Bambara language
The dye technique is associated with several Malian ethnic groups, but the Bambaran version has become best known outside Mali. In the Bambara language, the word "bògòlanfini" is a composite of "bɔgɔ", meaning "earth" or "mud"; "lan", meaning "with" or "by means of"; and "fini", meaning "cloth". Although usually translated as "mud cloth," bogolan actually refers to a clay slip with a high iron content that produces a black pigment when applied to handspun and handwoven cotton textiles.