Ndop cloth

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Ndop cloth

20th century

Ceremonial spaces in the Cameroon are outdoors, often in or near a royal compound. On the day of a celebration, large blue and white patterned cloths are spread around the place where the fon will sit. Such cloths, commonly called ndop, indicate that a ceremony is to be held that day. They frame the place where the fon will preside surrounded by his stool.

After the sun has reached its meridian, the fon prepares for his arrival by dressing in a large piece of ndop, often edged with red cotton fabric. It is suspended by a waist cord so that it passes between his legs in voluminous folds. He also wears an elaborate headdress, beads, neck rings, and ivory bracelets to indicate his role as the living symbol of kingship. Key players in the celebration may also wear ndop, but only after gaining permission from the fon.

Ndop use was severely restricted partly due to the density and importance of the iconic signs they display. Leopard spots appear in triangular patterns to refer to the strength, power, and cunning of an animal who commanded the forest much like the king rules the palace. Spiders are designated by cross-cut circles, and suggest a special wisdom due tot heir ability to burrow beneath the surface of the ground, just as the Fon is perceived as having a closeness to the ancestors.

Cotton, strip weave and tritik with indigo dye

183 3/4 x 91 in. (466.7 x 231.1 cm)

Gift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

81.17.772

Not currently on view

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