Kpokpo Cloth Hammock

Country cloth is a thick, heavy, cloth, traditionally made from locally grown cotton that is spun into thread, dyed, and woven into strips on a tripod loom. The strips are then sewn together edge to edge to form the finished cloth. Such cloth was, in the past, regarded as a sign or wealth and Prestige. This is an example of a kpokpoi, or kpokpo, cloth hammock, used for carrying chiefs. Hammocks, like this one, would usually be accompanied by a canopy borne on the heads of the carriers that shielded the chief from the sun. This is a particularly fine example.

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Further Information

• Type: Textiles, cloth
• Object: Kpokpo Cloth Hammock
• Materials: Textile
• Culture Group: Sherbro, Mende
• Dimensions: 210mm [L] x 1220mm [W]
• Production Date: Pre 1934
• Associated Places: Unknown
• Associated People: Charles A. Beving
• Museum: British Museum
• Accession Number: BM:Af.1934.307.183

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