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Start Over Subject(s) basket Subject(s) spindle whorl

1. Spinning cotton thread, Gbao, 1982

Description:
Ma Fiԑn of Gbao (left) and Abena Wusu of Dompofie (right) spin cotton thread. Their spindles (gԑndԑ in Nafaanra) are weighted by fired clay spindle whorls (gԑndԑ kaan in Nafaanra) which help the spindle to maintain an even spin. Ma Fiԑn uses a calabash bowl as a spinning surface. Abena Wusu uses an enamel-ware bowl placed on a basket. They use their right hand to guide thread onto the spindle as it spins. In their left hand they hold the raw cotton from which the thread is being spun. They control the tension and flow of the cotton by alternately pulling back and easing their left hands. Thread forms as the spindle spins, with the finished product building up in layers toward the spindle's lower end, near the whorl. The baskets on top of which they spin used to store spinning equipment when not in use. Until recent decades, spinning was a routine household activity for women who then gave thread to men skilled in weaving to make cloth for the household. Spindle whorls found on archaeological sites dating to the late 18th and 19th centuries tell us that spinning was also a household activity during those centuries. In the photo's background harvested foods are drying (groundnut, cassava, chili pepper). A large basket and other containers (including a plastic tub) sit next to dried calabash ready to be sent to market. To the right, a clay water pot (chͻkoo in Nafaanra) rests on a metal basin and in the top right is a metal water barrel. Four photos. Gbao, September, 1982.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Relation:
https://exhibits.library.uvic.ca/spotlight/iaff/catalog/17-16830 ; https://exhibits.library.uvic.ca/spotlight/iaff/catalog/17-16831
Location(s) Facet:
Gbao
Subjects:
Plastic containers; Chͻkoo (chokoo); Cotton thread; Techniques; Water barrels; Women's work
Subjects Facet:
Gourd, Calabash; Enameled ware; Handicraft; Spinning; Spindle whorls; West African strip weaving; Baskets; Water
Identifier:
27; 23; 24; 25
Creator:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1982
Date searchable:
1982-09
Genre:
;35 mm slide
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Gbao;8.147021, -2.362744
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
8.147021, -2.362744

2. Spinning cotton thread, Dumboli, 1994

Description:
A woman in Dumboli spins cotton thread. She holds raw cotton fiber in her left hand. She has attached a strand of fiber to her spindle (gԑndԑ in Nafaanra), and she prepares to set it and the spindle whorl (gԑndԑ kaan in Nafaanra) which weights it in motion with her right hand. The whorl spins inside a small white vessel (possibly an animal skull or turtle shell) resting on a basket lid. The woman sits on a low stool. Various containers used in food preparation sit behind her. The basket on which she is spinning is used to store her equipment when not in use. Seeing women spinning in their homes would have been common before the second half of the 20th century. Archaeologists find spindle whorls in houses on sites dating to the later 18th and 19th centuries. In earlier times, however, it appears that thread was primarily made in market centers rather than in households. Two photos. Dumboli, 1994.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Location(s) Facet:
Dumboli
Subjects:
Cotton thread; Women's work; Techniques
Subjects Facet:
Handicraft; Spinning; Spindle whorls; Baskets
Identifier:
18
Creator:
Dr. M. Dores Cruz
Contributors:
Dr. Ann B. Stahl
Date searchable:
1994
Date searchable:
1994
Genre:
35 mm slide
Genre Facet:
35 mm slide
Location(s):
Dumboli;8.090342, -2.517137
Date Digitized:
2016
People Facet:
Dr. M. Dores Cruz
Commentary:
Slide scanned by Veronique Plante
Geographic Coordinates:
8.090342, -2.517137