History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c23.s2.t2: Wool

History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c23.s2.t2

Language: English

Wool

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Woollen fabrics have a tradition as old as that of bast fibres in India. Panini refers to the category of woollen garments as *aurna/aurnak*¹⁵. By the opening years of the Christian era not only was sheep's wool differentiated from that of the goat but even in the latter category, a line was drawn between the fibres derived from the domesticated variety and its wild counterpart (Varadarajan, 1984). The properties of wool had a bearing on its usage as a fibre. Wool is elastic and its fibres have a rough surface. This is caused by an external layer of microscopic overlapping scales. Wool can absorb 30% of its own weight as moisture, and when wet it generates heat. It can be stretched 30% beyond its normal dimension and still spring back to its original configuration when released. It is wrinkle resistant and has high powers of insulation. It is for this reason that desert dwellers wear wool to keep the heat out (Brown, p.213). These properties explain why wool was accorded a high ritual status in early texts.

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Unlike flax, wool requires little preparation for spinning. It can be spun directly after carding. However, for high quality items like *Kāni Paśminā* it was scoured and graded prior to carding and spinning operations¹⁶. Since wool possessed a natural fatty material washing was essential prior to dyeing. When placed on the loom warp ends had to be spaced to prevent or minimise the tendency to catch, cling or lock together on contact. However, once positioned safely wool keeps in place and this has favoured its usage in tapestry weaving.

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It is therefore, not surprising to note the double interlock a variant within the tapestry reportoire, developing in relation to *Kāni Paśminā* in Kashmir¹⁷.

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Owing to geographical and environmental factors, wool, over the major portion of India, is of inferior quality. Apart from Kashmir, Kutch and Saurashtra in Gujarat, and centres in Western Rajasthan, have developed items of variegated design in polychrome hues using rough quality sheeps' wool. In areas of low to deficient rainfall in Northern India, the camel is an important domesticated animal, but the hair of the Indian one-humped dromedary, unlike that of the Bactrian two-humped animal, is not altogether suitable for weaving. The Meghwal Community in Rajasthan weave a floor covering in which the warp is hand spun goat hair, and the weft, camel hair (Figs. 3a-3c).

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Fig.3a. Loom of Meghwal community. Continuous goat hair warp, no reed. Two weavers sit on either side of the loom. There is no pit. The weft yarn is wrapped around a stick about 2 1/2' in length. This is slipped through each shed as it is formed. The single shaft consists of a series of heddles passing through every alternate end. This is mounted on a heddle rod balanced on two sets of longitudinal poles. The upper rod slides alongwith its stand as weaving progresses. The weavers also move forward as weaving advances

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Fig.3b. Shed formation. In order to create a shed the suspended heddle shaft is slightly lifted. A flat stick is inserted in the small shed formed. This stick is then turned on its side to get a wider opening. The counter shed is formed by taking out the flat stick and bringing the shed rod closer to the heddle shaft. Although there is a continuous warp, usually the full warp is stretched out horizontally

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Fig. 3c. After completion of each pick the weave is beaten in by two pānja beaters. Figs. 3a,b,c were taken at a fair organized for Adivasis at Sanskar Kendra, Ahmedabad, February, 1992. The two weavers, Amba Ram and Sanook Kastura Ram, hail from Gam Megha Par, Post Rama, Jilla Jaisalmer

Linked texts (1)

Aṣṭādhyāyī — Pāṇini, Sanskrit