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Berber Rugs of Morocco
| Article
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12706 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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| Issue
Date : |
3 / 1987 |
2,001 Words |
| Author
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Louise Sheldon
Louise Sheldon is a free-lance writer on the arts living in
Washington, D.C. A former associate editor of Smithsonian and
an assistant editor of Life, she has written on various
aspects of Russian culture. |
Flame-red, burgundy, vivid yellow touched with viper green, brown, or black. These are the colors of the desert, the colors that dressed the ancient caravans that trekked the Sahara. Today the same colors enliven interiors of goat-hair tents and adobe huts on high plateaus. They shine from the trappings of charging horsemen in ceremonial fantasias and in hand-woven rugs displayed in souks all over Morocco. It is not only for their color but for their innate vitality, rhythm, and movement that Berber textiles are cherished today.
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Europeans have long been aware of Berber craftsmanship and regularly import quantities of Moroccan rugs. Interest in the United States, however, still concentrates mainly on the more expensive kilims, or flat weaves, from Central Asia and the Middle East, the carpets stocked by commercial importers. Lately, North African Berber rugs have been increasingly sought after by informed American collectors, who find their spontaneity and color akin to that of the hand-woven textiles of the Navajos.
American travelers compare Morocco to California, a long corridor of land whose ocean shores sweep up to mighty snow-capped mountains. From the Mediterranean, the landscape evolves southward from fertile shrub-covered terrain to the barren sands of the pre-Sahara. Morocco's many climates are mirrored in the diverse character of its 600 tribes, and its mosaic of ethnic groups is reflected in the multiple designs and pattern of its textiles.
For over 2,000 years, weaving has been a way of life for the Berber woman, and in most rural areas, traditions have not changed. As a girl, she learns techniques and tribal designs that she will later use in weaving her family's tent, their bedding, and their clothing. Her chores include cooking and caring for the family as well as carrying water and wood for the fire. Still, she finds time on her loom to provide her family with their only luxuries along with the necessities for living.
The vertical fixed-heddle loom, set into the dirt floor of the tent, is similar to the one found in urban Moroccan homes. Two solid posts are braced at top and bottom with beams held by cords. The warp threads are wound around the lower beam. The subsequent mounting of the warp on the loom is a difficult task that may require the aid of an old woman who will banish yarn-tangling demons. A shed stick holds apart every other warp thread, which has been crossed with its mate during the
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