Kaasa / Khasa (Fulfulde) · Maabo (weaver) (Fulfulde)
The kaasa belongs to the Fulani (Peul) pastoral economy of the Niger River region around Mopti. Fulani sheep herding was historically centred there, and in nearby villages and towns a settled or semi-settled artisan class of male Fulani weavers, the Maabuube, wove the blankets. Museum collections date their examples from the late 1800s to the 1980s, and the blankets were traded widely across the Sahel, prized by diverse ethnic groups, as well as by colonial officials, ethnographers and travellers. No source we found gives a firm date for the beginning of the tradition.
In the museum example described above, undyed white wool forms the ground; nine horizontal bands cross the blanket; black, red and yellow supplementary wefts form geometric motifs in the five middle bands; rust-red bands sit next to black-and-white terminal bands; and undyed white cotton "knots" highlight the black wool. Some collection records link designs to the Niger-Delta patterns called Djallobé or Diafarabé, and note similarities with Berber weaving. We could not find a reliable dictionary of motif meanings, so we do not offer one.
Kaasa blankets are warm bedding against cold desert nights, are used by herders on the move, and protect against mosquitoes. They are a cloth of regional trade rather than of a single ceremony, though luxurious commissions reflect class distinctions among the Fulani.
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