the dynamic, strikingly graphic mosaic seen here. A luxury commodity, grand textiles like this one were traded by Manding merchants and were used as wall hangings, unfurled to mark special events. They could also be used as burial wrappings for notables, dowries, or payments for court fines.