Woman’s wrapper cloth (“Prince Sanusi Olusi, Orun Rere” / Prince Sanusi Olusi, Sleep Well)

Woman’s wrapper made from 10 strips of aso oke (strip woven/horizontal narrowband loom) cloth associated with Yoruba identity. Aso oke is a traditional cloth and garments made from it are appropriate for special occasions, rites of passage, and rituals of state, including coronations and state funerals. Weavers are commonly commissioned to create unique, themed pieces for special events. This is a rare example of aso oke with woven text, inlaid using a supplementary weft float. The text repeats the phrase “Prince Sanusi Olusi, Orun Rere” (Prince Sanusi Olusi, Sleep Well) and the wrapper would have been worn by a mourner at the funeral of Sanusi Olusi, the first Muslim Oba of Lagos who ruled between 1928 and 1931. He died in 1935. The warp-faced garment also includes brocaded patterns of koranic board motifs and warp and weft stripes.