sprice@hsc.vcu.edu
Dear All, Diffusion of motifs; that is, the adoption of motifs typical of
one group's weaving by another group, is pretty common. Is this like the
adoption of foreign words into a language? If so, why? Is it because the
motif seemed pretty to someone? Introduced to the group's vocabulary by
marriage? Or what? Right now there's a little discussion on our Show and
Tell board about a piece that offers a specific example of this.  All of the design elements are
what we normally think of as Yomud. The "ram's horn trees", the border,
are Yomud "words". But the piece isn't. Structurally (dyed cotton wefts,
palette, goathair warps, asymmetric knots), it's probably Chodor, perhaps
something else. So we can ask the question, how did this Yomud vocabulary
find its way into a Chodor (let' call it that for conversational purposes)
trapping? Here are some possibilities. 1. The motifs predate the
separation of some of the Turkmen tribes, so both have carried it for a
long time. I think not, for we don't see either motif beyond the Yomud and
Chodor - the Tekke seem not to use these words, for instance. 2. Some
mystical importance? That's an unlikely thing to transplant across
cultures, even related ones. 3. Tribal identification. It makes no sense
at all to suppose that the Chodor would want to be identified as Yomuds.
One sensible explanation would be that a Chodor woman married into a Yomud
group and, therefore, adopted Yomud designs but did them in the
techniques, structure and materials with which she had been raised.
Plausible, but the materials would probably not be readily at hand in the
new tribal setting. Particularly, the dyes, which are not normally made by
the women who weave. How about a Yomud woman marrying into a Chodor group?
That actually begins to make sense. Costa, am I making progress or just
noise? Steve Price |