INDIGO DYED AFRICAN TEXTILES PRODUCED WITH RESIST DYEING AND PRINTING TECHNIQUES

Abstract

Natural resources that give blue color have been used to color textiles by various communities throughout history. Before the development and widespread use of synthetic dyestuffs, various African communities, as well as the other communities, have used different indigo resources to dye their textiles blue. In this study, regardless of the source of the natural indigo dye, African textiles dyed in blue with the resist technique were examined and it was tried to reveal which reserve techniques and in which regions these textiles were produced. In the study, it is aimed to eliminate the deficiencies in the literature by making a detailed presentation and classification of indigo dyed resist textiles produced in Africa. It can be seen that resist dyeing techniques are used in most of the textiles colored with indigo dyes. These are made in a wide range of techniques from physical resist to chemical resist in various communities. According to the findings; resist dyeing technique is a traditional textile dyeing option that is widely applied in Africa, but resist dyeing with indigo is practiced mostly in West African countries. Although there are data regarding the indigo dyeing with resist technique is done in various regions of Africa besides West Africa, it is seen that these are not traditional dyeing applications but rather produced with synthetic dyes for tourism purposes. It is observed that three types of natural indigo sources are used in textiles colored with natural indigo. In addition, there are examples where the appearance of a particular resist types imitated with different resist techniques in order to conceal the original technique. Therefore, determining the type of resist technique done by using indigo, which has a rich variety in Africa, requires both theoretical and applied work in this field.