KOFAR MATA MILLS

Ask for the "dying pits". A fine example of local craftsmanship, indigo dyes on batiks of all sizes are typical of the Kano region. There are several other workshops elsewhere in the country, most of which are managed by the artist Nike Okundaye, notably in Osogbo and Lagos. Here again, we claim to be from the 15th century, with the inscription 1498 engraved on the entrance arch. The workshop is vast, established in a paved "perforated" courtyard with more than 144 wells! It is in the latter that the dyes are bathed for almost a week. Three natural ingredients are at the origin of these azure colours: indigo of course, then potassium and... ash. Each of the graphics on the batiks has its own meaning in Hausa culture, and its own name.