Elaborately appliquéd or embroidered cloths such as this one are known as cloths of the great and are worn only by chiefs. The motifs are associated with proverbs which constitute a system of verbal and visual royal imagery. Each cloth of the great is in fact a set of allusions to a chief’s power and responsibility. Notice the many royal emblems on this textile, including a royal stool flanked by swords, an elephant, and a crossed crocodiles symbol.