I am starting to do the research for a paper or possible article on
comparative woven textiles and culture of various indigenous tribes
throughout the world, specifically regarding the women that weave
these items. Not just the actual weave structures, but the
anthropological aspect of the similarities of these various ethnic
groups. I would like to trace the possible movement regarding the
"culture of warp faced textiles" and relate this to the spread of
peoples, beginning in Africa through to the Middle East and Central
Asia and follow this as it spreads through Northern and Southern Asia,
into Indonesia, as well as into North America, Central America and
South America.
I would like to put this to fellow members of the weaving
community...Can you suggest any possible outlets that are available
for people who want to pursue a study in textiles, but do not belong
in the academic community. I have contacted my Alumni Association at
USF, however they do not have any online services for research that is
available for their Alumni. I just became a member of the Textile
Society of America and also Complex Weavers. If anyone has some
information or can point me in direction of possible resources for my
research please contact me or post a comment.
Thank you,

-JJ & Painted Bull

And so the process begins...

Well it may look like a jumbled mess, and it may not be on a Big Chief tablet...but it's a start.



-JJ & Painted Bull

Project Idea

Project Idea.

This is how I thought about my project...
----------------------------------------------

Hello Joy,
My name is JJ Walts, and I am a member of the HGA. I am contacting you because I saw the link to your amazing website about the Bedouin.

I am so intrigued. In fact I posted a thread in my little online Weave Team forum about it.
This is what I wrote:

Hi everybody, I was reading in Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot (Fall 2008)
about an exhibit currently being shown at the Textile Museum in
Washington, DC.
The article entitled, Timbuktu to Tibet: Rugs and Textiles of the
Hajji Babas, written by Sumru Belger Krody (Shuttle, Spindle, &
Dyepot, Volume XXXIX No. 4, Issue 156, Fall 2008, Handweavers Guild of
America, Inc., pages 29-32).
I have to say the first few sentences really got my attention.
"Textiles, the most universal of all art forms, tell stories about the
lives of people worldwide. As social currency, they contain embedded
messages about an individual's wealth, social status, occupation, and
religious and ethnic associations, as well as the values, codes and
social order of a culture." (p. 29)
This really made me think about the comparative weaving structures,
techniques, and symbolism of various Ethnic Styles of weaving. Navajo,
African Tribal, Peruvian, Arabic, oh there are so many to list, but I
think you get the idea of what I am trying to say...
Because the article was featuring many central Asian woven art, I
became really interested in the Arabic weaving of the nomadic tribes
of the middle east. Many of you may understand what triggered inside
me. I want to learn more about the weavers and the work they produce.
I have studied about Navajo and African textiles, but this was the
first time I actually became aware of the Arabian weaves, almost
entirely produced by the women of the tribe.
I did some quick research on the web and found a site about Beduin
Weaving. The site address is: http://www.beduinweaving.com/toc.htm
The author is Joy May Hilden. She has some good information and
resources available on the site.
I encourage members of the group to check out her site. And also to
look into the other websites too:
HGA: http://www.weavespindye.org/
Textile Museum: http://www.textilemuseum.org/
This has really peaked my interest and I am going to definitely begin
to research and study this Bedouin form of weaving, as well as, the
profound theme that was quoted in the above cited article.
If anyone has suggestions, or comments about the Bedouin Weaving, or
any cultural weaving for that matter, please post it. I am genuinely
curious about the thoughts of the group regarding this, and any info
that may help me as I begin to look into this further.

The reason I copied what I wrote to the group was so you could see what got me thinking more about this subject, of which you are so knowledgeable. I plan on learning more about this form of weaving technique and structure, and the history and significance of Middle Eastern woven textiles. I feel so fortunate to have found all the information on your site, including the accessibility to email you and perhaps even develop a dialogue as I start to learn more.

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this email. Your publications and bibliography are such a wonderful source for me.

-------------------------
Dear JJ,

Thank you for reading my website and for your refreshing take on the subject of beduin (bedouin) weaving. I'm pleased that you posted it on your website. Soon there will be more on the subject, since my book is going to be published within a year or 2. It will include lots of photos and illustrations and instructions about how to weave, including pattern drafts, etc. Plus, there'll be stories of my contacts with beduin all over Saudi Arabia and some other parts of the Arab world. Keep in touch with me and I'll let you know when it comes out.

Thanks,
Joy

-JJ & Painted Bull

New project

I am starting a new project. It is something I do on a regular basis. I discover or read about something, become fascinated, then research and learn as much as I can about the subject. If it is about weaving, spinning, knitting, etc...I will teach myself, or take classes to learn how to do the actual technique or style of work.
I have spent some time learning about, Navajo and African weavers, Indian form of embroidery called Kantha, as well as, spinning cotton on a Chakra. It isn't just the style of the fiber art that intrigues me, it also is the history, culture, traditions,laws and customs, religion (the big picture) of the particular subject that I want to learn about.
This time I plan on being a little more formal with my research and quest for knowledge.

-JJ & Painted Bull