MayaMam Weavers and TAFA List

Some time ago, we were invited to join the TAFA List -- "Textile and Fiber Artists." This has been a wonderful association for us. It is a "virtual" community of entrepreneurs rooted in textile and fiber arts and traditions currently drawn from 23 different countries. TAFA brings together old and new traditions, just as we try to create contemporary textile products drawn from our ancient weaving and embroidery heritage. Plus, most TAFA members are committed to fair trade and environmentally sustainable products and practices. Participating in TAFA List has opened our eyes to the opportunities for marketing on the internet as well as given us a community of artists to share concerns and ideas with. We invite you to take a look at the TAFA List website to learn more about the organization and see the wide range of beautiful products that our community produces (and sells!)
(By the way, TAFA List is in the middle of a fund-raising campaign to raise funds to create an improved website -- consider donating when you visit the website.)

Visit TAFA List's website at www.tafalist.com

Delfina's Weave Design

After we learned how to weave with 4 pedals instead of two, we decided to create our own design. We each created a little sampler, and then we chose Delfina's design as our favorite. It amazes us how the colors almost shimmer in the design. We were a bit surprised after we changed the size of our reed to see how the pattern changed as well (remember we are relatively new at this...) Now we have been trying different combinations of colors and making them into shawls, which seem to be pretty popular. Don't forget to check out our Etsy shop!

Who is Kawok?

Kawok is the name of the Nawal (energy) we based our logo on. The literal translation of Kawok is "management and administration". She (yes, she) is the symbol of the capacity to direct and to make decisions. But she is especially important to the women of MayaMam Weavers because she is the energy of midwives and represents the day of the grandmothers. Grandmothers for us are both our biological grandmothers who guide us in our daily lives, but also our ancestral grandmothers dating back generations who still provide us with counsel in how to live well.

Kawok receives her energy from B'atz, the Nawal/energy that means thread (or monkey) and is obviously very important to us weavers as well. Each of the 20 Nawals are important to us because they help us reflect on and understand our relationship with nature and the universe, and with that understanding we are better able to live in harmony with her.

Fairly Traded

Although MayaMam Weavers haven’t been formally certification as Fair Trade, we are enthusiastic about this market of conscientious consuming. As you know, Fair Trade means that we, the artisans that make the products, are paid “fairly” for our work. What does “fairly” mean? Well, for us it means that our work will help us provide food, clothes, medical care, and education for our children (and ourselves). It has become a movement in the world to recognize that when you work you shouldn’t have to stay trapped in poverty. Since that means the prices of goods rise, we try to eliminate as much of the middleman as possible. In our case we have a volunteer who works to sell our products in the U.S. And, we look for consumers who are looking for high quality products at fair – but not cheap – prices. We take pride in our work and we are equally proud of being able to provide for our children.

You can learn more about fair trade on a new web-based exhibition called “Sustainable Fashion.” (You will find that we are one of the collaborators!)

http://trendyearth.blogspot.com/

Ergonomic Benches for Backstrap Weavers – No More Pain!

We collaborate with another cooperative here in Cajolá that was also started as part of the work of Grupo Cajolá. (Grupo Cajolá is a community group that is working for the economic and social development of our town of Cajolá.)

It all began with our complaints that our weaving caused us pain. Through networking we found Karen Piegorsch, of Synergo Arts, who had worked with weavers here in Guatemala to design an ergonomic bench that eliminates the pain we were experiencing in weaving on our backstrap looms. She visited us for the first time in 2009, and planted a seed that we could even make the benches here in Cajolá. So, one thing led to another, and Grupo Cajolá organized a group of men to form a cooperative to make the benches. And we, MayaMam Weavers, became a part of the project as well.

The foot loom weavers weave the cloth that is used on the cushions, the seamstresses sew the cushions, and the backstrap weavers were trained in ergonomics so that they could be technical saleswomen for the benches. And, best of all, the backstrap loom weavers can weave without pain. The first photo shows how the bench gives Anciona more strength while she is weaving, and the other photo shows the bench ready to be sold.

Another great outcome of this project has been the cloth used to cover the cushions. It was proposed by Yobani, the master carpenter, with the design of the traditional huipil (blouse) of Cajolá, the main difference being that it is made of cotton instead of wool. And that fabric has caught the eye of everyone, so has led to other products such as vests, crib mattresses, aprons, and fabric by the yard. Serendipity.

By the way, if you want to learn more about the benches see Synergo Arts web site.
www.synergoarts.org

Our Embroidery

We all learned to embroider as young girls. Nearly all the products that we make as MayaMam Weavers have an embroidery, and these embroideries come from our cosmovision through our collective memories. Some of us understand the symbols, while others not as well, since our culture has been under enormous repression for 500 years. We include an embroidery design on most of our products because they are beautiful, of course, but also as a way to share with other cultures some of the wisdom that our ancestors have handed down to us. We have prepared a small pamphlet explaining some of the symbols that we can send you if you give us your email or postal address.

The photo above shows the embroidery we have placed on the striped napkins that match our placemat and table runner sets. The symbol is “noj” which is a Maya Mam word (remember, we Mam people have our own language) which means wisdom. It is a special symbol because it is one of the 20 symbols for the days in our sacred calendar. Each of the 20 days has a special name and a special meaning along with a special appearance. They are called “nawals” and signify a kind of energy.

The Seamstresses

We seamstresses have a different history than the rest of the group. We were members or daughters of members of another group that had been formed to look for solutions for some of their needs.  After  that group had accomplished their original goal of acquiring sinks for each woman's house (they had access to water but no sinks to help them in washing dishes or clothes) they decided they wanted to learn to sew on a sewing machine. Some of the women wanted to pass this opportunity on to their daughters, so our seamstresses include some of the earlier group's members and some daughters.

We learned to sew on pedal sewing machines that we still use, and eventually joined with the women of the MayaMam group to do the sewing.  In addition to the sewing, we are responsible for coordinating the production of all the sewn products. This means making sure that all the materials are available as well as coordinating the hand embroidery that is the signature of our products. Although we began with simple straight sewing, little by little we have learned more complex techniques such as mitered corners, inset zippers, lining, and  inset pockets. We have also learned to use the electric serger and make buttonholes on an electric machine. The pedal sewing machines are practical because we often lose our electricity, but we would like to get more experience n the electric machines so we can do our work a bit faster.