Apatani woman weaving
This photograph shows the traditional and still practised method of weaving among Apatanis : this backstrap style limits the width of any single woven piece, so that wide garments, such as shawls and skirts, required two or three pieces sewn together : traditionally, Apatanis obtained raw cotton by...
| Full title: |
Apatani woman weaving [electronic resource] English. |
|---|---|
| Format: | Photo |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[S.l.] :
[s.n.],
1962.
|
| Series: |
SOAS Digital Library.
FURER. RSA. PHOTOS. |
| Subjects: | |
| Online access: |
Click here to view record |
| Summary: |
This photograph shows the traditional and still practised method of weaving among Apatanis : this backstrap style limits the width of any single woven piece, so that wide garments, such as shawls and skirts, required two or three pieces sewn together : traditionally, Apatanis obtained raw cotton by trading rice with Nyishis, who grew cotton on dry fields outside the Apatani valley : Wool arrived in the valley in the form of traded Tibetan blankets and jackets, which Apatanis unravelled and wove again : Cotton was rolled smooth by wooden rods, boiled and dried : then the fibres were dyed blue, orange, black and red, using tree bark and cane and by submerging in a paddy field : the bamboo pole in the foreground is used to straighten the threads on the loom : this young woman has the facial tattoos and nose plugs that were traditional at the time : at about age five or six, tattoo lines were made by pricking the skin with thorns and then rubbing in a mixture of coal black and cooking oil : One line was drawn from forehead to the tip of the nose, and another five on the chin : about the same age, a young girl's nostrils were pierced and wooden pins inserted : a few years later, when the hole was large enough, wooden plugs, also blackened with soot and oil, were inserted : In 1974, a decade after this photograph was taken, the Apatani Youth Association demanded that these practices be abandoned, and today nose plugs and facial tattoos are only seen on women above 35-40 years of age : Similarly, her hairstyle, heavy bracelets and earrings have been replaced by other fashions : Her thick tangle of necklaces, however, has changed only slightly : and today women continue to wear house keys on a chain around the neck. |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[S.l.] :
[s.n.],
1962.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Series: |
SOAS Digital Library.
FURER. RSA. PHOTOS. |
| Access: |
© 1962, The Estate of Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. The Estate is currently (2015) represented by Nicholas Haimendorf, son of Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. ----- Creative Commons (by-nc-nd). -- This image may be used in accord with Creative Commons license Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs. |
| Place of Publication: |
India -- Arunachal Pradesh -- Lower Subansiri District -- Apatani River valley. |