Woven Artwork

Weaving Cultures and Traditions

Weaving Cultures

• American Indians – blankets and rugs

• Asian – carpets and clothing

• African – kente cloth

• South American and Mexican – tapestries and clothing

• Middle Eastern – carpets and clothing

• Pacific peoples – roofs, matts, hats and clothing

• Indian weaver preparing his warp

• Indian weaver at a manual loom

Egyptian slaves weaving

• Middle Eastern woman and children weaving a rug

• American Indians weaving blankets

• Hawaiian lauhala weavings •African man weaving kente cloth

Many uses of weaving

• Clothing

• Rugs

• Blankets

• Tapestries

• Mosquito netting (tribes in the Amazon)

Weaving is the textile art in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads, called the warp and the filling or weft (older woof), are interlaced with each other to form a

fabric or cloth. • The manner in which the warp and filling threads interlace with each other is known

as the weave. The three basic weaves are plain weave, satin weave, and twill, and the majority of woven products are created with one of these weaves.

Weaving History

• Egyptians were weaving clothes using the flax fiber as early as 5000 BC.

• Ancient Persians were weaving carpets dating back to 500 BC.• The Incas wove clothing and tapestries of fine wool in the 1400s.• Textile weaving was a dominant craft among pre-contact tribes of

the American southwest, using cotton dyed with pigments, in the early 1000s.

• African people from Ghana and Ivory Coast have been weaving kente cloth made of silk since 1200s.

• Hawaiians and the peoples of the Pacific (Samoans, Figians, Marshall Islands) have been performing the ancient craft of luahala weaving using the leaves of the hala tree.

Hawaiian Lauhala Weaving• Woven from leaves of the Hala tree.

Navajo Woven Blankets and Rugs

• Two Gray Hills" (predominantly black and white, with traditional patterns)

Ganado" (red dominated patterns with black and white)

•Teec Nos Pos" (colorful, with very extensive patterns)

Kente Cloth

Asante kente is identified by its dazzling, multicolored patterns of bright colors, geometric shapes and bold

designs

Symbolic meanings of the colors in Kente cloth:

black -- maturation, intensified spiritual energy

blue -- peacefulness, harmony and love

green -- vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, spiritual renewal gold -- royalty, wealth, high status,

glory, spiritual purity grey -- healing and cleansing rituals;

associated with ash maroon -- the color of mother earth;

associated with healing pink -- assoc. with the female

essence of life; a mild, gentle aspect of red

purple -- assoc. with feminine aspects of life; usually worn by

women red -- political and spiritual moods;

bloodshed; sacrificial rites and death. silver -- serenity, purity, joy; assoc.

with the moon white -- purification, sanctification

rites and festive occasions yellow -- preciousness, royalty,

wealth, fertility

Kilims The patterns are predominantly geometric and the most common layouts on Ardabil rugs are medallions, multiple connected diamond-shaped medallions, and all-over octagonal shapes.

Persian carpets

Hand weaving of Persian carpets and kilims have been an important element of the tribal crafts of many of the subregions of modern day Iran.

An industrial jacquard loom

Weaving on a cardboard loom.

Weaving Studio

• Project Criteria:• * minimum 3 colors• * must have fringe ("rya") in at least one place• * must use the "slot box" weaving method to

change colors in a single row in at least 2 sections of the weaving

• * weaving must be even (not too tight, not too loose)

• * entire loom must be utilized