The Weavers of Iseyin
Aṣọ-ofì does more than exist as a treasured Yoruba fabric and a commodity in Iseyin, its original home. It reflects a societal fabric interwoven with the changing cultural values, social norms, religious beliefs, education and economic systems of the Iseyin community.
Editor’s note: This essay is available in our print issue, Reimagining Nigerian Heritage. Buy the issue here.
The heartbeat of Iseyin, one of Oyo State’s largest towns, is aṣọ òfì, the distinguished handwoven fabric of the Yoruba people. Without reference to it as home to the textile, the description of the town is considered wanting. The presence of wooden looms (òfì) in almost every direction one turns—on entering Iseyin and venturing into the innermost part of it—confirms this claim.
Iseyin’s prominence in Yoruba history is closely tied to its production and exportation of aṣọ-ofì, which conveys cultural symbolism and significance. A Yoruba proverb, ‘sányán ni baba aṣọ, àlàárì ni baba ẹ̀wù,’ which means that sányán and àlàárì—two of the numerous kinds of aṣọ òfì—are the most supreme of all clothes, indicates that the textile existed at the apex of clothes Yoruba people traditionally wore as status symbols.
Aṣọ òfì is still reserved for special occasions, as it embodies a prestige that envelops its wearer in eminence; the aṣọ òfì a measure of their social standing at events. It is an identity marker and, thus, a preferred choice for Yoruba hosts in helping them stand out or be at the centre of attention at their parties. Arguments like how no one can outshine a Yoruba bride clad in aṣọ òfì (also known as aṣọ òkè) and the colourful display of the aṣọ òfì attires donned on by various rẹgbẹ́rẹgbẹ́ at the annual Ojude Oba festival in Ogun State are testaments to the textile’s acclaim.
Besides being a commemorative attire, aṣọ òfì, due to its durability and timelessness, can become a family heirloom, usually travelling down generations, from mothers to daughters and fathers to sons. Inasmuch as the textile succeeds as multiple generations can wear it, so is it a transgenerational profession for the people of Iseyin, whose ancestral and primary occupation it is to produce the handwoven fabric.
For these people whose lives revolve around the making and marketing of aṣọ òfì, the craft is woven into their identities, shaping their familial bonds, community relationships, beliefs and financial traditions. It also gives one a peek into some of the historical timelines of Nigeria’s development. The journey to discovering and understanding how the weavers of Iseyin live their lives intertwined with their profession led me to Mukaila Kolade and Nurudeen Nafiu, two veteran aṣọ òfì weavers at the Ita Oye area in Ijemba, Iseyin. Their lives epitomize the connections between life and craft. Both men have been weaving for multiple decades, inheriting the art from their fathers, like many other children born and bred in Iseyin. With pride and the knowledge that more of their generations than can be counted have engaged in the vocation, Kolade and Nafiu reveal that they can’t trace the exact origin of weaving in their respective families. However, they are currently living up to the tradition by teaching their own children the art of weaving aṣọ òfì...
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