Investigation And Research On Traditional Looms In Northwestern Guizhou

The northwestern Guizhou is located in the Wumeng mountainous area in the southwestern China.The complex physical geographical environment factors have made the minorities scattered among the lofty mountains in a relatively closed social development environment for a long time,so that their traditional textile machinery and skills have been preserved.The rope and spinning of plant fiber used in primitive society appeared in the late Paleolithic period.The ancestors went from "Neither weaving nor dressing" " Use leather reeds as clothes" to "Weaving clothes".The traditional looms are produced due to the needs of production and living,occupying an important position in the development of human civilization.The loom culture developed with the development of social productivity and became more colorful with the progress of human civilization.The study takes traditional looms in the ethnic minority areas of northwest Guizhou as the research object by conducting research and analysis of weaving,archeology,folklore and design.It enables people to understand and appreciate the traditional textile culture of the ethnic minority areas in northwestern Guizhou.It mainly uses research methods that combine documentary evidence and field investigations.It includes both a horizontal loom comparison study and a vertical excavation and discussion of the textile history of the ethnic minority areas in northwest Guizhou.For a long time,the looms in the ethnic minority areas of northwestern Guizhou has been used as a productivity tool in the era of agricultural economy,carrying the survival struggle of tribes in the ethnic minority areas of northwestern Guizhou to overcome difficulties and obstacles to settle in the mountains.Focusing on the regional culture,the distribution of looms in a certain area,the loom structure and weaving technology are studied through field investigations.During the fieldwork,there are three traditional looms in the ethnic minority areas of northwestern Guizhou: Tic Tac Toe loom,half-frame waist loom and leveled loom:(1)Among the existing traditional looms in the ethnic areas of northwestern Guizhou,the Tic Tac Toe loom has unique characteristics in terms of structure and weaving technology.The Yi in Panzhou have used the loom for a long time to weave the local traditional plain weave.The loom is a type with double-healds and double-pedals which is built according to the room,hangs the warp at fixed points and weaves on the side.This traditional weaving technology still has certain economic benefits and practical value in the more remote Yi villages in Panzhou.Based on the primary data obtained from the field investigation and related literature research,an in-depth analysis of the specific structural characteristics and weaving process characteristics of the loom is carried out.From the dual perspectives of the loom structure and weaver weaving,the shape and weaving characteristics of the loom are summarized.The loom has increased its dependence on the walls of houses due to the simplified construction structure.The weaver can weave the fabric with a maximum width of about 19 cm due to the side stance and single foot control of the double pedals.(2)The half-frame waist loom,distributed in the Hmong Ethnic Group settlements of Qixingguan and Dafang,Bijie,is a kind of loom with warp beam frame and human body tension to weave traditional plain fabrics,warp-dyed fabrics and cross-patterned fabrics.Although the loom is relatively simple in structure,it has strong applicability and still has great practical value in remote Hmong villages in northwestern Guizhou.Based on field investigations and related literature studies,from the dual perspectives of loom structure and weaver weaving,the research analyzes and summaries the shape and weaving characteristics of the Hmong half-frame waist loom.Because the loom has only warp beams,it is dependent on the external space and the human body.(3)The traditional loom with the widest distribution and the largest influence in northwestern Guizhou is the interactive double-healds and double-pedals leveled loom,which is used for the weaving of plain fabrics of primary colors,yarn-dyed plain weaves and cross-patterned fabrics in the local area.The author investigated Yuezhao Yi,Hui,and Hmong Township in Zhongshan District,Suoga,Hmong,Yi and Hui Township in Liuzhi District,Linquan Township,Honglin Yi and Hmong Township,Jinpo Hmong and Yi Manchu Township,Tieshi Hmong and Yi Township in Qianxi County,Xingfa Hmong and Yi Township in Hezhang County and Agong Town in Zhijin County.The research statistics the geographical distribution of the leveled looms.It analyzes the technological process of weaving various fabrics on the leveled loom.The structural characteristics weaving characteristics and specific processes of leveled loom also be analyzed.The research also conduct the comparative study on the structural characteristics of loom,summarize the similarities and differences in the form and warp-surface spatial distribution of leveled loom in the ethnic minority areas of northwestern Guizhou.Furthermore,it classifies and compares their protection status and analyzes the reasons for their formation.After research and analysis,the following conclusions are mainly formed:(1)Analyze the three kind of traditional looms in the ethnic minority areas of northwestern Guizhou from a holistic research perspective.These looms have the structures ranging from relying on external support to complete frame support.They have the loom layouts ranging from expansion to aggregation.During the weaving process of the loom,there is a correlation between the weaving position of the weaver and the width of the fabric.(2)Natural geographical factors are the objective basis for the ecological composition of traditional loom culture.The stable and closed geographical environment has created conditions for the development of the diversity and richness of the traditional loom system in northwestern Guizhou.Northwest Guizhou has formed different types of looms and weaving technology.Biological resources with regional characteristics provide the basic materials for the production of the fabric and looms.The choice of biological resources for loom production depends on the structural design of the loom.The simpler the loom structure,the more dependent it is on natural raw materials.The influence of regional biological resources on weaving materials is reflected in the types of weaving raw materials.The textile materials in northwestern Guizhou are dominated by hemp and ramie.It is a remarkable fact that there is a change from silk spinning to wool spinning in the region from east to west.(3)Humanistic and social factors are the internal driving force for the formation of the traditional loom system.In historical records that can be tested,the traditional looms in northwestern Guizhou and their corresponding weaving technology have undergone two renewal movements.The top-down loom improvement movement was led by the feudal ruling class in the Ming and Qing dynasties.Then the horizontally spread loom improvement movement was initiated by the people in Modern Period.The renewal movements promoted the renewal of the traditional loom system in northwestern Guizhou and development.(4)Under the historical background that the level of social productivity has not yet developed,the traditional loom in northwestern Guizhou is an important production tool to ensure the multiplication of ethnic groups.The looms have irreplaceable regional applicability values,behind which are the simple thinking will and creation ideas of the ancestors of the ethnic groups in northwestern Guizhou.Based on the related research on traditional looms in the ethnic minority areas,the research is expected to activate the minorities’ confidence in the traditional culture of their ethnic group,awaken their consciousness of subjectivity as the creators of regional textile culture,so as to give full play to the active role of the subject population.It also hopes to arouse the society’s attention to regional traditional textile culture,strengthen national self-confidence,strengthen family and country feelings.The traditional looms and their corresponding technology are returned to the original textile culture environment,with their original textile culture as the core,and continuously integrated into the characteristics of the new era,making the original textile culture richer and richer with the development of the times.It is the long-term way to protect the material and cultural heritage.