Cultural Contributions

<div align="center"> <center><table border="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td> <img border="0" src="../../graphics/Newfrontpage/scissorsNEWsmall.jpg" width="180" height="162"> </td> <td> <img border="0" src="../../graphics/Newfrontpage/newname2.jpg" width="686" height="50"> The Costumer's Manifesto is written by Tara Maginnis, and proudly hosted by William Baker. THE MANIFESTO IS MUTATING!  IT IS TURNING INTO A WIKI THAT CAN BECOME THE HIVE MIND OF ALL COSTUMERS, FINALLY LIVING UP TO IT'S SLOGAN: "COSTUMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!" YOU CAN HELP IN THIS PROCESS BY MOVING PAGES TO THE NEW SITE AT <a href="http://thecostumersmanifesto.com">THECOSTUMERSMANIFESTO.COM</a>, HELPING TO EDIT THE PAGES THAT ARE THERE ALREADY, AND ADDING YOUR OWN ORIGINAL INPUT.  </td> </tr> </center> </table> </div>  </center> Cultural Contributions:<o:p>  Fabrics From Around the World Form a Beautiful Tapestry  Copyright <a href="http://www.textilefabric.com/"> Textile Fabric Consultants</a><o:p> </o:p> <hr>        Surveying the fabric and fashion scene of today is much like observing a Whos Who roster of all the different cultures of the world.  The materials and fashions present in our everyday lives are a wonderful mélange of every corner of our planet.  There isnt a single country or culture that has not introduced a fabric or a style that isnt in use today.  The world is a fabric melting pot, full of influences and ideas from all regions of the earth.        Every region of the world has affected the natural fibers and materials in use today.  These traditional cultural fabrics have woven their way into mainstream production and in every aspect of our lives.  Many of the designs, dyeing and printing processes, and social commentary are still in used today.  Yet there are two regions of the world that wielded a wide-spread influence that the rest of the world began to utilize long ago.  West Africa and the Far East always had unprecedented influence on the Americas and the European nations.  Their original processes have evolved into the basis of many modern renditions.   Each countrys social commentary may vary, but their processes stem from the developments of these two areas of the worlds.   Kente cloth originated in Ashanti region of Ghana, West Africa.  Two ancestors of the Oyoko clan were watching a spider weave its meticulous web, and decided that those intricate designs could be duplicated by hand weaving.  After days of observing the spider, the ancestors began weaving their first cloth.  The cotton cloth displayed affluent colors, a rich texture, and the masterful weaving of two skilled artisans. <o:p> </o:p> Kente cloth instantly became a sign of status, importance, and social position.  It adorned royal family members when gold thread was utilized, and buried community leaders when mournful scenes composed its design.  Kente cloth is no longer limited to burial cotton and royalty silk; it is now also made from rayon, rafie, wool and tree bark!  It  has also expanded its symbolic use beyond royalty and social positions by now being used as ceremonial cloths in many sub-Saharan African cultures.  It is used in both joyous and mournful occasions.  Its designs depict power and dominance, prudence and political wisdom as well as happiness and strength.  It has evolved into a representation of a culture, a people and their cultural contributions.  Countries of the  Far East have always been purveyors of the dyeing, printing and weaving process.  Many Asian cultures prove that although we may have expanded our technologically advanced processes, as a whole, we have not forgone our roots.  One of the most easily recognized contributors to Asian textiles would be the people of Bali. <o:p> </o:p> Bali brought to life some of most beautiful creations using sumptuous silk and weaving their fabrics with metallic thread.  The women of Bali have often been attributed the reputation of possessing a secret knowledge of textiles, including the makeup of certain dye ingredients and the ability to create sacred motifs.  Balinese women have passed these traditions on to their daughters for generations in an effort to preserve their heritage.  The Balinese are known for creating ikats, a Malay word for to tie a knot.  This ancient technique involves dyeing motifs onto tied bundles of threads before they are woven into a cloth.  There are four types of ikat still in use today:  a warp ikat (only the warp yarns are used to create the design),  a double ikat or gering sing (pattern is created on both the warp and the weft yarns), filling ikat (only the filling yarns are used for the pattern), and the songket (an extra filling yarn made of gold or silver thread is used to create rich patterns).  These fabrics were originally created mainly using silk yarns; but today cotton and rayon are used as well.  Chinese and Japanese cultures have always been masters in silk processing.  Along with Korea, they were also the first to refine the weaving of hemp and flax materials. The dyeing techniques of these countries are still in use today.   Their use of  bark and flowers to create dye remains the most unique dyeing method to date.  They also utilize vegetables, rice paste and earth elements (mud, insects and grasses) for their resistance and applied dyeing processes.  The fabric usages and time honored cultural reflections of the Asiatic nations are evidence to one of the few ways technology helps us hold onto our origins and the beauty of nature.   In a time when synthetic fabrics and meaningless designs are most commonly used, we tend to lose the appreciation of the natural fibers and meaningful patterns that our ancestors started.  The nations of West Africa and Far East Asia still place importance on using cultural designs in fabrics and continue to encourage their worldwide mainstream usage today. <o:p> </o:p> When the Asiatic people introduced sericulture to the Moors of Spain, a new way of life, status and social position was introduced.  New traditions were started once the Italians, Syrians, and French began using the Asian and African techniques of weaving gold and silver threads into their garments.  The countries of Eastern Europe (Germany, Austria, Russia, and Turkey) also started their own traditions by borrowing the technique of appliquéing their furs and woolen garments from their Asian neighbors. The North and South Americans used the Balinese and Ghanaian people as points of reference for creating their cultural fabrics in the forms of ikat, kente and batik.  Although each country around the world has evidence of their culture and heritage, we can still see the influences of Asia and Africa in many components of modern fabrics worldwide.  The fabrics and garments created by different cultures are blueprints of their societies as well as a mixture of the influences collected from other cultures.  The beauty of all cultural contributions has formed a complex and colorful tapestry filled with heritage origination. <o:p> </o:p> Bibliography  <ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">1.  Harris, Jennifer. Textiles 5,000 Years: An International History and Illustrated Survey; Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers. Pp. 176-184.</li> </ol> Kadolph, Sara J. and Anna L. Langford, Textiles.  8th ed. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 07458, pages 196-198.  <ol style="margin-top:0in" start="2" type="1"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"><a href="http://www.bali.com">www.bali.com</a> </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">www.Amsterdam.park.org/korea (broken link)</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in"><a href="http://www.ichoya.com">www.ichoya.com</a> </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">www.kente.net/words {broken link)</li> </ol>   Copyright <a href="http://www.textilefabric.com/"> Textile Fabric Consultants</a><o:p>   </div>  <div> The Costumer's Manifesto is proudly hosted by William Baker. </div> <a href="http://www.costumes.org">Home</a>   <a href="../1pages/questions.htm">Questions</a>   <a href="../../store/100pages/giftstore.htm">Buy Books and More</a>    <a href="../../classes/254pages/teacherbio.htm">About Me</a> This Page is part of <a HREF="http://www.costumes.org">The Costumer's Manifesto</a> by <a href="mailto:tara@costumes.org">Tara Maginnis</a>, Ph.D.  Copyright 1996-2010.   You may print out any of these pages for non-profit educational use such as school papers, teacher handouts, or wall displays.  You may link to any page in my site.  </body> </html>