Strip cloth roll
Object Details
- Label Text
- Strip cloth is purchased to be sewn into articles of clothing such as wrappers and smocks. In the past, it also functioned as a common currency in some areas of Africa. As a rule, the strips had a standard width between four and six inches and were bundled into lengths or rolled to form a continuous wheel. Parties of the transaction used variations in width and the quality of the weave as a basis to negotiate the value of the strips. Cloth was also frequently used in connection with other currencies, such as brass rods, thus lending additional leverage to the negotiation. As no government regulations addressed cloth production, the circulation of the strips was limited by the cost and effort of production (the need to spin fibers into threads and then weave the fabric) and by demand. Cloth or mats of more or less uniform size were used for gifts, peace offerings, payment from a son to his father upon attaining adulthood and payment upon the birth of a child or the burial of a parent. Cloth currency was also used as a tribute for a spouse who remained chaste or, by contrast, as a penalty for adultery.
- Description
- Single cotton strip, rolled, with warp stripes in dark blue, white and light blue.
- Provenance
- Ambassador and Mrs. Benjamin Hill Brown, Jr., collected in Liberia, -- to 1976
- Exhibition History
- The Art of African Currency, International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C., April 4-November 22, 2002
- Published References
- Park, Edwards. 1983. Treasures of the Smithsonian. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, p. 390.
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Credit Line
- Gift of Amb. and Mrs. Benjamin Hill Brown Jr.
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Date
- Mid-late 20th century
- Object number
- 76-3-2.2
- Maker
- Undetermined artist
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Textile and Fiber Arts
- Medium
- Cotton, dye
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 9.3 x 27.2 x 26.7 cm (3 11/16 x 10 11/16 x 10 1/2 in.)
- Geography
- Liberia
- See more items in
- National Museum of African Art Collection
- Topic
- male
- Trade
- Currency
- Record ID
- nmafa_76-3-2.2
- Usage
- Usage conditions apply
