"Indigo was more powerful than the gun," McKinley tells Tell Me More host Michel Martin. While indigo traces its roots to India, the African slave trade made it exceedingly valuable on that continent. She tells her story in her book Indigo: In Search of the Color that Seduced the World. You probably take the blue in your favorite jeans or denim bean bag chair for granted now, but it was once prized by slave traders, spiritual leaders, royalty and rag traders alike.Ī decade ago, Catherine McKinley embarked on a trip through nine West African countries, armed with a fellowship and her fascination for the blue dye. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. To protect their woad production, French and Norwegian officials even banned Indian indigo, tarnishing its reputation by calling it the “devil’s dye.Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title Indigo Subtitle In Search of the Color That Seduced the World Author Catherine E. These issues led to the development of the similarly toned woad dye in Europe, which had neither the staying power or the intensity of Indian indigo. During this period indigo truly became one of the most valued exports amongst European merchants, which even led many to call the colour “blue gold.” India could barely keep up with demand and their indigo production became part of a tyrannical and brutal regime. Indian indigo developed closer ties with the West in the late 15 th century when the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route to India that allowed trade to pass through India, the Spice Islands, China and Japan into Europe. Popular motifs in Indian textiles were flowers, plant formations, architectural shapes and Islamic-inspired designs made from geometric repeat patterns. Block printed designs from highly detailed stamps were sometimes applied to dyed fabric, as were passages of exquisite embroidery. Resist dyeing techniques were used by painting wax or a mud and lime paste onto fabric before dyeing. The fine fabrics made in this dark, intense shade of blue were reserved for royalty or those with the most political power and authority.Īs well as producing pure, single coloured indigo fabrics in cotton and silk, India also became well known for their lavish and intricate textile designs, often combining indigo blue with various other locally made colours including reds and yellows. The city of Agra in India was the main centre for indigo production, where various shades of blue fabric were made – the most popular with the western market were known as ‘Bayana’ and ‘Agra.’ ‘Sarkej’, from the city of Ahmedabad also became highly desirable in ancient times. Indian fabrics dyed with these intense colour cakes had a vibrant, steadfast colour and richness of texture that was unrivalled again, the secret processes for retaining colour within Indian Indigo without using a mordant were hidden, making their products all the more desirable. These indigo cakes were a popular commodity on the trans-Saharan trade to the Mediterranean, where Greeks and Romans valued them higher than gold. This watery substance is whisked and a blue colour settles, forming a watery clay which is heated or sundried into dye cakes. The leaves are then removed, leaving indigo white in the water, which is oxidised and turns an intense shade of blue. First, the leaves of the indigofera tinctoria plant are gathered in huge bundles, before being soaked and fermented in water and lye.
It is thought the ancient technique for creating indigo in India was similar to that of various regions at the time, and one which is still practised in a small number of natural indigo farms in India today.
As the desire for Indian indigo increased over the centuries, their masterful techniques for creating such luxurious and intense shades of blue became a tightly guarded secret, passed from one family to another through the generations. Here the indigofera tinctoria plant was found in abundance, yet the Indian process of soaking, fermenting and drying indigo leaves was a complex and time-consuming process which was developed over the centuries into a fine art.
Indigo production in India can be traced back as early as the 4 th century BC. Because of this international desire the colour also became highly prized within ancient India, colouring fabrics reserved for only the wealthiest members of society. Throughout early civilizations Indian indigo products became highly desirable and much fought over commodities around the world, eventually sparking bitter, brutal and destructive conflicts. The first nation to turn indigo production into an international trade, ancient India produced some of the finest and most luxurious indigo dyes and fabrics of all time. With a name that means ‘the Indian’ or ‘from India’, the colour indigo is woven tightly into Indian history. “The origin of taste, of fabric printing is India.” Georg Stark, contemporary textile artist
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