Klibibi Tote Bag

2022-12-15T07:26:54+01:00

From its inception at the time of Dahomey's royal dynasties to this very day, not any artisan was allowed to weave the 'Klibibi' cloth. Each chosen master-weaver must obey a strict set of rules; breaking even one of these rules, irremediably deprives the cloth of its power. Thus, when weaved to perfection, the cloth acts as a talisman (on the king) and protects him from all harm. "Klé" means cricket, and "bibi" skilful, agile, in fon. "the skilful cricket does not receive the hunter's bullet" and "the skilful cricket does not die of fire".

When the artisan weaves the 'Klibibi', not a soul is allowed to see him. The weaver starts by cutting high grass, brushwood which he spreads on the ground. There, on this carpet of leaves, he sets out his workshop, in complete seclusion, entirely naked and nourished only by a few kola leaves and water. Everything must be done the same day: the dyeing, the warp, the assembly and the weaving. This ancestral technique still perpetuated to this very day, in the same specific circumstances, by the master-weavers at the Royal Palace of King Agonglo..