 In Africa , where batik was originally imported by Dutch merchants from Indonesia ( then the Netherlands East Indies ) , paste made from starch or mud is used as a resist instead of wax . The most developed resist @-@ dyeing skills are to be found in Nigeria where the Yoruba make adire cloths . Two methods of resist are used adire <unk> which involves tied and stitched and adire <unk> that uses starch paste . The paste is most often made from cassava starch , rice , and other ingredients boiled together to produce a smooth thick paste . The Yoruba of West Africa use cassava paste as a resist while the <unk> and Wolof people in Senegal uses rice paste . The <unk> people of Mali use mud as a resist . 
