Weaving Hut of Karbi People

Loom Design/Components/Weaving Hut | > Karbi people

It's a pretty lovely celebration Karbi lady Samili Ingtipi introduces us to in her video. It shows out, that weaving isn't just done without the needed preparations and right circumstances. Out of this needed preparations the Karbi people invented a celebration:

The Warping Hut

There is a bamboo hut, at least a roof! Under this roof for each seasonal weaving session the floor is redone by fresh clay, what keeps the right humidity for the silk yarn. And of course, it eases to drive the stakes into ground that easy! That means, when Karbi people weave silk yarn, there are at least two huts for preparations. One shady and airy one on stilts for the caterpillar breeding and another one grounded with fresh clay for warping and maybe weaving.

Garden shade

We may observe Karbi people seated on the plain ground, just with a blanket. Most of these are weaving cotton (with a reed!), situated under a roof again. Even these are using the humidity of the soil beneath the warp.

This awareness of shade and humidity within Karbi society is something you won't observe that obviously with other loom cultures. The Chakma people in Bangladesh for instance seem not to care sitting in the sun while weaving. There is even no special location built for weaving; the warping is done in a corner of the living room. Just the weaving mat is spotting the location. But importance of shade and humidity isn't part of their weaving presentation.

• Shady and airy breeding hut on stilts
• Grounded warping hut (for warping and weaving silk)
• (optional: Garden shade (just for weaving cotton))