Traditional Yoruba Adire Eleko & Tie-Dye with Indigo with Gasali Adeyemo

In this workshop, you will learn two traditional Yoruba techniques for using indigo: Adire Eleko and Tie-Dye.

Adire Eleko is the process of creating designs using cassava paste (also called yucca), a small broom, and a chicken feather. Tie-Dye is the process of using raffia to tie fabric and then dying the fabric.

In addition to these dye techniques, you will also learn about Yoruba culture and the meaning behind the designs you will create.

Across the four days, you will learn the processes behind Adire Eleko and tie-dye from start to finish.

For Adire Eleko, you will learn how to:

Prepare the paste and recreate this process at home.
Practice both techniques of adire: using a stencil and creating patterns by hand.
Prepare indigo after creating the designs and dye your work.
Remove the cassava from their work at the end of the dyeing process.

For Tie-Dye, you will learn how to:
Create a resist using two different methods: stitch resist (using a needle to stitch raffia into fabric) and using raffia to create designs by hand.
Dye the fabric and remove the raffia.

History of Indigo Dyeing
Gasali Adeyemo primarily uses indigo dye in his workshops. Indigo is an organic substance from the indigo plant, which grows wild in Nigeria. During the beginning of the rainy season, people harvest then dry the leaves. After they dry, they form the leaves into little balls to prepare the dye. Yoruba people have used indigo as a dye for a very long time. The Yoruba name for indigo is “elu”. Since the olden days, people used indigo for medicine as well as a dye; it cures an upset stomach. People also use indigo to ward off viruses, with Yoruba people painting houses with indigo to prevent the sickness from entering.