Slow and Indigenous Approaches to Textiles Arts

Abstract

People throughout the world have worked with textiles and yarns for as long as humans have needed protection against the elements, and gear and utensils to catch food, carry firewood and capture the wind. Thus, we consider the social and cultural importance of textile art and craft production, along with the knowledge sharing related to these practices. Such practices have elements of historic tradition along with contemporary practices. Making with one’s hands is an inherently slow practice at a lived pace. Crafting can also aid in our disconnection from linear time and reconnect us with our past, present and future, whether in the form of hand-spinning, weaving, knitting or other techniques. These vary with location, culture and over time, as textiles are also created out of necessity concerning living and natural conditions; but there is a persistence in the desire to make-by-hand. Currently, there is a growing interest in crafting, and the volume of online stores, and classes that focus on ‘hand-made’, attest to a renewed focus on origin and how things are made. But in addition to learning how, we must also consider why, what and where we make and gather our materials. Why do we make the things we do, why did our ancestors, what does it mean to us now? Here, we have chosen to describe the importance of textiles in Indigenous cultures.