Store Products
We are fortunate to be able to offer products that reflect the traditional craftsmanship and arts from cultures across the globe. We will seasonally choose a selection of products or processes to review and detail below:
ALEBRIJES
Oaxaca, Mexico
Imagine taking on the form and characteristics of your favorite animal. The Zapotec culture occupying the Valley of Oaxaca Mexico for over 6000 years explores this relationship in the ancient Zapotec tradition of woodcarving. An Alebrije is a figure carved from the contorted limbs of the copal tree. The Zapotec artist studies the limb for the figure it contains, often depicting either realistic or magical animals or spirits, and with not a little mischief and humor, completes the transition with extravagant color. An evolution of the traditional arts has contributed to providing sustainable economic benefits and improved livlihoods for these crafspeople.
INDIGENOUS GUATEMALAN (MAYAN) TEXTILES
Guatemala
The textiles of the indigenous Maya of Guatemala are one of the few remaining living craft traditions. The Maya pioneered early methods of spinning and dyeing and the actual process of weaving is essentially the preservation of a pre-Hispanic tradition. Cotton is the predominant fibre, with other natural fibres such as silk and wool being used. Occasionally, synthetics are now being employed. The styles of the traditional articles of clothing, the huipil, the corte, the tzute, are predominately Hispanic influences. These handwoven textiles of unequaled quality are produced on either a backstrap loom (telar de palito) or a treadle or foot loom (telar de pie). Traditionally the women weave on the backstrap loom and the men on the floor looms. Traditional Guatemalan weaving continues to reflect the pre-Hispanic mystical relationship between the Earth, and its place in the universe, and the people. The patterns and elements of style are imbued with regional meaning, particular to individual villages. The memory of centuries of beliefs is anchored in these textiles. Whether it is the dye, technique, or motif, each village retains its signature methods and symbols.
Click the following link to view a wonderful variety of these textiles and read about their history. http://www.nimpot.com/index.asp
IKAT WEAVING
Indonesian Ikat
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The immense diversity and quality of handwoven traditional textiles from Indonesia are recognized to be the finest in the world. Woven fabric is the foremost artistic expression among the women of this region. Symbolic of the process of creation, it plays an important and integral part of their culture in ceremony, gift exchange, barter, and functional dress. Warp ikat is the term used to describe the process of creating a pattern on the warp threads before the warp is tied onto the back strap loom for the weaving process. The warp threads are first tied with palm leaf fiber and then dyed, often repeatedly with vegetal dyes, to achieve the typically symbolic patterns, found on their traditional tubular garments, sarongs. These types of ikat are found mainly on the eastern islands of Flores, Savu, and Sumba.
MUD CLOTH, BOGOLANFINI
Mali, Africa
In recent years the stark black and white designs of Bogolanfini have become, along with kente, one of the best known African cloth traditions around the world. Bogolanfini, which translates as "mud cloth", is a long established tradition among the Bamana, a Mande speaking people who inhabit a large area to the east and north of Bamako in Mali. The production of Bogolan cloth involves a unique and lengthy procedure, using as the dyestuff, mud and organic residue, and usually iron nails as the mordant.
Click the link below for an interactive description of how mud cloth is created (courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution).
http://www.mnh.si.edu/africanvoices/mudcloth/index_flash.html
TUAREG JEWELRY
Trans-Saharan, Sub-Saharan Africa
The Tuareg are descendants of the Berbers of Saharan Africa. 'The design of the jewelry is bold, geometric and symmetrical. The Tuareg prefer silver because it is the metal of the Prophet. They use their jewelry for trade in exchange for food and cloth and rings pass between men and women as a sign of affection.'
In addition to their silver and gold jewelry they are also known for indigo cloth, carved wood masks, leather saddles, pillows and boxes, and finely crafted swords.The Tuareg people are a diverse group of people sharing a common language and history and while known previously as a nomadic people, they are now largely settling in sedentary communities outside larger cities bordering the Saharan desert.
We proudly feature the jewelry of Moussa Albaka, an internationally known Tuareg silversmith from Niger.