How To Make A Shimp Cotail Appitzer Plate

The language of experience

found Sarah and Antonia, 2010

By Anna Paini, Università di Verona

Two women, two weavers, curious one for the other. Antonia's mother tongue is Quechua. Sarah's mother tongue is Navajo. Sarah, used the Navajo vertical loom, watch Antonia, who is weaving loom in her small flat. The two are accustomed to looms that require only the wise use of the hands. Two weavers who they are and who manage to communicate without having to resort to verbal language but only the language of experience and curiosity.

The occasion was offered during the biennial Convergence conference, organized by the Association of hand weavers of America (Handweavers Guild of America), that year held in Albuquerque in July 2010. Attendance was great, but you could count on the fingers of the hands of indigenous women present. Antonia came to the conference to publicize the activities of traditional textile center of Cuzco ( http://www.textilescusco.org/ ). Sarah is with Diné Bi 'Iina (Navajo Lifeways) , a nonprofit organization of the Navajo Nation ( http://www.navajolifeway.org/ ).

The two women spent some time one sitting next to each other on the floor of the empty stage. Sarah, however, was not only looking at the gestures of Antonia, who wove a web really complicated, but gave it that wanted to help him spinning. It was as if he wanted to share this moment more intense. Antonia happened wool and spindle and Sarah got to work. The rest of us were delighted by this amazing mode of exchange.

At one point, Sarah restored with great natural wool that had been spinning, Antonia saluted and went to the post of Cuzco cooperative to buy a bone like that Antonia was used for weaving. However the philosophy of the Navajo weaver is to maintain high living and the local textile tradition, Sarah, renowned for its textiles, was attracted by weaving implements used in other cultural contexts. He watched them, demanded explanations, tried ... purchased. Sarah and Antonia

probably meet again during the weavers Meeting of the Americas, to be held from 5 to 8 November in Urubamba, in the traditional textile center of Cuzco.

Text and photos by Anna Paini
photographic composition Translation: Gabriela Vargas-Cetina.