Pacific Looms - backstrap weaving

Loom Design/Loomates/Pacific

Some further examples of loin looms on Pacific islands (South Sea). Even the Austronesian expansion goes much further than these following islands, the expansion of their loin loom culture ends here. The Polynesian, a part of Austronesian people reached Hawaii and the Eastern Islands, but no loin looms are known in this area. 

Loin Looms of Micronesia (Pacific)

The Plank Loom on Koshrae Island

A special thing of the loin looms on Koshrae Island with their circular warp are its two boards instead of beams. We might have seen already loin looms that use a warp board, but rarely seen a loom with a breast beam on top. Another speciality that draws character to this loom is the way, how it gets fixated by some bamboo canes or wooden strips into the door gate. A method, that we might meet again on Sangir Island in Indonesia. Nowadays looms on Koshrae have developed this method to a bind-up station. There is no reed comb, just a batten sword in use. 

Components of the loom: warp board, cross sticks, shed roll, heddle bar, batten sword, shuttle, breast board, belt.

• Sarfert

Ethnic group: ... (Austronesian)

Loom category: [B] Externally-braced, body-tensioned handlooms with a circular warp

Loin loom group: stake loom; subgroup: gate loom   | board loom

warp type: circular warp

Loin Looms of Melanesia (Pacific)

Taquile Island

A ready-beamed circular warp for a loin loom on Taquile Island on its horizontal warping rails seems to be identical into the last detail to its mainland mate of the Katu people in Laos.

Ethnic group: ... (Austronesian)

Loom category: [B] Externally-braced, body-tensioned handlooms with a circular warp

Loin loom group: stake loom

warp type: circular warp

Banana Loom of Santa Cruz

The loin looms on Santa Cruz are "plugged" between two banana trunks, and there you go! It's not that clear, but it seems to use a circular warp. 

The warping on Caroline Islands is done on a palm leaf; it's a kind of miniature warping board, where you stick your warping rods on. It remind similar warping devices on Koshrae island and the warping device of the Philippines, made of a banana trunk.

Components of the loom (7): warp beam, ..., laze rods (lease rods), heddle bar, beater-in, breast beam, belt.

Roth

Ethnic group: ... (Austronesian)

Loom category: [B] Externally-braced, body-tensioned handlooms with a circular warp

Loin loom group: stake loom; subgroup: tree loom

warp type: circular warp