Traditionally, mud cloth is only made by the women of the Bamana tribe of Mali. Strips of hand-spun, hand-woven cotton are stitched together, then pattern with a variety of natural dyes. First, the whole cloth is dipped into a mordant made from leaves, which colours the cloth yellow. Then, for the traditional Kolokane cloth, the designs are hand-painted onto the cloth using river mud that has been aged up to a year. Iron oxides in the mud react with tannins in the mordant to create the rich black colour. Finally, the yellow is bleached out using a caustic made from millet bran and peanuts - leaving a black on white pattern. Today, modern versions are popular - such as terracotta, ochre, white on black, and black on white. Dimensions 45" x 70".