Posted by Wendel Swan on December 18, 1998 at 13:07:47:
In Reply to: The Oops! Taxonomy posted by Yon Bard on December 18, 1998 at 08:39:36:
Yon has suggested a "class 4" reason for design irregularities in addition to those commonly accepted:
"4. Tradition: The weaver intentionally tampers with the design in specific ways dictated by tradition."
As either a variation of or alternative to this concept, I suggest that we consider the fact that rug weaving is, in essence, a process of copying. For a variety of reasons, variations appear within a weaving group and those variations are perpetuated. It may be that someone adds or deletes a border or changes some element, whether by intention or by mistake, and that variation is copied by other weavers.
I am the constant cynic when the question of a weaver's intention arises. We may clearly see what a weaver intended to copy but the motives in such a communal project (the rug craft) are impossible to determine. Beyond that even, the continuum of design tradtion is so long that I question even whether an entire culture's intention can be divined.
Wendel