String and It's Origins
Thank you topearl for posting this article.
Some thoughts it brought up:
"Until the invention of the spindle, for which the earliest current evidence is in the Neolithic (Barber 1994), the only way to create twisted fibre string was by rolling on a part of the body, normally the thigh, or twisting between the fingers. MacKenzie (1991) estimated that it took between 60-80 hours to roll enough string to manufacture one string bag, while looping the string to make the bag took another 100-160 hours. Sillitoe (1988) records the time invested by women in string-making as almost 50 per cent of their manufacturing time, while looping string took a further 35 per cent, making a total of around 85 per cent of women's manufacturing time devoted to string. In Papua New Guinea, string-making and looping were an intrinsic part of women's lives, 'no matter where a Telefolmin woman might be, whether sitting or walking, her hands are rarely idle, her fingers are perpetually working in the continuous tasks of spinning fibres and looping bilums' (MacKenzie 1991)."
In the various fiber classes I have taught over the years, I have always tried to emphasize just how much time spinning fiber took up in a common woman’s life. Even with the invention of the spindle, there was always more fiber to spin.* I have seen images of all social classes of women engaged in fiber manipulation, from spinning to fine embroidery. It was simply an expected part of every woman’s life.
These discussions always bring up all sorts of interesting discussions of 'women's work' and contributions to family; But I think that the point of the IMPORTANCE of this work is often missed due to modern viewpoints on anything referred to as ‘women’s labor’. This wasn’t just something that women did because they were forced to; they were better at it (see article for specifics, this isn't me bashing later period men who took up the Guild standards for this sort of work), their form of society was more apt to take up the task and it provided benefits the their entire culture (which would have suffered mightily without the contribution).
It is also interesting to think about the value given to fiber cloth based on the context of the time it takes to manufacture.
* Think of our modern ‘time saving’ devises and how much time is actually saved by using them.
Some thoughts it brought up:
"Until the invention of the spindle, for which the earliest current evidence is in the Neolithic (Barber 1994), the only way to create twisted fibre string was by rolling on a part of the body, normally the thigh, or twisting between the fingers. MacKenzie (1991) estimated that it took between 60-80 hours to roll enough string to manufacture one string bag, while looping the string to make the bag took another 100-160 hours. Sillitoe (1988) records the time invested by women in string-making as almost 50 per cent of their manufacturing time, while looping string took a further 35 per cent, making a total of around 85 per cent of women's manufacturing time devoted to string. In Papua New Guinea, string-making and looping were an intrinsic part of women's lives, 'no matter where a Telefolmin woman might be, whether sitting or walking, her hands are rarely idle, her fingers are perpetually working in the continuous tasks of spinning fibres and looping bilums' (MacKenzie 1991)."
In the various fiber classes I have taught over the years, I have always tried to emphasize just how much time spinning fiber took up in a common woman’s life. Even with the invention of the spindle, there was always more fiber to spin.* I have seen images of all social classes of women engaged in fiber manipulation, from spinning to fine embroidery. It was simply an expected part of every woman’s life.
These discussions always bring up all sorts of interesting discussions of 'women's work' and contributions to family; But I think that the point of the IMPORTANCE of this work is often missed due to modern viewpoints on anything referred to as ‘women’s labor’. This wasn’t just something that women did because they were forced to; they were better at it (see article for specifics, this isn't me bashing later period men who took up the Guild standards for this sort of work), their form of society was more apt to take up the task and it provided benefits the their entire culture (which would have suffered mightily without the contribution).
It is also interesting to think about the value given to fiber cloth based on the context of the time it takes to manufacture.
* Think of our modern ‘time saving’ devises and how much time is actually saved by using them.