Sub Saharan Trail: This area of the world brings us the amazing African Mud Clothes or Bogolanfini ("Bo-ho-lahn-FEE-nee"), which translates to "mud cloth." This is a long established tradition among the Bamana, a Mande speaking people who inhabit a large area to the east and north of Bamako in Mali. The origin of this cloth is believed to lie in the Beledougou region of central Mali. Hand woven and hand-dyed mud cloth are made with the use of various plant extracts, teas and mud to dye these hand woven cotton cloths. Traditionally, for Bamana women, Mud Cloth has always been an essential component in the marking of major life transitions, such as birth, marriage, and death. Mud Cloth is a living art form, with techniques and motifs passed down from generations of mothers to daughters. Each piece of mud cloth tells a story. No two pieces are alike and each pattern and color combination has a meaning. At Seven Stitches we purchase these fine pieces from our local refugees in San Diego, most of whom come from war torn countries and had suffered persecution, starvation and genocide in their homelands. Despite these conditions and dangers they maintain family ties to Africa and provide for their family members through the sales of these woven fabrics. I hope you see how much more we are alike no matter where we are from.