Posted by Pat Weiler on February 07, 1999 at 14:52:31:
In Reply to: Re: Human Images on Turkmen Textiles posted by Pat Weiler on February 06, 1999 at 11:52:35:
: : Dear Marvin and Friends,
: : Although I don't have references at my fingertips right now, there are two kinds of Turkmen textiles in which unambiguous human images can be found. One is in the upper field of some Yomud asmalyks. Curiously, the human figures in these are sometimes headless. The other is near the ends of some tentbands.
: : I can't think of any other Turkmen weavings in which human representations are clearly the intent of the weaver. Does anyone else know of some? We've had some earlier discussions that included what might be interpreted as humans on Turkmen weavings, but it was not possible to know if that was the weaver's intention.
: : Steve Price
: Steve:
: I read in an old ORR that headless Turkomen were not woven until just after a big military defeat during which many of them were beheaded. Does this mean that the origins of the Afghan War Rugs is actually 100 year old Turkomans? {:-)
The ORR isJune/July 1992. The article is "Preserving Tradition" Yomud Village Weaving 1960-1990, by A.S. Teselkin.
He says: " One of my Turkoman friends once told me that some weavers consider the gochak designs not only to be a horned head but also a decapitated human body! He further revealed that decapitated human version of the gochak had its genesis 100 years ago when the Russian army defeated Turkoman troops."