On Monday I finished weaving a bufanda, a scarf, which I wove on a back strap loom. I had seen an ad at school for a lesson in weaving, a skill practiced by the indigenous women here. It seemed like a great way to immerse myself in this aspect of Mayan/Guatemalan culture. So Bruce and I went looking for the school, wandering around behind the parque central and found the address for Trama Textiles. The name comes from the tool, the trama, that is used to hold the thread as it is passed back and forth to create the weaving. I signed up for the approximately 10 hours that it takes to create a scarf. Materials and tutelage would cost 325 quetzales ($40).
When I arrived for the first session, I was introduced to Oralia and Amparu, the two Mayan women who run the shop and the organization. It is a cooperative of 100 women from 12 different indigenous communities. The designs are unique for each pueblo so that a particular pueblo can be identified by looking at the weaving. Many of the women are widows from the civil war, which was directed at the Mayans primarily, and which lasted for about 36 years, ending in 1996.
My first task was to choose 3 colors for the scarf, a main color and two others. I forced myself to make a decision fairly quickly. For those of you who know me, this is not easy. And, of course, I second guessed myself. However, the decision was made, and we got on with the next step, which was to make balls from the skeins of cotton thread that I had chosen.
That done, we moved on to putting the thread onto a wooden frame of sorts, in exactly the correct sequence of colors. All of that took my first 2.5 hour session.
When I arrived the second afternoon, the thread had been strung and stretched out from one set of wooden bars to another set. The first set was attached to a door frame. I held the other set in my lap about 3 feet away. Attached to that end was a belt around my fanny, which was tightened to give tension to the weaving, ie. the ¨¨back strap¨¨ loom.
My scarf in the making
Amparu, the older woman, took charge of showing me how to do the actual weaving. There are 2 steps. You would think that would be pretty easy for a reasonably intelligent person. Not so, in this case. Amparu would demonstrate - and I would try to replicate. I can hear her now, saying ¨processo dos, Leenda! processo dos!¨ her voice barely concealing her increasing frustration with this dull gringo. I was trying to stay calm, while feeling very klutzy and sweaty! Finally Oralia took over, chewing gum and gently explaining and coaching. Amparu went away to count to 10. I began to catch on. The scarf began to take shape.
The third day was easier, though still requiring exteme concentrtion on my part. A small group of students from one of the many other Spanish language schools in Xela came to the weaving school on a field trip. They gathered around to watch me for a few minutes. But I kept plugging away at processo uno and processo dos. When I completed my 2+ hours that day, Amparu estimated that one more day would do it!
By the time of my fourth session, there had been an interlude of several days. I hoped that I would remember the process. No problema. Once the set of bars, etc. had been suspended, and I had been strapped into the backstrap, I began weaving and finding a sort of zen-like peacefulness. It´s very repetitive, a bit like knitting in that respect. There were mistakes, and many of them didn´t get fixed. But I finally finished, and my two mentors tied off the ends. And I love the scarf!
We took photos, including Oralia´s five year old daughter, and I hung out for awhile, exchanging English and Spanish words with the five year old and with a 25 year old woman. It was raining, of course, since it was afternoon, but we sat under the protective overhang surrounding the open patio. It felt like a moment to savor, bringing two worlds together through an ancient tradition.
When I arrived for the first session, I was introduced to Oralia and Amparu, the two Mayan women who run the shop and the organization. It is a cooperative of 100 women from 12 different indigenous communities. The designs are unique for each pueblo so that a particular pueblo can be identified by looking at the weaving. Many of the women are widows from the civil war, which was directed at the Mayans primarily, and which lasted for about 36 years, ending in 1996.
My first task was to choose 3 colors for the scarf, a main color and two others. I forced myself to make a decision fairly quickly. For those of you who know me, this is not easy. And, of course, I second guessed myself. However, the decision was made, and we got on with the next step, which was to make balls from the skeins of cotton thread that I had chosen.
That done, we moved on to putting the thread onto a wooden frame of sorts, in exactly the correct sequence of colors. All of that took my first 2.5 hour session.
When I arrived the second afternoon, the thread had been strung and stretched out from one set of wooden bars to another set. The first set was attached to a door frame. I held the other set in my lap about 3 feet away. Attached to that end was a belt around my fanny, which was tightened to give tension to the weaving, ie. the ¨¨back strap¨¨ loom.
Amparu, the older woman, took charge of showing me how to do the actual weaving. There are 2 steps. You would think that would be pretty easy for a reasonably intelligent person. Not so, in this case. Amparu would demonstrate - and I would try to replicate. I can hear her now, saying ¨processo dos, Leenda! processo dos!¨ her voice barely concealing her increasing frustration with this dull gringo. I was trying to stay calm, while feeling very klutzy and sweaty! Finally Oralia took over, chewing gum and gently explaining and coaching. Amparu went away to count to 10. I began to catch on. The scarf began to take shape.
The third day was easier, though still requiring exteme concentrtion on my part. A small group of students from one of the many other Spanish language schools in Xela came to the weaving school on a field trip. They gathered around to watch me for a few minutes. But I kept plugging away at processo uno and processo dos. When I completed my 2+ hours that day, Amparu estimated that one more day would do it!
By the time of my fourth session, there had been an interlude of several days. I hoped that I would remember the process. No problema. Once the set of bars, etc. had been suspended, and I had been strapped into the backstrap, I began weaving and finding a sort of zen-like peacefulness. It´s very repetitive, a bit like knitting in that respect. There were mistakes, and many of them didn´t get fixed. But I finally finished, and my two mentors tied off the ends. And I love the scarf!
We took photos, including Oralia´s five year old daughter, and I hung out for awhile, exchanging English and Spanish words with the five year old and with a 25 year old woman. It was raining, of course, since it was afternoon, but we sat under the protective overhang surrounding the open patio. It felt like a moment to savor, bringing two worlds together through an ancient tradition.
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