Kuchi Nomads: Today's Trail of Tears

 Kuchi Woman and Child, Wild Bohemian World

Often lumped together in the same group with the Banjara and other nomads, the Kuchi of Afghanistan are mostly Pashtun, linked together through culture and tradition, more than by ethnic roots.  I recently purchased a bunch of Kuchi beaded patches and have them listed in my Etsy store. 

 

 Kuchi Patch available through Rayela Art on Etsy

A nice slide show of Kuchi People:

My business, Rayela Art, focuses on ethnic textiles and remnants and I am always interested in the cultures these pieces represent.  And, as usual, a depressingly familia drama unfolds of poverty, injustice, lack of access to basic resources, and violations of both cultural life and the land.  Although I have had quite a bit of exposure to what goes on in Afghanistan through friends and the media, I will not claim any expertise on the plight of the Kuchi.  Instead, I found an article written by the Afghan Embassy in Japan that provides an excellent picture:

"The nomadic Kuchis are potentially the largest vulnerable population in Afghanistan. For centuries their semi-annual migrations with their herds of sheep, goats, donkeys, and camels led to important contributions in terms of skins, meat, and wool to local communities. More than 80% of Afghanistan's land is suitable only for sparse grazing making this sort of seasonal migration ideal. After the war against the Soviet Union, the subsequent years of foreign-imposed war, drought, and ethnic tensions, however, the number of Kuchis, as well as the size of their herds, has dropped dramatically.

The Kuchis were once celebrated in the west as handsome, romantic nomads adorned with silver and lapis jewelry. Traditionally, they have lived by selling or bartering animals, wool, meat, and dairy products for foodstuffs and other items with villagers. As they move from pasture to pasture, the Kuchis are able to escape the limits on the size of local herds, a restriction villagers are subjected to.

Since the fall of the Taliban, life for most Afghans has improved. However, this has not proved true for the Kuchis. Since the 1960's, 70's, and early 80's, the Kuchi population has shrunk by 40% and many of them reside in refugee or displacement camps. The reasons are numerous. The demise of the Kuchi tradition is the result of continued war, destruction of roads, drought, air raids, Soviet bombing and other war-related causes. These problems were further compounded by the fact that the drought from 1998 to 2002 caused the loss off 75% of the Kuchi herds. Pastures have still not recovered sufficiently. In addition, landmines and other unexploded ordinances have restricted the areas available for grazing. War also forced many Kuchis to flee their summer grazing lands in parts of central Afghanistan. When they returned, they found that locals in the areas had converted much of their pastures to farming lands.

Consequently, some Kuchis have given up their nomadic lifestyle and have taken up residence on the outskirts of cities, working as laborers. Many express a desire to return to their traditional role, but many aid agencies, however, concentrate on short-term economic and humanitarian aid, rather than the sort of long-term aid the Kuchis would need to rebuild their herds."

The situation is so bad that many Kuchi have ended up in refugee camps where life continues to offer misery and hunger:

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) also has an excellent report detailing both a Kuchi profile and the issues they face.  Here are some of the highlights:

• Typically, there are three types of Kuchi: pure nomads, semi-sedentary and nomadic traders. The majority are semi-sedentary, living in the same winter area year after year. The purely nomadic Kuchi have no fixed abode, and are dependent on animals for their livelihood; their movements are determined by the weather and the availability of good pasturage. Traders constitute the smallest percentage of Kuchis; their main activity being the transport of goods. The semi-pastoral Kuchis are gradually tending towards a more sedentary way of life. The majority do so because they can no longer support themselves from their livestock.

• The Kuchis constitute a great part of Afghanistan's cultural tradition. For centuries, they have migrated across the country in a search of seasonable pastures and milder weather. They were the main traders in Afghanistan, connecting South Asia with the Middle East. The livestock owned by the Kuchis made an important contribution in the national economy. They owned about 30 per cent of all the sheep and goats and most of the camels. Traditionally they exchanged tea, sugar matches etc. for wheat and vegetables with the settled people. They also acted as moneylenders and offered services in transportation along with additional labour at harvest time. Kuchi have been greatly affected by conflict, drought and demographic shifts. Therefore, it is only a small number of Kuchis who still follow their traditional livelihood of nomadic herding. Despite their history and their previous endowments the chronic state of instability in Afghanistan has left them among the poorest groups in the country.

• With the development of the road system in Afghanistan in the 1950s and 1960s and the formation of road transportation companies with fleets of trucks, the traditional Kuchi camel caravan gradually became obsolete, greatly impacting the income and lifestyle of the community. The situation for the Kuchi became even more tenuous after the war and during the droughts of 1971-1972 and 1998-2002. These droughts are attributed with being responsible for the death of 75 per cent of the Kuchi animals.

• During the Taliban regime, Kuchi nomads (being of Pashtun origin) were encouraged to settle on land that was already occupied by other ethnic groups. The lack of overall policy regarding land tenure and pasture rights by the authorities created prolonged disputes over the land and resources between the settled Afghans and the Kuchi. The traditional system of pasture rights seems to have been eroded and replaced by the power of the gun.

• Kuchis who have livestock are often unable to drive their flocks to their traditional summer grazing pastures in the central highlands. Very little of the foreign assistance extended to Afghanistan by the international community has arrived to aid the Kuchis. Few assistance agencies work in the insecure areas in which they are located, and most donors emphasize short-term economic and humanitarian aid rather than the longer-term assistance the Kuchis need to rebuild their herds. As a result, most of the Kuchi today remain jobless and illiterate.

There are some efforts in progress trying to address these problems.  For example, the Afghanistan PEACE Project, a collaboration of USAID and other NGOs, have put together an assessment of pastoral needs for different areas in Afghanistan.  The major barriers they see for the Kuchi are access to water for themselves and their herds, access to veterinary services, and conflict with villages, warlords and among themselves as they compete for pasture and these resources.  None of these problems have a quick fix and most likely, the end of a proud heritage of living on the land will soon come to an end.

I feel a link to these people and to the other groups I represent when I handle their textiles and crafts.  Ironically, the Kuchi pieces I bought came from an American who is based over their with the US army.  There are many groups who would like to do much more in Afghanistan through handicraft production, but the country is still so dangerous, that most of the fair trade products are centralized in Kabul.  My hope is that someday, the Kuchi also will be able to access some of these services and make a living through the wonderful textile and beading skills they already possess.  I would like to wipe these tears away and when I look at the beaded patches, instead of a tear, each bead represents a bit of hope.

Kuchi Nomads: Today's Trail of Tears

Afghan Hands: Fashion Meets Economic Development in Kabul

Afghan Hands, and embroidery project, 

works with women in Kabul and Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

A friend of mine sent me an email about a BBC challenge which will award $20.000 plus publicity to a group that shows innovation and economic development at a grass roots level.  One of the groups nominated for these awards is Afghan Hands, an embroidery project that works with women in Afghanistan:

Afghan Hands was started by Matin Maulawizada, native of Kabul who has found great success in the fashion world as a make-up artist and as a cosmetics science expert for Neutrogena.  As I clicked around the website and blog, I was struck that Matin is one of the rare souls who can gracefully breach this immense divide our world suffers between the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, the wasteful and the hungry.  How many of us can truly walk between these two worlds and both retain a sense of dignity while embracing the humanity of such different social situations?  It appears that Matin has this gift.  His writing is humble and honest and his vision for the women in Afghanistan is both realistic and empathetic.  Here is how he describes the mission of Afghan Hands:

Afghan Hands teaches skills to help Afghan widows gain independence, literacy, and a livable wages. At our centers in and around Kabul, women learn to create embroidered shawls and scarves, and the exquisite embroidery they make connects them to a wider world.

The centers are places to gather, study, and work. We pay the women to attend classes in the morning and embroider in the afternoon. Without this project, they could not educate themselves. Through Afghan Hands, they leave the walls of their compounds and attend seminars on basic human, legal, and religious rights. They prepare for work as free women do elsewhere in the world. This way, no one will ever imprison them in the name of law, honor, or religion.

We are a nonprofit organization. We are also linked to the Mirmon Orphanage. Our mutual efforts keep expenses as low as possible so that the funds we raise go to women and children.

In the future, we hope to establish small parks and playgrounds for children who now live in areas devastated by wars, drought, and environmental damage. We envision green havens where words of encouragement and hope are shared.

For now, Afghan women, by their own hands, are transforming their lives. This is our mission. Thank you for your interest in them and in their one-of-a-kind handmade pieces.

The main product lines produced by these women are stunning embroidered shawls, both cotton and pashmina wool, many of which find inspiration in the Suzani motifs traditional in Uzbekistan.  The embroidery is impeccable.  The shawls range from around $150-$1000.  One of the things I really appreciate about the project is this choice to produce quality pieces instead of churning out chotchkies that might be more easily accessible to the general public, but which would not showcase the expertise these women have with their embroidery skills.  Projects like this do a great service to preserving traditional skills while providing the technical assistance to reach an audience that can support quality, handmade embroidery.  Here are a couple of samples that can be found on their website:

 

Pashmina embroidered shawls, available at Afghan Hands.

 Crinkled cotton shawl by Afghan Hands

Of course, what delighted me the most, was that the women are paid to both study in the morning and embroider in the afternoon.  I am a firm believer that education is the way out of poverty.  Women who can educate themselves have a much greater access to finding their voice in all areas of their life: socially, politically, and as full members of their family and social units.

 Women studying, Afghan Hands.

I often struggle with justifying my years of work in the handicraft field.  With so much hunger in the world, ecological disasters looming, and critical need on so many levels, I sometimes wonder why I spend my time and energy in marketing things that nobody really needs.  Yet, I find redemption over and over again when projects like Afghan Hands give testimony to the healing power these crafts have in the communities where they are made.  I believe that we need the physical beauty these crafts bring into our lives, the connection we can have with the people who made them.  But, the actual process of making things also serves as a therapy which can help rebuild the broken lives in war torn areas like Kabul.  People like Matin are the best peace ambassadors we can ask for.  They open the paths of communication between people who would never have had a connection otherwise.  The women purchasing the shawls learn about the women who made them, and the women who made them likewise expand their world views in learning about markets, design, and value.  Self-esteem grows.  We are no longer strangers to each other.

Visit Afghan Hands, support them in whatever way you can (they also accept donations), and vote for them in the BBC challenge.

All of the photos in this post belong to Afghan Hands and are on their website.

Afghan Hands: Fashion Meets Economic Development in Kabul

Three Iranians Bow Down to a Baby Jew...

Felted Nativity by Beneath the Rowan Tree

A highly unlikely scenario these days, don't you think? But, apparently, it did happen a couple of thousand years ago. Christmas is coming and with it, the same stories and images we hear and see over and over again every year. Sometimes it's good to revisit them, poke them a little, and maybe expand the images we carry in our heads.

We think of the three wise men as vaguely coming from the East with flowing robes and large turbans. The Biblical text is found in Matthew:

The Visit of the Magi

Matthew 2 (NIV)

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 In Bethlehem in Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written:

6'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'

7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him. 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

I was raised as a PK (Pastor's Kid), so I've heard, sung, enacted and seen the story a gazillion times. You know, the pat version that has gotten engrained into our popular culture these last two thousand years. Sermons often do try to address the origin of these three men, what their gifts mean, downplaying the role of magi and making them into kings. Magic and astrology are NOT embraced by Christianity and here it is, smack in the heart of the biggest story in the Bible. So, of course, there is more to it, right?

I went to Wikipedia first to revisit background information. They sure do a good job of providing comprehensive data on almost any subject under the sun! Without getting too deeply into it, here are a few points that caught my eye:

• "Magos" actually refers to a cast of Zoroastrian priests, probably Persian, which is modern day Iran.
• We know them by three names, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. But, there are many variations, including a belief by Chinese Christians that one of them came from China. The three faces that now seem so familiar to us were popularized in the 12th Century and formalized by the 15th. They represent the three stages of life: young, middle aged and old, as well as the three known worlds at the time: Europe, Africa and the Orient.
• The first known artistic images of the three wise men (3rd Century) show a much different picture than what we are familiar with today:

One of the earliest known depictions from

a third century sarcophagus.

Similar attire continued for a few more centuries:

Byzantine art usually shows the Magi in Persian dress (breeches, capes, and Phrygian caps). Mosaic, ca. 600.Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy - restored.

• Finally, the symbolism behind the gifts: "Many different theories of the meaning and symbolism of the gifts have been advanced; while gold is fairly obviously explained, frankincense, and particularly myrrh, are much more obscure. They generally break down into two groups:
  That they are all ordinary gifts for a king — myrrh being commonly used as an anointing oil, frankincense as a perfume, and gold as a valuable.
  That they are prophetic — gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of priestship, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death. Sometimes this is described more generally as gold symbolizing virtue, frankincense symbolizing prayer, and myrrh symbolizing suffering." Wikipedia

Let me sidetrack here. I ran into that Byzantine mosaic several times. It's in the public domain so everybody is using it, I guess. The most interesting version was on this site called The Irish Origins of Civilization, a long, very long rant about how all as we know it started in good old Ireland. I have a tender place in my heart for the Green Emerald... Coming from Icelandic descent, there's a drop or two of blood from that part of the world running in my veins... (Danish men bopped Irish women on the head and carted them off to Iceland, right?) Anyway, if you are bored and looking for something very long to read that plays with the origin of all things, check it out. Here is a snippet:

"The term Israelite has its etymological origins in the term Iesa, the Druidic Christ. A high initiate of the Cult of Iesa was known as an "Iesa-ite" or, as it has come down to us, an "Israelite." The Israelites were worshippers of the sun, stars, and zodiac.

The Three Wise Men (referring to the mosaic above) - the Magi who followed the bright star (the sun) to the birthplace of Jesus (Iesa). This artist clearly shows the three travelers as Caucasian. The number 3 is used in the bible as a symbol representing the Druids and their gnosis. The three gifts they bore are all symbols of the sun. The gifts identify the magi as members of the Solar Cult.

They were the stellar priesthood of Ireland, and closely associated with the Chaldean and Egyptian magi. We find them obliquely referred to in the New Testament "Nativity" story. Apparently, three of their number followed the sun (the bright star in heaven) and visited the birthplace of Jesus, the king of light. It appears that the authors of the bible wished to incorporate information about the Druids early on in the story of Jesus. The references to the "three kings" and "three shepherds" are cryptic references to them, or to members of their worldwide colleges. The bible, however, does not elaborate on the visiting magi or explain why and how they came to a remote inn when Jesus was being born there."

Huh? Sorry, but there's not enough Irish in me to swallow all of this without a really, really big spoonful of sugar... I wondered if the Zoroastrians laid claim to the three men from the East. Sure enough, I found that Farsinet embraced the story, although with a slightly different twist on symbolism:

"While oftentimes conflicting lore muddles the story of the Magi, those bearing gifts for the Christ child are Caspar of Tarsus, Melchior of Persian and Balthasar of Saba. Weary from desert travel, the Magi humbly offer their gifts. Caspar is young, European and offers gold. Gold finances the Holy Family's coming flight to Egypt and also symbolizes Christ's immortality and purity. For his generosity, Caspar receives the gifts of charity and spiritual wealth. Melchior is middle-aged, Persian and offers myrrh. Myrrh is a fragrant gum, which the ancient Israelites believed to strengthen children. This symbol of Christ's mortality was blended with wine and offered to him on the cross, and also mixed with aloes to wrap his body for the tomb. Melchior receives the gifts of humility and truth. Balthasar is elderly, Ethiopian and offers frankincense. Frankincense is a resin used in incense for worship and also symbolizes prayer and sacrifice. Balthasar receives the gift of Faith. And Christ, humbling himself to become man, offers us the greatest gift of all, the light that forever burns in the darkness. "

This version uses similar references to origin as the medieval sources. It also goes on to talk about Marco Polo's reference to a visit he made to where the three wisemen were buried:

"In Persia is the city called Saveh, from which the three Magi set out when they came to worship Jesus Christ. Here, too, they lie buried in three sepulchres of great size and beauty. Above each sepulchre is a square building with a domed roof of very fine workmanship. The one is just beside the other. Their bodies are still whole, and they have hair and beards. One was named Beltasar, the second Gaspar, and the third Melchior."

Wikipedia confirms this and also mentions that the Shrine of the Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral still contains the bones of the three kings.

All very interesting. A Turkotek discussion on Zoroastrian clothing caught my eyes as I travelled the Google road. Turkotek is a wonderful resource for any textile enthusiast, especially concerning Central Asia. Expert members share their knowledge over different textiles that they find. In this discussion, they examine a pair of brightly colored bridal trousers, beaded and embroidered.



Apparently, women by the 19th Century wore these bright colors, while men unadorned costumes, much more subdued than the women. The mosaic suggests richer garb for the men of Jesus' time, but perhaps styles can change quite a bit in several hundred years...

This was about all the time I was willing to give to expanding my thoughts on the three wise men. Perhaps it is a big mind boggling to think of Iranians giving a baby Jew any kind of obeisance today. But, let us remember two things. In the first place, there was strife in the air two thousand years ago, too. After the wise men left, Herod had all babies under two killed as he was afraid the infant Jew would threaten his throne. Secondly, that whole region of the world shares much more in common than they do in difference. I believe that despite the blood shed of recent history, the people want peace. They are cousins and with good leadership (their own!), they can once again find not only tolerance, but prosperity and good will. At least that is my hope. And, I believe that is the gift the wise men saw in that little baby, the King of Peace.

Three Iranians Bow Down to a Baby Jew...

The Silk Road: A History of Mystery, Riches and War, A Future For Fair Trade

Syrian Brocade by Arabian Nights

Adventures on the Silk Road

If the story of cotton is sung out in tears and lament, the story of silk makes for epic movies of conquest and desire. As a fiber, silk's resilience, strength, luminosity and sheen made it a coveted material in long times past and continues to hold us like a magnet in today's fashion industry, even with our short attention span. I don't think I knew what a time consuming and fragile operation it was to work with the silk worms until I read one of Pearl S. Buck's novels. I can't remember which one it was, but the care of the mulberry bushes, which feed the worms, was carefully described. As my passion for textiles increased, stories of the Silk Road, also captivated my interest.

The route between China and Europe first started through the desire to conquer the unknown territories lying west of the Han dynasty:

"In 138 BCE, Zhang Qian (pronounced JANG-CHYEN) set out through the tall stone gates of Chang’an, the capital of Han dynasty China. He rode at the head of a caravan of 100 Han soldiers, riding into the dusty, unknown lands to the west. Zhang Qian was an officer of the Han imperial guard and he had volunteered for a critical mission. ... In the end, Zhang Qian’s adventures led to the start of a long march of merchants across great stretches of land and through wide spans of history. The trade links which resulted from his first trek and later expeditions opened regular trade between China, India, the Roman empire and all the areas in between." Monkey Tree

That route became traveled by rugged, determined merchants for centuries. The merchants carried many treasures, but of these, silk was the most prized, thus naming the route as "The Silk Road". One of my favorite books, Textiles of Central Asia by Janet Harvey devotes a section to the importance of silk to the trade:

"So great was the value of the knowledge of sericulture that legend has it China kept the secret for over two thousand years, until the day came when silkworm eggs were smuggled out of the country. We learn of a Chinese princess who was betrothed to the King of far-off Khotan. Apparently he was a king with knowledge and forethought, for the envoy sent to escort his bride was told to advise 'the Royal Princess of the East' that 'her new country possesses no silk or quilting, and has neither mulberry nor silkworm. These will be needed if she is to have clothes made'. The princess supposedly left China with eggs of Bombyx mori and seeds of the white mulberry hidden in her headdress. Once established in Khotan in Eastern Turkestan, and doubtless elsewhere beyond China, sericulture spread westwards along the trade routes to become a lucrative home-industry for town and village households throughout Central Asia." (page 57)

Turkman robe in ikat silk pictured on Turkotek

Turkotek is a wonderful online resource for anyone interested in Asian textiles. Members show each other photos and help determine origin, technique and history around the pieces. They are extremely knowledgeable and make for a fascinating read.

Mystery and Intrigue Around Silk
Even as silk made its way to other countries, it was often horded by the royalty and nobility. Commoners were relegated to cotton or cotton/silk blends. In time, it became established as a cottage industry throughout Asia. Although factories have standardized cultivation of the silk worm and mulberry trees, it continues as a mainstay industry in many of the areas where silk has been grown for centuries. This video shows a Bengladeshi group working with silk:



Jim Thompson, an American who came from a family of textile producers, saw this kind of production in Thailand and became very interested in marketing Thai silk to interior designers and high end decor outlets. At that time, Thai silk had been dying out and his efforts revitalized the industry making Thailand one of the centers of the most beautiful silks found today. Jim Thompson founded the Thai Silk Company, still thriving today, built a beautiful compound and established a large collection of Asian art. There is a catch. Jim Thompson had also been a CIA agent during the war. Speculation leads some people to believe that his work with silk and his interest in art was actually a cover for his continued CIA work. His story ends as one of the biggest mysteries of the 20th Century:

William Warren writes about
Jim Thompson's mysterious disappearance.

The Unsolved Mystery: "On Easter Day, 1967, American businessman and founder of the modern Thai silk industry James H. W. Thompson disappeared while supposedly on a stroll in the jungle-clad Cameron Highlands in Central Malaysia. The circumstances were unusual, and led to a massive search and investigation. Neither Jim Thompson nor his remains has ever been found…

After he vanished, Jim Thompson became the subject of a second legend, a mystery that has never been solved. The facts were first recounted by William Warren in 1970 in his book The Legendary American. Today, many people in Thompson’s circle are no longer living. Now the author, who knew Thompson well, is able to write more freely. This revised edition contains new material on Thompson’s private life and his alleged role as a CIA agent, drawn from interviews with people close to the events. The result is this definitive account of a true-life mystery of international proportions." Description from The Jim Thompson House Museum Shop

Other books have been written about his disappearance, but nobody knows what really happened...

Francine Matthews is one of the speculators who embraces the CIA theory in her book The Secret Agent. She says, "Thompson is believed to have quit espionage entirely around 1948 in order to become a silk trader. But when I looked at the map of Thailand—and later visited Khorat myself—I guessed that he'd journeyed into the hinterland so often in those early Thai years in order to run agents for U.S. intelligence. By 1949, the communist Mao Zedong was triumphing to the north and the colonial wars of Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos were just heating up. Revolt was everywhere, and revolt was of concern to Washington. To shroud his covert activities from scrutiny in Bangkok, particularly after the authoritarian coup of 1947, Thompson needed a plausible cover job. One of the few things the dust of Khorat will grow is mulberry trees. Mulberry trees feed silk worms. And to Jim Thompson's delight, silk was a product he could promote the world over."

As she investigated the book, Francine Matthews tells one of Thompson's peers what she thought about his death, "I told her that I thought Thompson had never ceased working as a spy, and that when he journeyed to Malaysia on that final weekend of his life, he intended to meet someone—an agent, a contact, perhaps his killer—in the jungle of the Cameron Highlands. I said I believed that he possessed a vital piece of information the Thai government wanted suppressed: the identity of the regicide who had shot the young king of Thailand, Rama the Eighth, on June 9, 1946—paving the way for an authoritarian coup. I added that I thought Thompson had threatened to reveal the details of that old tragedy, and had been silenced as a result."

Thompson's story does not end with his disappearance. Six months after his death, his sister also meets with an untimely end. She is murdered during a burglary, which many think was an attempt to locate Thompson's will. After her death, the Thai government seized his art collection in Thailand, but his house was made into a museum, the second most visited tourist destination in Thailand.

Silk Sweatshops

Given the labor involved in silk production, how is it that we can today get a silk shirt at Walmart for under $20? Seems to me that a low price like this is a certain indication that its provenance is not a good, happy place under a mulberry bush. Instead, it most likely comes from a sweat shop, forced or child labor, located somewhere where real costs are not being counted in to the final price. Yes, China has had a terrible history concerning sweatshop and forced labor. But, the United States also continues to harbor horrible scenarios where workers are chained to their sewing machines, locked into rooms and not allowed access to the outside world, and forced to give their labor for nothing. Stories about these atrocities periodically make the news and most are within the garment industry using either Mexican or Chinese immigrants as virtual slaves.

The Historical Development of the Sweatshop is a great article showing how this problem has come down to us through centuries of abuse.

Silk and Fair Trade

Fair trade Cambodian silk scarf from The Rainforest Site

Google "fair trade silk" and you will come up with hundreds of links to silk products made by fair trade groups around the world. One of the most interesting efforts I had heard of several years ago was a group working in Colombia. They were trying to find an alternative to the cocaine industry that would bring in as much revenue for the small farmer. I couldn't find the original group I had known about, but I saw that other groups have continued the effort.

Silk production comes with internal problems concerning its harvest which bother vegetarians, vegans and animal rights activitists. TreeHugger ran an interesting article entitled : Is Silk Green? which looked at these issues to determine the value of silk within the green movement. If you look at it, make sure to read the comments as well. In order to harvest a coccoon with one long continuous thread, the moth inside must not be allowed to exit the coccoon, so it is killed by exposing the coccoon to a heat source. Some fair trade groups allow the coccoon to exit and thus need to spin the fibers, raising the cost of the thread. But, to many small groups in remote areas, silk production is a viable industry that allows families to make a living on their native land while maintaining family structures and cultural traditions. Certain breeds of moths also no longer survive in the wild as development encroaches on their terrain. Thus, in my opinion, cottage industries working with silk provide us all with both a wonderful material and a connection to an interesting past.

The lesson here is, if you buy silk, buy fair trade. And, watch your back. Don't go around giving away any local secrets to men in black...

Amazon.com Widgets

The Silk Road: A History of Mystery, Riches and War, A Future For Fair Trade

War Rugs from Afghanistan and the Twin Towers

War rugs became a popular motif in Afghanistan after the victory over the invasion of the Soviet Union in the late 1970's. My former partner, Abdul Wardak, from our Chicago gallery, Dara Tribal Village, imports rugs, beads and a huge assortment of new and old crafts and artifacts from Afghanistan. The war rugs he brought in always inspired heated debates and were quickly snatched up by collectors.

After 9/11, war rugs began to depict the Twin Towers and images of the the American presence in Afghanistan. The best source I have seen for war rugs is appropriately named Warrug.com. They have a huge selection of rugs, stories and data on the origin and weave of the rugs. This is an example of the Twin Towers motif:

World Trade Center #7, 2002, Turkman

The banner through the middle shows the two flags of the United States and Afghanistan and a dove of peace. Warrug.com describes the history of how women began weaving these rugs:

The Art of Making Their Voices Heard

"For thousands of years, the women of nomadic tribes in what is now Afghanistan and its environs have been weaving rugs by hand. The oldest known and intact example of these rugs in the world is the “Pazyryk” rug dating from the 4th century B.C. (currently housed in the St. Petersburg Museum). These traditional pieces of folk art have long depicted the same deeply rooted motifs and patterns, with occasional images derived from the artist’s everyday experiences. However, about 25 years ago, all that suddenly changed. Following the 1979 Soviet invasion into Afghanistan, rug dealers began seeing drastic alterations in the content of Afghani rugs. Tanks replaced flowers, rocket launchers replaced vases and airplanes replaced abstract borders!

After the Soviet departure from Afghanistan the new ruling power instituted the strict Muslim Sharia law which governs the religious, political, social, domestic and private life. This law stripped many Afghani women of basic rights including banning them from talking to men outside of their family, walking outside alone, or working. Women were also made to abide by the practice of purdah which is the seclusion of women from public observation by having them wear concealing clothing from head to toe, like a burka, and by the use of high walls, curtains and screens erected within the home. This separates the women from learning about the outside world in order to make them ignorant of the practicalities of life and deprives the woman of economic independence by not allowing them to work outside the home. In order to keep females submissive, women know only what their fathers, husbands, and sons want them to know. The women who practice purdah have no voice or free will.

For women who break the fatwas, or edicts, associated with Sharia law, including purdah, there are dire consequences including harsh beatings or even death. Additionally, since Sharia law dictates that it is taboo to represent animate subjects in art; weavers were no longer allowed to portray images of birds, animals or people.

Thus as the artists iconography changed so did their outlets for expressing it. Those living outside of the war-torn Afghanistan can’t comprehend the reality of living in a world where the images depicted through the rugs are a part of everyday life. To the women of Afghanistan the rugs have become a way to make their voices heard and to communicate to the rest of the world what they live with everyday.

This new category of rugs has been termed “war rugs” and has sparked an underground movement in the art world. Many collectors see the rugs not only as art, but also as historical documents and a testament to the times."

NPR's Jim Zarroli interviewed Warrug.com's owner, Kevin Sudeith, in a moving piece while they were at a flea market in New York. Passersby stopped with either admiration or disgust for the rugs. The interview concluded with whatever the reaction, the rugs are a powerful testament to the political reality of and on an ancient culture.

War Rugs from Afghanistan and the Twin Towers

The Political Voice of Blogging Artists

My cyber-friend, Morna from Bittersweet, posted a political video on McCain that I had been trying to see for days, but something seems to be wrong with YouTube. Morna titled her post, "Be prepared to be scared--- watch the horror movie--McCain will make Cheney look like Gandhi." Like Morna, I share a profound interest in politics (although she is a lot smarter than me!). I finally got to see it and it was very disturbing. Here it is:



If YouTube is not working for you either, the clip speaks to McCain's military history and his position on Iraq and its surrounding neighbors. A critic of McCain states that he will likely continue to seek a path of war in many hot spots of the world, including a possible invasion of Iran. The critic says that if that this happens, retaliation will happen and we might as well just pick which US city will be bombed out. New York again? LA? Boston? Just pick one. The prospect is frightening.

I went to leave Morna a comment and saw that someone had already posted one there. This blogger was annoyed at Morna's use of political content on what is primarily a fiber arts blog. She basically told Morna to start a separate political blog. Intrigued, I visited the poster's blog, expecting it to be all about art. Ha! Her son is in the military (several photos of him), a military video, and other posts that had nothing to do with art (dog, flowers, Olympics), etc. But, wait a minute? Nothing to do with art? Actually, everything has to do with art! Life and all that it contains informs our body of work. What was happening here was that she simply did not agree with Morna's political position. "So, go somewhere else, Morna! I like your art, but not your politics. Go talk about that part of you where I don't have to look at it!" As I started to think about this, I felt myself seething inside. Not about her political position, but about the hypocrisy of dismissing someone else who obviously shared the same passion for a subject, but not the same platform. Get that log out of your eye, woman!

I knew I would have to write about this, but the topic brings up so much personal history for me that it is difficult to target what angle to address. Religion and politics are the two subjects most people either don't want to discuss or feel so passionately about that they can't listen to another view point. It's easy to blog about pets, grandchildren, flowers, or other niceties in our lives, but not so easy to stick your neck out into the guillotine of certain judgment. Regular readers of this blog will have caught on to the fact that I am not a Republican. All four (or five) of you (heh, heh) also know that I have a secret agenda of bringing people together from different cutural and religious backgrounds through fiber art. Hopefully, the log in my own eye is not so big that I cannot make reasonable connections with people who are different from myself: culturally, politically, ethnically, racially and whatever other "ally" is out there. And, I hope I can wade my way through this keeping my neck intact...

In the past five days, the posters have appeared mysteriously on walls and buildings across San Francisco. They feature the most enduring image of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal -- the Iraqi man, hooded, his hands tied with electrodes -- but this time, the prisoner is set against an American flag, and this time, the image is juxtaposed with a headline that reads, "got democracy?"

The poster is designed to make people question whether the United States is adhering to democratic ideals if American soldiers have been guilty of widespread prison abuse, if the Patriot Act continues to trample civil liberties, and if Washington continues to instigate questionable policies, says the poster's co-creator, San Francisco novelist Robert Mailer Anderson.

"It's not pro-Democrat, it's not pro-Republican -- it's supposed to make you think," says Anderson. "Do these people in Iraq have democracy? And do we have democracy? from the San Francisco Chronicle

The United States has a long history of both political dissent and protest through art. The world around us informs our thoughts, decisions and artistic content. Morna is not a political artist, except that perhaps her American flags might evoke passion. I find it interesting that the flag is present on both blogs, yet I am sure that as a symbol it represents completely different ideologies for both.

Morna's booth at a show.

The American flag is known around the world. It represents different things to people who may feel proud when they see it or angry, afraid, relieved, or disgusted. Rarely does it evoke indifference. Why? Because the United States has made itself a physical presence in almost every country of this world. This flag brings trade, aid, poverty, wealth, health and war. So, some artists will react to what they see and make statements through their art on their political position. And, those who write or blog, will take the "pen to paper" (keyboard to screen?) and voice their opinions for or against what they see. This is called democracy. Government by the people, even if they don't agree with each other. Some artists abhor what the United States is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, while others support it.

Body Count by Adrienne Sloane

Abu Graib, Abuse of Power by Susan Crile

What we, as Americans, do overseas has profound consequences that can last for generations. When 9/11 happened, the world wept with us (except for a minority of nuts who succeeded in making their awful point). The weeping stopped when our government abused its power by using public lament and fear to secure its interests in the Middle East and Central Asia. Public protest against the United States has seen unprecedented participation in the last eight years (ahem, the Bush years...). I spent the first 18 years of my life in Brazil as a missionary kid. In the 1960's almost every Roman Catholic home there had a portrait of the bleeding heart of Jesus to one side, a statue of the Virgin in the middle, and a portrait of John F. Kennedy on the other side. Jimmy Carter was and still is well-loved. President Bush does not hold that esteem in Brazil:

BBC News reported that over 10,000 protestors turned out in Sao Paulo when President Bush visited in 2007. The Culture Kitchen blog concluded, "This is a time when world opinion is solidly against America. This is dramatically show by a recent poll that showed that people view America as marginally MORE destabilizing a force than North Korea and only slightly less destabilizing than Iran. To the world, America is part of the Axis of Evil." In another post they also stated something that I had not heard before and found interesting:

"While John McCain is eagerly embracing Bush and vowing to continue Bush's failed policies, it may be a good idea to remember what Ronald Reagan thought of the Little Bush:

"A moment I've been dreading. George brought his n'er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida; the one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work."

From the REAGAN DIARIES------entry dated May 17, 1986.

So this is the guy we had shoved down our throats and who John McCain wants to emulate.***

(***Note: An anonymous reader left a comment saying that this statement about Reagan is incorrect. Snopes documents it in an almost as interesting post: http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/kinsley.asp. Great to have attentive readers and great for such a wonderful tool as Snopes!)

Do we really want all this anger directed to the United States? BBC News reported on protests against the war around the world in March 2006:



Unknown News dedicates itself to reporting news that is not known or not known enough.They state in their page, updated monthly, on casualty statistics in Afghanistan and Iraq:

"At least 687,079 people have been killed, and 1,318,163 seriously injured in Afghanistan and Iraq during the U.S. and coalition attacks and occupations, based on lowest credible estimates. More than 98 times as many people have been killed in these wars and occupations than in all terrorist attacks in the world from 1993-2004. About 229 times as many people have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq than in the ghastly attacks of September 11, 2001."

McCain's official page makes some vague promises of helping Iraq reach stability and not leaving until they can govern on their own. Then, what I find scary:

"Call for International Pressure on Syria and Iran

Syria and Iran have aided and abetted the violence in Iraq for too long. Syria has refused to crack down on Iraqi insurgents and foreign terrorists operating within its territory. Iran has been providing the most extreme and violent Shia militias with training, weapons, and technology that kill American and Iraqi troops. American military spokesmen have also said there is evidence that Iran has provided aid to Sunni insurgents.

The answer is not unconditional dialogues with these two dictatorships from a position of weakness. The answer is for the international community to apply real pressure to Syria and Iran to change their behavior. The United States must also bolster its regional military posture to make clear to Iran our determination to protect our forces and deter Iranian intervention."

What does it mean to bolster military posture so that Iran understands our intent? It doesn't sound peaceful to me.

Well, I think I have made my political point on a fiber art blog: Artists have voices, the voices will not agree with each other on many things, but it is our right to use them in all that is important in our lives, be it dogs, kids, flowers, or politics. I believe that unless this path of violence is not curtailed, we are going to lose a lot of our dogs, kids, and flowers, so political voices are especially needed in this time of danger. Am I scared? Petrified.

However, fear does not bind me or blind me. Neither has it filled me with hate. On the contrary, I understand why people want to respond with force. I watched both conventions. I understand that Obama is criticized for his lack of experience and I had to roll my eyes, too, when his speech finally came and was full of those over used catch phrases that everyone had used before him. I felt empathy towards McCain and all that he had suffered as a prisoner of war and his long service to our government. I liked his wife and thought it was wonderful they have this Bangladeshi daughter. I am not a political scientist or expert, but I listen, read, discuss, and try to inform myself. After all of this, my conclusion is that Obama offers the only hope that we, as a people, can redeem ourselves before the world. If McCain is elected, disaster lies ahead for us. My hope is that Obama will surround himself with a think tank that will use every peaceful means available to solve this mess. He may not have much experience, but he knows how to ask the right questions and the world abroad is thrilled about him. That in itself is worth alot!

Obama in Germany, July 2008

I am the lone Democrat in a Republican family. At least that is my perception- we have agreed to disagree on both religion and politics, so we don't talk about either. I live in a Southern State where many of the people I know have served in the military, have relatives overseas and are Republican. I understand why. The military is a career option that offers much more stability (even if you get shot at a young age...) than what is available around here. I love them all, my Republican family and friends. Whatever we believe in, we must learn how to get along, how to accept diversity, and how to be respectful with each other and that begins at home. And, Morna, whatever political post you have on Bittersweet, you can bet that I will be there to read it!

Peace Quilt for Peace Plaza (Rockford, Illinois)

The Political Voice of Blogging Artists

New Textile Stamps In! 10% Discount Offer on Direct Purchases

Every few months I get a big bag of new textile stamps. I buy them sight unseen and just got my newest order. Usually there is a whole range of sizes, but this time, most were in the medium range, around 5" or 13 cm square. I've been offering first dibs to my regular customers through my website, but now that I have this blog, I'll make the offer public.

I photograph the stamps front and back and write the number and price on the back. The discount saves me labor and cost by not having to spend time or money on the listing. Dimensions are not given. Those of you who are familiar with the stamps will know that very small ones are about 1" in diameter and go for $5 and the biggest ones are up to 14" wide and go for $25 or $30.


This is how it works: Go to my website and look at the thumbnails. I just loaded 60 new blocks at the top of that page. I will list another 60 or so in a couple of weeks when I have the rest photographed. E-mail me back with the numbers you are interested in. Because there is no shopping cart, all hell kind of breaks loose in the beginning. I go through the requests as they come in, notify of availability, buyer confirms what she or he wants, then I send a paypal invoice. So, although an image might be sold it might still be there. I try to clean them out as quickly as possible, but it gets kind of crazy.

Returns: You can return any stamp you don't want for a refund on its price. I do not refund shipping.

Shipping: I use the USPS flat rate envelopes and boxes, which really save a lot of money for these heavy blocks! I can usually fit two or three of the medium ones in a $5 envelope and can fit quite a few in a $9 box. Shipping overseas can be pretty expensive, but usually does not go over $40. Fortunately for those of you who are shopping in Euros and Pounds, you are getting an extra deal with dollar being so low... (sob, sob...)

Further Discounts: Purchases in the United States over $100 get free shipping. I will cover the first $20 in overseas orders that are over $100. You can combine other purchases from my stores on eBay or Etsy to reach that $100 (and you don't have to stick to just the stamps), but you do have to go through their check out processes. If you go through them (I have a bunch of stamps listed in both stores) and are charged shipping fees even though your purchase total is over $100, I will refund your fees when I print the shipping label on Pay Pal.

Textile stamps are new to you? Don't know what to do with them? Well, they are wonderful objects in their own right, but also great tools for fabric, paper and clay artists. The stamps can be inked as a regular stamp (with dye or acrylic paint) or they can be pressed into clay or paper pulp. Read my past articles to learn more about them and to see images of how they have been used. The Zucchi Collection is also a wonderful site with historical information on English textile stamps. Here are a couple of books that might also be inspirational:

I have several of them around my house as objects. My fantasy is to tile a whole wall with them!

These stamps are old (20-30 yrs or more) and have been used in workshops in Central Asia. Some are used as borders, others are focal pieces. All of them show signs of wear, have nicks or imperfections. These can be repaired with wood filler, but most of the artists I know like using them as they are, achieving a distressed effect. The stamps are carved out of pear wood, have been smoked and dyed with black ink. Be sure to clean them well with soapy water and a scrub brush before using them on your fabric or paper!

Are you using textile stamps in your work? Leave us a link in the comments below so we can see what you are doing with them! And, now.... let the madness begin!

New Textile Stamps In! 10% Discount Offer on Direct Purchases

The Costume Page, A Most Wonderful Resource

Have you heard of The Costume Page? Are you interested in clothing design, apparel throughout the ages? Do you have many, many, many hours at your disposal to explore this extensive list? The Costume Page is a resource that compiles links to websites with costume related information. Julie Zetterberg Sardo, who developed the site, states:

"Welcome to The Costume Page, my personal library of costume and costuming-related links. I'm sharing it for the benefit of those who study and/or make costumes: costumers, students, historical re-enactors, science fiction fans, professionals, amateurs, dancers, theatrical costumers, trick-or-treaters, writers, researchers, and all those interested in fashion, textile art, and costume history.

There are over 1,000 unique links listed on these pages. Some of them cover more than one area of interest. I recommend that you browse through all sections of The Costume Page if you don't immediately find what you're seeking. I've tried to cross-reference where possible, but you're likely to find some additional gems if you dig!"

The subjects are divided into the following topics:

Home | Reference | Museums | History | Topics | Ethnic | Theatrical
Organizations | Events | Schools | Instructions
Halloween | Other Lists
Materials | Accessories | Costumes

Each of them opens the door to a vast compilation of links. Of course, my favorite is the Ethnic tab. This one is divided into:

Africa | Asia & India | Western Europe | Eastern Europe and Siberia
Near & Middle East | North, Central & South America | Pacific Islands

The linked sites are varied and include documentation of historical costumes, how-to pages, and ethnographic information. Photocollect deals with old photographs such as the Japanese warrior below. They target museums and private collectors as clients.


Macedonian Folk Embroidery offers samples of embroidered clothing and patterns such as the one below:


Maya Adventure has a page on woven symbolism in Mayan textiles.

Those three are just a small sampling of what is available in the ethnic section. There is a lot more on Japanese kimono, Indian saris, Middle Eastern garb, African wraps and a huge section on European costumes.

The Costume Page is especially rich with information on Western historical fashion. The Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Medieval links are fascinating! Footwear of the Middle Ages is one example of an excellent overview of how shoes were made, what tools were used, and what the various designs meant in that period.


One of the Paducah artists had a costume party last year with a 1960's theme. Another one used a flapper theme. I used this site as an idea place to figure out what to wear for both parties. Sometimes you just need to look at some good images to get some inspiration. This is the place to come.

There are also many links that have excellent educational resources for kids (or adults who like to play...). David Claudon Paper Dolls has a huge selection of designs from all over the world through the ages. My sister is home schooling her kids and I can just imagine her using these as teaching aids.

The Costume Page is an invaluable resource for theater people, designers, historians, and anybody just curious enough to poke around the site. I can only thank Julie Zetterberg Sardo for putting such an excellent collection at our disposal. Thank you for all your hard work!

The Costume Page, A Most Wonderful Resource