Shawl

Item number 2878/2 a from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

Item Records

This page shows all the information we have about this item. Both the institution that physically holds this item, and RRN members have contributed the knowledge on this page. You’re looking at the item record provided by the holding institution. If you scroll further down the page, you’ll see the information from RRN members, and can share your own knowledge too.

The RRN processes the information it receives from each institution to make it more readable and easier to search. If you’re doing in-depth research on this item, be sure to take a look at the Data Source tab to see the information exactly as it was provided by the institution.

These records are easy to share because each has a unique web address. You can copy and paste the location from your browser’s address bar into an email, word document, or chat message to share this item with others.

Data
Data Source

This information was automatically generated from data provided by MOA: University of British Columbia. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

Description

Light brown shawl made of two pieces of textile sewn together. There are several lines of geometric designs on the bottom of the textile next to the fringe, which include: “zyak chot” or line dance design, “mun-gu-zyeek chot” or fly design, “bir-ra kum-ba chot” or male goat (or markhor/wild goat) crossed horn, “o-si-chin gam-bu-ri chot” or sallow tree flower design (which is found in the centre), and "mishari chot" or mixed design. The designs are woven from several different colours of wool. The reverse side shows the loose thread ends from the designs. (Part b is a needle used for fastening).

History Of Use

To wear this shawl, a woman wraps it around her body at the height of her armpits starting with one (undecorated) edge lined up above the right breast. It is then wrapped around the body at the back (armpit height) and the woven end goes over the left shoulder and is brought across the chest and pinned to the original edge of the wrap above the right breast.

Narrative

This shawl was woven by a woman from the Dramase clan in the Rumbur Valley. It is made by weaving two separate strips of exactly the same size and design patterns, which are then cut off the loom and stitched together down the center, creating a single garment. The two outermost lines of woven design (those at the top and bottom) represent a line of dancers linked arm in arm.