Table 1.
Summary of weaver's experiences in ‘learning to weave’ from published ethnographic surveys in Southwest China [13] and East Nusa Tenggara [14].
| Southwest China (Guizhou, Guangxi, West Hunan) | East Nusa Tenggara (Eastern Flores, Solor and Lembata, Indonesia) | combined totals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| number of distinct weaving traditions | 18 | 22 | 40 | ||
| number of weavers interviewed | 27 | 26 | 53 | ||
| question: | categorization of responses: | ||||
| weaver's origin | same dialect and weaving tradition | 27 | 25 | 53 | |
| different dialect and weaving tradition | — | 1 | 1 | ||
| patrilocal/ matrilocal | all patrilocal | all patrilocal | |||
| weaver's average age (estimated) | 50 | 58 | 54 | ||
| age when began to learn to weave (average) | 13 | 16 | 15 | ||
| age when began to learn to weave (range) | 5–16 | 10–20 | 5–20 | ||
| which person(s) did you learn weaving from | mother | 27 | 17 | 44 | |
| grandmother | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| aunt | — | 1 | 1 | ||
| other woman from the same village | — | 1 | 1 | ||
| no-one/'self taught' | — | 6 | 6 | ||
| marriage-related customs | all groups weave a number of standardized items before marriage, for presentation and display at courtship events and at the wedding. These items are woven by young women before marriage, assisted by older female relatives (primarily the mother). These items are retained by the bride after marriage, as her personal property. Some weavers also make items for sale to non-weaving brides | weavers make bridewealth exchange gifts between families, as well as daily-use items. Bridewealth items are standardized by tradition. Some weavers weave items of this type (as well as daily-use items) for sale to non-weaving families or neighbouring non-weaving groups. Bridewealth items are generally woven by older, experienced weavers | |||
| templates used for recording textile designs (if any) | old textile | 8 | (most claim to rely on memory, but also seem to refer to old textiles from time to time) | 8 | |
| embroidered sampler | 2 (Miao groups) | — | 2 | ||
| complex pattern heddle with embedded pattern rods | 5 (Tai-Kadai groups) | — | 5 | ||
| patterns are learned and memorized by the weaver (wholly or in part) | 11 | 26 | 37 | ||
| domesticates (fibre sources) | silk moth | 9 | — | 9 | |
| cotton | 15 | all formerly grew cotton, few do nowadays | 15 | ||
| hemp | 2 | — | 2 | ||
| ramie | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| wool | 3 (hemp and ramie cultivation appear to have been more common in the past) | — | 3 | ||
| loom type | frame loom with back tensioning and foot-operated heddle-raising mechanism | simple, ground-level back-tension loom | |||
| how is the loom made | looms are kept by families and are associated with particular houses, where they remain. When a new loom is required, a local carpenter or a male relative with carpentry skills is called in to copy an existing loom. In the case of the Jianghua Yao, looms are passed by mother to daughter or daughter-in-law and are regarded as belonging to individuals | looms are passed from mother to daughter. Replacement components are made by male relatives when needed. The weaver's sword-beater is the critical component, made from a hardwood and requiring careful shaping. Other components can be made ad hoc from materials lying around |