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.
I love reading about symbolism in crafts!
ReplyDeleteAnd, I did learn how to embroider when I was a teenager. I grew in Brazil and my father sent me to learn traditional Portuguese embroidery with an old woman who was a master at it. She was stern, strict, and scared me. But, she was also very patient and the skills I learned from her have stayed with me for life.
Lovely!! I see your blog is new. I look forward to reading more in the near future. : )
ReplyDeleteMonika in Canada