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The Shipibo people of the Amazon region of South America use traditional techniques to create their intricate geometric patterns in textiles and on ceramics. Working with The Field Museum's Environment, Culture and Conservation Division (ECCo) and Peruvian collaborators who manage the Cordillera Azul National Park, one of Peru's most important habitats for maintaining an incredible biological diversity, have developed a project to market the handcrafts of the Pisqui River Shipibo. This is part of an integrated effort to improve the quality of life for these communities. This intricately embroidered shoulder bag is just one of a collection of bags made by the Pisqui people.
The Shipibo community consists of about 35,000 people living in three hundred villages concentrated in the Pucallpa region of Peru on the bank of a tributary to the Amazon River. The Shipibo people are primarily artisans, hunters, and fishermen and virtually none of their villages have electricity. They are well known for their pottery and their textile designs.
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A World of Threads
The threads that bind, the common thread, the threads of remembrance and the threads woven around the world highlight our newsletter this week. Sometimes it is the richness of color and pattern that attracts us to textiles, other times it is the pure tactile pleasure. In a world of written words, the stories of every community on this planet can be told through the development of the fabrics that are indigenous to their community.
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Thailand
The textile used to create this beautiful flower tote bag was once part of a garment worn by Hmong women in Vietnam. The front features an inset embroidered textile, the back is created from the same striped fabric shown on the sides of the gusset. The Hmong, an Asian ethnic group living in the mountainous regions of Vietnam and Laos, are know for their traditional textiles which feature cross-stitching and indigo block printing.
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Guatemala
For thousands of years textiles have been among the most complex of any artistic expressions to develop. Costumes, specifically woven articles of clothing, achieved a level of true communicative expression, through which community, identity and social status could be identified. In the highlands of Guatemala, the indigenous women wear huipils, colorful blouses that are woven on a back strap loom, then embroidered, and worn tucked into their skirt with a belt called a cinta.
A well-woven huipil can last 20 to 30 years before it's sold at market and starts a second life as a rag, quilt, or handbag. Since these items are created from many different blouses, designs and styles vary. As each huipil is one of a kind, so are these well made handbags!
The fair wages that the artisans receive improves their living conditions and helps build a better life for themselves and their families.
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Japan
Textiles provide an interesting and revealing vantage point to look at any society. This is particularly the case with Japanese textiles. They often send messages about an individual's age, rank, gender, social, political and religious affiliation. This is the case throughout Japanese history as commercial and social conditions change, the uniqueness of what you wear and what brand you identify with, is important to your personal identity.
From the Kurochiku brand of prints and patterns in Japan, this line of delicate accessories relays the feelings of the younger generation in the larger metropolis areas.
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