University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings Textile Society of America 2016 Abstracts & Author Biographies for Textile Society of America, 15th Biennial Symposium (2016): Crosscurrents: Land, Labor, and the Port Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf Part of the Art and Materials Conservation Commons, Art Practice Commons, Fashion Design Commons, Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, Fine Arts Commons, and the Museum Studies Commons "Abstracts & Author Biographies for Textile Society of America, 15th Biennial Symposium (2016): Crosscurrents: Land, Labor, and the Port" (2016). Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. 1061. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/1061 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Textile Society of America at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Dr. Heather J Abdelnur, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History, Augusta University The British are Coming! A Contraband Cloth Tsunami Flows Over Maya Handicrafts and Homespun in the Kingdom of Guatemala, 1760-1820 1 B. Colonial Export Latin America today has a lower perceived place on the global scale of development in comparison to other Western regions, however incorrect that assumption may be. And, Central American nations, in particular, seemingly fulfill that notion. One might ask, why did nations such as Guatemala, El Salvador, and others not become industrialized at an earlier point in their histories? If those nations had at their disposal adequate land, natural resources, and labor, as well as ports for exit for their products, why did they not advance in the 18th and 19th centuries alongside other Northern industrializing nations? This paper will investigate the thriving colonial textile industry that existed in the former “Kingdom of Guatemala” (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the southern Mexican state of Chiapas) while assessing the capabilities for transporting the product of local labor, the gender and racial stratification of that production, and class interference in its success. Afterward, this research will demonstrate the long-term devastating effects of elite preferences and their damage to local textile production with the influx of British (and to some extent French) textiles clandestinely through the port at Belize. The research will include images from the 18th and early 19th century documentation from the Central American Archive in Guatemala City, including complaints from guild weavers, waybills and receipts of cloth and other textiles crossing local and regional borders, and pawnshop and other activity dealing in stolen textiles or illegal European imports. Dr. Heather Abdelnur is Associate Professor of History at Georgia Regents University. She received her B.A. in Linguistics and History at Tulane University, her M.A. in Latin American Studies at Tulane University’s Stone Center, and, after a Fulbright-Hayes dissertation research award to Guatemala, she completed her Ph.D. in Latin American History from TCU. Her research focuses on gender, race, and crime in the Spanish Caribbean Basin and foreign perceptions of the exotic “other” from 1750-1900. She was the 2015 Chair of the Central American Studies Committee of the Conference on Latin American History affiliated society of the American Historical Association. [email protected] Reena Aggarwal Campus Coordinator, Textile Design Department, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai, India Treasure of Tamil Nadu: The Kodali Karuppur Cotton Sari Organized Session Participant: 2 C. Cotton Textiles of India: Evolution of Design and Production in a Global Economy The textiles of South India are among the richest in the country. Tamilnadu is a major sari-weaving region of India, producing considerable quantities of rural, peasant and urban saris in silk and cotton. Though Tamilnadu is famous for silk saris and Kanchipuram has become synonymous with silk weaving, it is also famous for exquisite Kodali Karrupur cotton saris. The earliest records speak of Greek traders traveling to Uraiyur, an important center in Tamilnadu for cotton trade, to buy fine cotton particularly, hand painted and printed. The Kodali Karuppur sari, which evolved under the patronage of the Maratha rulers, has a unique place among textiles. The Karuppur saris, used for royal weddings, were exclusively made for the Maratha Queens of Tanjore until the end of the nineteenth century. The Tanjore nobility wore the Karuppur textiles and also gifted them as khillat (dresses of honor). During that time, these traditional saris were produced at Kodali Karuppur village, about 30 km from Kumbakonam of Tanjore district in Tamilnadu. Though the Karuppur sari is made of usual cotton yarns, the rareness lies in its perfect combination of three distinct techniques: wax resist painting, dyeing and extra weft weaving jamdani brocade buttas matching perfectly to create a tinseled-pattern effect. Many traditions have continued unchanged over the centuries and the quality of the cotton has ensured that several examples remain the same as historic creations. Many traditional techniques, however, have been lost and it is impossible to produce these meticulously painted and woven saris, in spite of the tremendous effort made in the last few years. This paper is based on research documenting the changes and the design intervention done for the evolution of Kodali Karuppur sari which was originally produced with fine cotton, zari, artistic weaving, breathtaking designs and a colorful combination of traditional motifs. Dr. Reena Aggarwal is Campus Coordinator of the Textile Design department at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai. Her doctoral research was done at Vanasthali University in collaboration with the Central Sheep Wool Research Institute (CSWRI) Avikanagar, assessed the felting ability of different types of indigenous and exotic wool fibers. She has written articles on sustainable living, green textiles, herbal textiles and natural fibers in various International and National journals. She has worked extensively on projects related to natural dyes and sustainable textiles in addition to her interests in her core areas of textile design, textile science and Indian crafts. [email protected] Patricia Alvarez Lecturer, Department of Film and Media Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz Site Seminar Organizer: Vernacular Textiles in the Global Context: Film Screening of Entretejido and Coton Jaune This program will feature the screening of two documentary films, followed by a Q & A with the directors and a demonstration of Acadian spinning. In Entrejido, director Patricia Alvarez examines the importance of Peruvian alpaca wool to Andean highland communities and their rich textile traditions. In the fashion world, Peruvian alpaca is branded as a luxurious eco-fiber, but it is manufactured by herders and spinners living in conditions of extreme poverty. The alpaca supply chain has become a site of development efforts seeking to alleviate poverty and foster social inclusion. Entretejido is an observational documentary film that weaves together the different players involved at the intersection of rural artisan communities and the global “ethical” fashion market. Coton Jaune explores the history of natural brown cotton in Southwest Louisiana and examines its origins and use among the people of Acadiana. Spinning and weaving were an integral part of daily life in rural Louisiana through the end of the nineteenth century. Homespun cotton thread was regularly woven into bedding and clothing on large two-harness floor looms. By the early twentieth century, commercially woven fabrics had become a staple. The single exception was the weaving of traditional blankets as dowry for Cajun brides. Traditionally made for the bride by her mother, these blankets were referred to as “l’amour de maman.” Both long staple white cotton and shorter staple natural brown cotton were used. Indigo dyed cotton was also incorporated into the patterns and designs, as well as torn rags of varying colors. Elaine Bourque will demonstrate carding and spinning in the authentic Acadian style. Bio, see below. Patricia Alvarez Lecturer, Department of Film and Media Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz Styling the Past: Historical Precious Metals and Contemporary Andean Textiles in Peruvian Fashion Organized Session Participant: 5 B. Textiles and Precious Metals in the Andes In the past decade the Peruvian fashion and textile industry has grown in tandem with a bourgeoning fashion scene part of a present-day economic and cultural revival. Peruvian fashion designers seeking to develop a national design identity have turned to Andean and Amazonian textile traditions, as well as colonial, republican and pre-Hispanic historical elements as sources of inspiration to anchor this fashion world and as a way of reclaiming previously marginalized cultural elements after over 20 years of violence and authoritarianism. In John Galliano’s 2005 fall collection he utilized tupus as part of his Peruvian pollera-inspired couture dresses. Meanwhile, national fashion designers, like Meche Correa, have turned to other sources of historical precious metals, like the use of gold found in Cusqueño