Cotton Tribal Art

Early 20th century Ceremonial Cloth / Tampan, Paminggir, Lampung region, South Sumatra, Indonesia Commonly referred to as ship cloths, these ceremonial tampan would have been used as gifts, wrappers, cushions or pillows in any number of life-transition ceremonies, including children’s first hair cutting...

A deeply rare and authentic Early 20th-century ritual artifact from West Africa: a Bamana (Bambara) Boli power object from Mali, featuring original sacrificial feathers attached to i...

Mid-20th century Tribal Zulu women's woven red cotton hat, Isicholo, from South Africa. The unusual spiral weave on this cotton Isicholo makes this a beautiful and rare example of t...

A very fine Asafo Flag from the Fante people of the Cape Coast of Ghana. There are 20 or so Asafo Militia reginents innthe area and this is a Regimental Flag from the No 1 Asafo Regi...

Vintage 1960's Kuna Mola, a traditional multi layered cotton applique tapestry hand sewn by Central American Kuna native women. Mounted on cardboard, for eas...

Antique Japanese Recycled Zanshiori Jacket Zanshi-ori cloth is woven from leftover cotton and silk threads, either from commercial kimono production or from home-produced recycled y...

Antique Lawa Woman’s Ikat Skirt Cloth, Thailand The Lawa people are a relatively small animist/Buddhist ethnic group (est. pop 17,000) living in the mountainous region of northern T...

A vibrant patchwork of strip-woven fabric, this antique blue kente cloth is a beautiful example of West African weaving tradition. Attributed to Ashanti or Ewe artists of Ghana and t...

Adire Eleko Woman's Wrapper Yoruba People Nigeria Circa 1960s-1970s Cotton) (2 panels), starch-resist and stencil dyed with indigo 76 x 69 ins (193 x 175.5 cm) The textile is in ...

African Dahomey Anti-Colonial Folk Tapestry, Benin, cotton applique, mid 20th c.

Adire “Oniko” Cloth with spiral pattern Yoruba People, Nigeria Circa 1970s Two panel cotton, Shibori technique, Indigo Dyed 71 3/4 x 48 1/2 inches

1960's Kuna , Central American native cotton applique tapestry of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael heralding with celestial trumpets...

A male necklace from the Asmat Village, Papua New Guinea. Two rows of large polished shells in concentric rows, seamlessly sewn onto a cotton macramé base, which has been hand-knott...

Beautifully crafted Kuna tribe Mola cotton tapestry with tropical toucan bird family motif. Mounted on cardboard, as found, for framing. Traditionally made by the natives of Panama, ...

Mola, a Kuna word, has several meanings: fabric or cloth, shirt or upper garment for men or women, brightly decorated women's blouses, or colorful layers of fabric, cut and hand-sewn...

Antique Tribal Kachin Woman’s Jacket with Shells, Myanmar (Burma) A small, intricately woven woman’s jacket from the Kachin (Maru) tribal group located in the far northeast of Myanm...

Antique Japanese Stencil-Dyed Han-Juban Han-juban are worn under kimono. This example, without its original cotton sleeves, displays a unique stencil-dyed pattern with indigo. A ve...

A vibrant patchwork of strip-woven fabric, this antique yellow kente cloth is a beautiful example of West African weaving tradition. Attributed to Ashanti or Ewe artists of Ghana and...

Antique Japanese Nabeshima Carpet (Dantsu) Nabeshima dantsu (carpets) are some of the earliest examples of rug making in Japan. The original weavers learned their craft from Chinese...

Antique Central Asian Silk Ikat Panel, Uzbekistan A large mounted silk and cotton ‘adras’ ikat panel with a dynamic 4-color design of large red rings with white centers surrounded b...

Antique Japanese Indigo-Dyed Double Ikat Futon Cover This early 20th century indigo-dyed futon cover displays a large, graphically compelling lattice design created by warp and weft...

Vintage Miao Baby Carrier Panel With Cross-Stitch Geometric Pattern, South China An exquisitely embroidered Miao baby carrier panel from Xifeng County, Guizhou Province, south China...

Ivory Coast hand spun cotton natural indigo cloth, circa 1930-1950.

Antique Japanese Double-Ikat Futon Cover This eye-dazzling hand-spun cotton, indigo-dyed 4-panel futon cover is a classic double ikat design displaying rows of concentric squares in...

Fine early 20th Century hand spun indigo cotton and Trans-Sahara silk cloth.

A male necklace from the Asmat Village, Papua New Guinea. Large cone shells in concentric rows, seamlessly sewn onto a cotton macrame base, which has been hand-knotted around a sem...

A male necklace from the Asmat Village, Papua New Guinea. Large Money Cowrie shells (used in earlier times as currency) seamlessly sewn in concentric rows onto a white cotton macra...

Mid-20th century Wool Baknough (Woman's head covering) Berber People, Libya This wool baknough is most likely from Libya, although similar pieces have b...

This extraordinary, museum-quality textile is a traditional vintage Ainu robe known as a Chijiri, masterfully hand-embroidered by the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido, Japan. Dati...

Textile Art This is a beautiful remnant of a vintage floral textile. The design is woven on lightweight cotton and runs lengthwise as in the fi...

1940s Moroccan Tribal Rug African Ethnic Textile Floor Covering. Vintage semi antique, Moroccan tribal rug, nomadic African Tuareg rug, wool and cotto...

This is a very fine Horseman's Tunic from the Hausa people of Niger . Woven from hard wearing handspun cotton and all natural indigo dyes . This robe would be worn by horseriders of ...

1950s Vintage Moroccan Berber Tribal Wedding Runner Rug with Sequins, 15.4 Ft An extraordinary vintage Moroccan Berber tribal runner rug, circa 1950, feat...

Handwoven Bogolan mud cloth textile from Mali, Africa, Bambara. It is a handwoven tribal cotton fabric traditionally dyed with fermented mud. Woven Afr...

This is a very fine Chiefs robe from the Guro people of Cote d'Ivoire on the coast of West Africa. Woven from high quality hand spun cotton and all natural indigo. Whilst dating from...

This a very fine Ladies Kente textile from the Ewe people of the Volta region of Ghana . Hand woven on 4 inch strip looms all natural dyes. The colour combination on this piece is ve...

This is a very fine Ladies Kente textile from the Ewe people of the Volta region of Ghana . Hand woven on 4 inch strip looms from handspun cotton. The dyes used in the creation of th...

Adire Eleko Woman's Wrapper Yoruba People Nigeria Circa 1960s-1970s Cotton) (2 panels), starch-resist and stencil dyed with indigo 77 x 62.25 ins (196 x 158 cm) Large turtles in ...

A very rare Asafo Flag dating from the late 1930's . Created by the Fante people for the Asafo regiment. Woven in hand spun cotton and trade cloth . The image depicks the leopard pro...

Mid-century Kuna native Mola cotton applique tapestry depicting angels, one holding a chalice. Mola, a Kuna word, has several meanings: fabric or cloth, shirt or upper garment for me...

A great trio of Yoruba coats, all with a honest patina. Constructed in canvas, cloth, and leather with applied cowrie shells. Age related wear, discolouration, with a handful of mis...

Antique Man’s Ceremonial Beaded Vest (Kuton), Gadding, Philippines This Gaddang man’s ceremonial vest is from the Cordillera region in northern Luzon, Philippines. It’s composed of ...

An early 20th century 'Kamasan' cotton textile painting from Bali, Indonesia. The hand-painted image has great detail and depicts Balinese Hindu mythology. Dimensions: Height 84c...

Antique Ruband veils such as this example, which are hand-embroidered in silk on a cotton foundation, were used to cover the bride's face when she moved to the groom's house, as well...

Mid-20th century Tribal Zulu women's woven red cotton hat, Isicholo, from South Africa This woman's cotton Isicholo hat is a beautiful example of the hats worn during special ceremo...

Vintage West African Tunic with Geometric Design This vibrant West African tunic was likely made in either Cameroon (Bamum people) or Nigeria (Yoruba people). The indigenous cotton ...

A scarce framed fragment of "Negreria" dance cape, circa 1940s, Huayucachi, Junin, Peru. Dating to the mid-20th century, the rare large size South ...

Early 20th century ceremonial cloth / Tampan, Paminggir, Lampung region, South Sumatra, Indonesia Commonly referred to as ship cloths, these ceremonial tampan would have been used as gifts, wrappers, cushions or pillows in any number of life-transition ceremonies, including children’s first hair cutting...

A beautiful Chiefs Robe from the Malinke people of Northern Ivory Coast . A significant prestige object . Woven from hand spun cotton with traditional black geometric design giving t...

WOMAN’S WRAPPER (BOGOLANFINI) Mali, Bamana people First half 20th century (probably made circa 1970) Cotton (hand-spun), strip weave; painting with mud and plant dyes These textil...

Gorgeous handwoven silk Ikat weaving in rich magenta, gold and purple color, circa late 19th-early 20th century, Uzbekistan, Central Asia, on the ancient...

Antique Rare Ceremonial Shoulder Cloth (Kain Nyulam), South Sumatra This fully embellished and intricately embroidered shoulder cloth (kain nyulam) is a rare and unique example of t...

A wonderful early 20th century Mende handwoven Country Cloth composed of twelve narrow strips of indigo and cream dyed cotton and arranged to create a checkerboard pattern, and hand ...

Antique Japanese Recycled Saki-Ori Farmer’s Jacket This early 20th C farmer’s jacket from the northern Japan sea coast region was strip woven from repurposed cotton scraps in a tech...

A very rare colour combination on this beautiful Ewe Kente from the Volta Regionof Ghana. Woven from handspun cotton and all natural dyes . This delightful piece would have been wove...

This strikingly coloured Phulkari is from Punjab, India. It was hand-crafted from silk and cotton, with silk being used for the embroidery. Phulkari’s are a form of wedding shawl and...

Antique Japanese Stencil-Dyed Han-Juban With Fan Motif Han-juban are short, waist length garments that are worn under kimono. It’s not uncommon for older examples to be missing thei...

Hand dyed Yoruba (Nigeria) cloth from the Esie area, 1950s.

Antique Japanese Recycled Saki-Ori Farmer’s Vest This late 19th C recycled farmer’s vest from northern Japan was strip woven from repurposed cotton scraps in a technique known as sa...

Antique Tribal Woman’s Skirt Cloth, Central Highlands, Vietnam This unusual wrap-around skirt cloth was made by either the Ede people or the Jarai people from the Central Highlands ...