Alokun, 75 1/8 x 68 1/8 in. (190.82 x 173.04 cm), Cotton; dyed, Nigeria, Adire is a popular form of surface ornamentation in the Yoruba culture in which designs are created by resist-dye techniques. This is an example of adire eleko, a technique in which a paste is hand-painted onto the fabric using the quill of a feather prior to immersing the cloth in indigo; the paste is then rinsed away, revealing the design. Rather than being purely decorative, the design motifs on adire textiles are often intended to play a protective rold and have mythical significance for the Yoruba.