A REPORT OF MINOR RESEARCH PROJECT

CULTURAL VALUE ADDITION OF SILK-LINEN SAREES THROUGH THE ADAPTATION OF AFRICAN

ADINKRA TEXTILE DESIGN MOTIFS

LIZ THANKOM MATHEW

Assistant Professor (On Contract) Dept. of Fashion Technology

Assumption College, Autonomous Changanacherry, Kottayam, Kerala-686101

SUBMITTED

TO

UNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISSION

  

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the Minor Project Report titled “Cultural Value

Addition of Hand Woven Silk Linen Sarees through the Adaptation of

Traditional African Adinkra Textile Design Motifs” (1935-MRP/14-

15/KLMG034/UGC-SWRO ) are the outcome of the investigations carried

out by me at Assumption College, Changanacherry, Kottayam, Kerala

according to the plan and proposal and guidelines of the University grants

Commission and the same has not been submitted earlier.

April 30, 2018 Liz Thankom Mathew

Principal Investigator

  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude to The Principal,

Assumption College, Changanacherry for providing all the support and

encouragement for the effective conduct of this minor research project. I am

grateful to my colleagues of the Dept. of Fashion Technology, for their co-

operation and help.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the University Grants Commission

for the financial assistance.

I express my sincere thanks to Mr. Thiyaneswaran for his rendering

of technical assistance during the project period.

My special bouquet of thanks to G.D.R. Silks, Sathyamangalam for

their perseverance, support and timely assistance.

Above all, I thank God Almighty for His perennial source of blessings

showered upon me always.

Liz Thankom Mathew

  

CONTENTS

Sl. No. Title Page No. Abstract

List of Tables

List of Plates

1. Introduction 1

2. Review of Literature 5

2.1 Traditional Textiles of the World

2.2 Hand weaving in India

2.3 Incorporation of Traditional Motifs in

Designing for Sarees

3. Materials and Methods 15

3.1 Collection of Suitable Adinkra Textile Motifs

3.2 Design Development of saree Borders and Pallavs

3.3 Evaluation and Finalization of Artworks

3.4 Identification of Reliable Source for Weaving

3.5 Collection of the Final Product

4. Result and Discussion 18

4.1 Identification of Suitable Adinkra Textile Motifs

4.2 Design Development

4.3 Evaluation and Finalization of Layouts

4.4 Product Development

4.5 Collection of the Final Woven Saree

5. Conclusion 41

6. References 43

Appendix 46

  

ABSTRACT

Textile art refers to all textile based decorations. This art was inspired

by nature and developed through natural resources of the countries and the

available tools and materials. Throughout history, fashion and textiles have

reflected the influence of culture and conventions by the inclusion of popular

design motifs. Hand weaving is a symbol of versatility and creativity of living

craft. But the handloom sector is facing stiff competition from power loom

and mechanized sector. One way to empower handloom weavers and build

their capacity to enhance competitiveness of their products in the domestic as

well as global market in a sustainable and reliable manner is to provide them

with new and appealing design patterns. As the predilection for eco-friendly

garments caught on, hand woven linen and linen blends have become a

fashionable alternative to silks. Silk linen is aesthetically and functionally

valued for its blend of luxury of silk and the distinct and specific properties

such as excellent absorbing qualities, natural strength, luster, durability and

healing benefits. African textiles are characterized by their bright colours and

intricate patterns. ‘ADINKRA TEXTILES ‘were traditionally made for

royalty to wear at religious occasions. These cloths are block printed and

patterned using the Adinkra symbols with different meanings. The people use

a black dye made out of a bark and it is what gives its name. The main

colours used are red brown and black. The proposed research was focused on

introducing the Adinkra Textile motifs into hand woven silk –linen saree

lengths to make it a better alternative for both formal and informal occasions.

It aimed at reviving both African and Indian traditional wears and served as

an initiative towards popularizing the less known African Tradition and

towards the aesthetic value addition of the six yard long Indian traditional

  

hand woven wonder-the saree. The experimental study involved the

adaptation of the above said Adinkra motifs for designing for the body part of

the saree to contrast with the border and pallav of silk linen sarees. Various

Adinkra motifs were collected, analysed and considered for design

development. Five saree layouts were developed with different placement of

motifs. The layouts were subjected to evaluation by a panel often judges. The

selected layout was taken for further development as the saree. A reliable

source for weaving was identified and the designs were edited using

computers to suit the weaving particulars and to facilitate weaving at the

identified source. The raw materials required were procured and the weaving

was done successfully with rarely any difficulties. The final product was

collected and report of the study was submitted.

  

LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Title

Table No.1 Score obtained for the Designs

Table No. 2 Product Cost Calculation

Table No.3 Cost Evaluation

  

LIST OF PLATES

Plate No. Title

Plate 1 - 2 Adinkra Motifs

Plate 3 - 7 Artworks

Plate 8 Computer Edited Final Design

Plate 9 Punched Cards

Plate 10 - 11 Saree Weaving at Sathyamangalam

Plate 12 Loom with the Warp.

Plate 13 Weaving of the Saree

Plate 14 Folding and Packing

Plate 15 - 16 Final Woven product

  

1. INTRODUCTION

Textiles reveal the history of the world, rise and fall of civilizations,

great adventures of conquest, religion and trade. The Silk Route also known

as Silk Road was not only for the trade of spices, precious metals and other

items of value, but also for the trading of the most luxurious and desirable

commodity of all – the silk textiles and facilitated the introduction of less

known traditional textiles to other parts of the world as part of trade. The

word textile comes from the Latin verb “Texere” which means ´To weave, to

braid or to construct”. These textiles were first made of perishable materials

like animal fur, wool, linen, cotton or silk. The development of better quality

yarn and further experiments resulted in fixed structures for making textiles

on which one set of the threads could be stretched out to maintain tension

and the other set could be woven in and out with fingers. Further

developments led to the invention of the heddles followed by the loom for

weaving. The decoration of such made textiles evolved as a result of textures

produced during the process of construction and the use of colored yarns

along with. From these humble beginnings, weavers ultimately explored the

complexities of tapestry, brocades and extra warp and weft figuring. Another

method of decoration included the design application to the surface of a

piece of finished cloth employing pigments and dyes which helped in

achieving the sophistication of batik, ikat and multicolored painting. The

experience of tailoring cloth, patching and mending it, the sewing skills were

developed and the decorative possibilities of the stitches themselves led to

the refined art of embroidery.

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Hand weaving using wool and linen fibers readily available in the

immediate environment has been a part of human life for thousands of years.

These fibers are usually dyed with plant material from local area and are

made into yarn. The craft of weaving these yarns is carried out on a piece of

specially constructed equipment known as the loom whose purpose is to

hold one set of threads (the warp) under tension to make it possible to weave

another set of threads(the weft). Even though mechanical looms are most

common now a day, hand weaving is carried out for more reasons than

simple house hold needs. The skills of hand weaving are now handed on

more for their craft and artistic value than any sense of necessity. It is still a

vital part of the economy in developing countries both in terms of preserving

traditions and attracting tourists.

The availability of a particular material along with the social values,

climate and life style of a community develops its distinctive traditional

characteristics. Tradition is not static and evolves gradually with all the

influences of a community, textiles and clothes people wear describes their

sense of identity and belonging, marital status protects the wearer from evil

spirits and accidents and also attracts good luck. However even today, many

communities around the world retain their traditional costumes and textiles

as a living symbol of their cultural identity.

African traditional textiles have been the subject of much study for

decades concentrating on their aesthetics. Traditionally made African

textiles are known for its brightness of colors, motifs and patterns. Among

the many printed Adinkra made by the Ashante people of Ghana have been

associated with symbols are used for marriages funerals and other such

occasions. They are either over dyed red or black or retain their white

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background. The motifs are printed with stamps carved out of Calabashes

and each motif possesses specific ritual meaning. The symbols also can be

literal, representing everyday objects such as fruits and flowers. As many as

one hundred and fifty motifs may exist and definitely serves as a source of

inspiration for experimental research in textile designing.

Saree is the quintessential Indian female garment and it comes in

various styles, from textured hand woven fabrics to sheer luxurious silks.

Even today, a multiplicity of sarees still exists, created in a wide range of

fabrics and designs reflecting India’s great cultural diversity. The saree’s

origin is obscure; but it is known that Indians were wearing it long before

tailored cloth arrived. Sarees are either hand loom woven or power loom

made. Hand woven sarees are highly priced and its finer details of good

hand loom weaving can be well recognized. The saree is mainly divided into

three areas; the borders, the pallav and the body part. The border usually

extends the full length of the saree, the end piece or the pallav is draped over

the shoulders and left to hang over the back or front. The saree body part can

also be embellished with designs woven, embroidered or printed, or

traditionally unadorned. Today south is India’s major saree weaving regions

producing sarees in silk cotton, linen, rayon, polyester etc. Since these sarees

are sold throughout India, many traditional Indian designs have become

incorporated for designing. The sarees of south India are woven mainly with

the incandescent silk yarn and the gleam of gold – the zari. Even though the

sarees were traditionally either by structure or by the use of zari alone, the

quest for ethnicity from the mass market demanded the incorporation of new

and different design elements in its structuring. To cater to the present day

design requirements, the idea of cultural integration in designing for hand

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woven’s through the adaptation of traditions from other parts of the world

would be a viable option as previous experiments have become popular.

While working with the idea of design innovations the basic yarn

requirement is a very important factor to deal with. Though silk offers luster,

drape and softness to fabrics, it is very expensive and that is what makes it a

rare choice in the commercial market. The blending of silk with other natural

yarns while weaving provides distinct and specific properties to the end

fabric. Linen is the natural fiber whose evidence of use can be dated back to

Upper Paleolithic age. Now a day, wearing linen is not only style but also a

necessity to keep oneself cool in the hot and humid weather outside. A blend

of silk and linen could be a wise choice as it is purely eco-friendly and

affordable.

In this light, the proposed study “Cultural Value Addition of Silk-

Linen Sarees through the Adaptation of African Adinkra Textile Design

Motifs”, seek to bring in an aesthetic innovation based on the old, but with

additions from other regional textile traditions with the following objectives

• To highlight the eco- friendliness and comfort factor of silk –linen

fabrics

• To popularize the value and wealth of the said tradition and traditional

wears

• To identify the most suitable Adinkra motifs to be recreated on silk –

linen sarees

• To rejuvenate the charm and beauty of one of the world’s oldest

surviving garment

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2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1 Traditional Textiles of the World

Tradition is not static. It is a living thing that evolves gradually with

all the influences on a community. (John Gillow and Bryan Sentence, 1999)

The availability of a particular material has led to the localized specialization

in specific techniques. When this is combined with the dictates of social

values and the influence of climate and lifestyle, a community’s textile

develop distinctive traditional characteristics.

From the ancient times to the present day, methods of textile

production have continually evolved and the choices of textile available

have influenced how people carried their possessions, clothed themselves

and their surroundings (History of Clothing and Textiles, Wikipedia.org,

2017).

Textile craft and textile design have always had important social,

cultural and economic impacts on individuals and communities. The cultural

heritage of textiles (Camilla Ebert et.al., 2016)is a living tradition inherited

from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants. It encompasses the

knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts and the language and

terminologies used to describe both the activities and material outcomes 

Craft production has its origin in the transmission of knowledge down

through many generations. This happens orally and is reproduced by

imitation (Jose Ruben Ornates Garcia, 2012).

Throughout human history one look at a man's clothing could tell you

more than his words, his social standing, wealth, class military rank and

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more. (Jamie Jackson, 2017) Historically cloth was unique to its region and

country tying in- sometimes literally- elements of the land and the people

that live there.

2.1.1 African Traditional Textiles

In Africa cloth may be used as a way of celebrating or commemorating

some and even a particular person a political which in another other parts of

the world might be written down in detail and circumscribed with the dates or

which require a plate or some other kind of monument history of Africa

maybe a ride told and recorded in cloth. Cloth may sometimes offer a means

of understanding the regions, political, social or military history of African

people in the absence of a detailed written historical account (Chris spring,

2012).

Traditionally made textiles (John Gillow, 2009) have in many parts of

Africa been superseded by factory made cloth, which is often preferred for

its brightness of color, ease of washing. Nevertheless there are two main

factors in preserving the African handcrafted cloth making tradition. First, it

is still considered essential that traditional cloths are worn at change of life

ceremonies in general and at funerals in particular. Second, fashion has an

important role to play.

The major weaving regions are in North Africa, parts of Congo Basin

and East Africa including Madagascar (Dale I Deins, 2013).

The Ashante were the dominant people of West Africa’s Gold Coast.

The Ashante weave their famous ‘Kente’ cloth in cotton or silk. The term

‘Kente’ is not used by the Ashante themselves, but may have derived from

the Fante word ‘Kenten’ meaning basket. It refers to the chequer board

appearance of the cloths. Blue, green, yellow, red and Magenta are the

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colours used for the main body of the voluminous cloths worn by men with

contrasting Colours for the weft faced and floating supplementary weft

details. The Ashante only use geometric non-figurative motifs in their

weaving. Each motif has a proverb associated with it and the cloth is given a

name such as ‘Liars cloth’ or ‘Waterboatman’. In Ghana as in many parts of

Africa funerals have great symbolic value and mourners dress in dark

somber colours. In the village of Ntonso, close to Bonwir (the centre of

Ashante weaving) and the great market town of Kumasi, specially

commissioned robes of ‘Adinkra’ clothes made for funerals and mourning

are over dyed red or black, but others retain their white background and are

woven at festive occasions. The design motives for ‘Adinkra’ are carved into

the hard outer surface of sections of Calabash (John Gillow, 2009).

The Yoruba are masters of the Indigo Dyeing process. The Yoruba

term for stitched resist in Indigo is 'adire alabere'. Yoruba women fold and

pleat cloth in numerous ways before stitching in a resist. Raphia thread is the

most common form of resist. The Yoruba have many different 'adire alabere'

designs which are given such names as 'Plantain', 'Cocoa', Tribal 'Marks' and

'Fingers'.

2.1.2 Adinkra Textiles

Ghana is one of the very few countries in sub-SaharanAfrica where

block printing of cloth is carried out. As the base fabric (John Gillow, 2001)

of Adinkra clothes the skilled textile printers use lengths of Chinese mill

cloth measuring four yards by three yards. Onto this they print moon, fern

and many other traditional motifs (each of which has its own symbolic

meaning) using a stamp carved out of a calabash gourd.

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Adinkra (Diane VHorn, 2012) a rectangular, toga sized cloth is

decorated with stamped designs of symbols representing proverbs, historical

events, persons or objects. Adinkra, the name of the dye, means “Goodbye”

and the cloth was originally worn when guests where departing or during

funeral ceremonies. Traditionally, black designs were stamped in squares

drawn on black or rusted colored cloth.

The Ashante of Ghana use stamps cut from calabash gourds to print

Adinkra cloth. There are many different motifs, having magical or

allegorical meaning, and these are printed in groups on a large cloth that has

been (John Gillow and Bryan Sentence, 1999) marked out in squares. The

ink, derived from bark and iron slag, is always black or brown and the

background is usually either white or bark dyed blue black. Adinkra cloth

sare not used on a daily basis, but on ritual and special occasion such as

funerals.

The Adinkra symbols express various themes that relate to the history,

beliefs and philosophy of Ashante. They mostly have rich (Valentina

ATetteh, 2006) proverbial meaning since proverbs play an important role in

Ashante culture. The use of proverbs is considered as a mark of wisdom.

Other Adinkra symbols depict historical events, human behavior and

attitudes, animal behavior, plant life forms and shapes of objects.

Yellow is understood and known to be the colour of sunshine. It is

associated with joy, happiness, intellect and energy. It also produces

warming effects, arouses cheerfulness and stimulates mental happiness.

Orange (Claudia Owusu Sampah, 2014) is a colour that combines the energy

of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine and

the tropics just as Ghana is known to be in the tropical area. It also

8  

  

represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination,

attraction, success, encouragement and stimulation. Green is known as the

colour of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, fresheners and fertility. It

suggests stability and endurance and has strong emotional correspondence

with safety, it is also said to have great healing power. Purple is associated

with royalty. It also symbolizes power, nobility, luxury and ambition. It

conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is associated with wisdom,

dignity, independence and creativity.

One of the most interesting aspects of Adinkra design is how the

symbols incorporate elements of geometry. Adinkra symbol called

Funtunfunefu Denkyemfunefu (the twin crocodiles) represents democracy

and unity in diversity and is based on the proverb “They share one stomach,

yet they fight for their food". In Aya the leaves gradually become smaller as

the fern grows upwards, representing the dilation that can be seen in an

actual fern. This symbol represents endurance and resourcefulness. The

symbol Nkontim represents service and loyalty. Ntesie - Mate Masie

represents knowledge and wisdom and is based on the proverb "Each circle

in the symbol is identical to the other but shifted vertically or horizontally to

a new position” (Lindsay Poirier et.al., 2014).

Symbolism and metaphor played a significant role in all aspects of

Ashante culture and there passed on by elders, particularly an elite class of

elders the Okyeame which means chief linguist. The Okyeame (Jasmine

Danzy, 2009) used these symbols to communicate values to the king and the

royal court but the symbols still have significance today. An example of an

Adinkra emblem on an Okyeame staff is a symbol called Sankofa which

means “To learn from the past in order to move forward". Besides the

9  

  

Okyeame, cloth makers were also the first to use Adinkra for the purpose of

honoring the dead.

2.2 Hand Weaving in India

While most (Lynn Gray Ross, 2014) commercial weaving has been

mechanized and is carried out in modern factories, traditional weaving

practices have survived in many villages across the world. Separate areas are

set aside for weaving where people work together to setup looms with

enough yardages to meet the needs of several households or a whole

community.

Indian hand woven textiles have a long tradition behind them. There is

evidence to show that the ancient Indians knew the art of weaving more than

4000 years ago. Megasthanes who was at the court of Chandragupta,

mentioned in his detailed account of India that Indians of those days wore

flowered muslins of the finest wave (Publications Division, 1972).

India is the only country that still creates textiles coming genius of its

master weavers. The world has lost the hand weaving and loom process

along with the natural and organic processes of creating textiles (Hindustan

Times, 2018). Fashion industry is not static. Along with mill made fabrics,

handloom textiles need constant innovation, design input and facilitation.

India (Study.com, 2018) is a vast, diverse country with a rich history

of weaving. Regions, villages and communities throughout India have

unique weaving traditions with distinct customs and patterns. Depending on

the location, textiles maybe woven from cotton wool or silk. Today weaving

remains important to Indian economy with roughly 4.3 million people

involved.

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2.2.1 Hand Woven Sarees of India

(Anamika Pathak, 2006) Of all kinds of stitched and unstitched

garments worn by the Indian women, saree is considered to be the most

elegant. At present, the Handloom industry is busy in the production of the

sarees. Weavers create magic by producing sarees from various kinds of

material such as muslin, cotton and silk. These sarees are woven with

designs ranging from human beings to animal figurines, birds and floral

motifs. They are either established on the loom itself or woven plain and

later embellished through block printing, bandhani or embroidery. The world

over, are bound to concede that the saree remains one of the most elegant

attire for women.

Today the South is one of India's major saree weaving regions,

producing considerable quantities of rural, peasant and urban middle class

sarees in silk, cotton, rayon and polyester. Because of this many traditional

designs from different South Indian localities have become incorporated into

the repertoire of such areas, which makes tracking down the origins of some

textiles quite difficult, but many saree designs typical of particular area are

still distinguishable. Traditional South Indian saree designs fall into two

basic types that are distinguished by their borders (Linda Lynton, 2002).

Those noticeably wide borders of contrasting colour to the field, created

through a variety of different weaving and dyeing techniques and those with

very narrow borders, less than 2 .5centimeters wide which are created solely

through supplementary warp patterning. In both styles the border extends the

full length of the saree and forms part of the end piece which is usually long.

The love story of a woman and her saree his magical. The six-yard

garment can completely metamorphose the look of a woman and give her

11  

  

and distinct identity. The saree has a long history and is representative of a

distinct culture in which woven with texture and pattern garment appealed

more owing to its a aesthetics and simplicity. Of sarees, (The Indian

Express, 2017) woven handloom sarees are a notch apart, what with the

stunning designs and weaves that showcase the skill and hard work that

weavers put into them. They also showcase the history and culture of the

place of their origin, which not only make them a delight to wear but a sort

of historical symbol.

2.3 Incorporation of Traditional Motifs in Designing for Sarees

Indian heritage (folk art and craft) are intangible and significant hence

it is essential to preserve them for next generation (Shaleni Bajpai, 2015).

Simultaneously innovation is needed to capture the taste of younger

generation.

It is great (livemint.com, 2012) to see designers and revivalists

working with the weavers and helping them by introducing new yarns and

designs, so that the saree does not die out completely. It is not always

necessary to modernize or contemporize a weave or design patterns. The

idea is to keep it authentic and traditional.

Indian traditional art plays an important role as inspiration in creating

new designs. To keep pace (Meenu Srivasthava and Sangeeta Vaishnav,

2015) with the changing demands of the consumers taste and fashion, the

conventional warli motifs have all possibilities of change into contemporary

end use by applying computer designing software.

(Ekta Sharma and Susan Paul. 2015) There is no doubt that every

effort has to be taken to preserve traditional crafts. However to popularize

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these arts and crafts and to get decent income for craftsman, these crafts

have to be incorporated into contemporary scenario especially through

textile designing.

There is a great need to revive the traditional records of textiles by

giving captivating grandeur to the Indian textile pieces by introducing

innovative designs like Indian monuments on woven materials. Moreover, it

can be a better way to preserve the Indian cultural heritage as well as to

maintain the value of inimitable Indian textiles. Therefore, the researchers

have put forth this innovative idea into practice. It has revolutionized the

world of designing by bringing in a change in existing style of designing for

woven materials like sarees, kurtis and skirts. The research and related

designs can meet the ever changing needs of the customers as they are

ethnically trendy and appealing to the fashion world. Not only this, the

concept will further open a new vista for weaving industry (Neeti Kishore,

et.al., 2013)

Motifs play an important role in designing. Each motif, like the fabric

itself has an origin, evaluation and variety in shape and presentation.

(Anshwul Sharma et.al., 2016) In designing, a weaver, embroider, dyer or

printer creates dreams of beauty using motifs familiar through culture,

religion, environment and history on textiles. Development in any field is

essential and continuing process so in the field of traditional textiles.

(Meenakshi Kumar Seth, 2013) Historical motifs and designs have

begun to be used regularly in various industries. Products created in today’s

world play an important role in preserving cultural and historical values.

Combining contemporary styles with age old designs and motifs ensures the

survival of these motifs for future. It would enable a transformation in a field

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of contemporary design, by building new and more creative connections

between past and present. Very often they can be used with remarkable

results through product adaptation of objects that might have been

established over the years, but now show signs of decline. This would imply

simplifying the decoration, as well as modifying the design and style of

items to suit requirement of consumers. Exploration will help young

designers to nurture their creativity, to evaluate innovative and emerging

technologies and enhance their individual, artistic and technical skills.

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3. MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 Collection of Suitable Adinkra Textile Motifs

A number of Adinkra motifs from various books and web where first

taken into consideration. Even though, these motifs are associated with

specific meanings, their aesthetics and suitability for weaving was only

taken into account while collection.

3.2 Design Development of Saree Borders and Pallavs

The collected design motifs where arranged in five layouts suitable for

sarees which was drawn by hand. According to the present trend in saree

designs, the motifs were arranged in the body part and pallav, leaving the

border to be plain. Only black colour was used for outline and filling as the

proposed design was for weaving and not for printing.

3.3 Evaluation and finalization of artworks

Five saree design layouts with different placement of motives were

prepared for evaluation. The screening was done by a panel of 10 judges

from various levels of the society. Depending upon the ratings of each

design, the one with highest marks was finalized for further development.

Evaluation sheet was prepared with four criteria which included motif

aesthetics, placement of motifs, layout arrangement and overall appearance.

The evaluation was done out of a total of five points.

3.4 Identification of Reliable Source for Weaving

A visit was arranged to Sathyamangalam, Tamil Nadu, where it was

possible to find handloom weavers weaving pure silk sarees for commercial

markets and who can accommodate to weave sarees with silk warp and linen

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weft as per the study. The weaving capabilities and capacities were analyzed

and recorded. Based on the above recordings, the selected artwork was

further edited in computers so as to suit the particulars of Sathyamangalam

handloom weaving centre and to punch the cards that are to be placed on

Jacquards. The cards were punched in the place of weaving itself.

3.4.1 Procurement of raw materials

Since the weavers of Sathyamangalam where used to weaving sarees

with silk warps and wefts, it was decided to procure silk warps and wefts

and zari yarns from them. Linen weft for saree was sourced from

Coimbatore.

3.4.2 Weaving of the saree with the finalized design

The punched cards were mounted on the loom to facilitate the

weaving of designs on sarees using the jacquard. The saree was woven on

traditional pit looms. Base colour was finalized to be off white, the motifs in

the body part to be in bright color and the designs in the pallav part to be

woven using zari threads. The loom particulars and ends per inch (Epi) were

kept the same as their regular production. The picks per inch (Ppi) were

adjusted so as to weave with linen weft.

3.5 Collection of the final woven product

Since the regular production of sarees at Sathyamangalam was not to

be disturbed, it was necessary to wait till the regular production to get over

to weave the new product. The saree was collected from the weaving centre,

checked for quality, folded and packed.

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3.5.1 Identification of problems and difficulties faced

After collecting the product a talk was conducted with the weaver and

the weaving centre officials to identify any problem or difficulty faced

during weaving. Since linen was used as base weft and as it was new to them

it was necessary to identify any difficulty so that there should be no problem

if the saree has to be produced commercially.

3.5.2 Cost Calculation and Cost Evaluation

The cost for the development of the design, raw material, cost for

sample weaving and final weaving was calculated so as to find out the final

cost of production of a saree. The above calculated cost was evaluated by a

panel of 10 judges who are selected for evaluating the art works and the

ratings were done on three levels such as low, adequate and high.

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4. RESULTS & DISCUSSION

4.1 Identification of suitable Adinkra Textile Motifs

Adinkra motifs such as Ananse Ntontan (Spider’s web) symbolizing

wisdom, creativity and the complexities of life, Nyamedua (Altar of God)

representing God’s presence and protection, Sankofa( Learning from the

past) representing wisdom and past experiences, Besesaka (Sack of Cola

nuts) symbolically showing power, abundance and affluence, Dwannimmen

(Ram’s Horn) representing concealment, humility and strength, Eban

(Fence) showing protection, security, safety and fortress, Mmusuyidee (That

which removes ill luck or evil) depicting good fortune, sanctity and spiritual

strength, Nyamenti (For God’s Sake) symbolizing God’s grace, faith in God,

Kramo bone (The Bad) showing warning against hypocrisy and Akomontoso

(Extension of the Heart) representing understanding and unity were the

motifs identified for initial study. The motifs are shown in Plate 1-2.

4.2 Design Development

With the ten motifs collected, five saree layouts with different

placement of motifs or a combination of motifs were created using hand

drawing. In all the five layouts, the border part of the saree was kept plain as

per the present trend in saree designs. Since the size of the jacquard cannot

be changed, the size of the motifs and the design area remained the same for

all the five layouts. The layouts were drawn with black colour outlines and

fillings wherever required. The various placements of motifs were arranged

only in the body part and the pallav part of the saree. The created layouts are

shown in Plates 3-7.

18  

  

Layout 1

In this layout the body part had the motifs Nyamedua and Ananse

Ntontan along with zig zag lines arranged boxes and the pallav had only zig

zag designs and plain zari.

Layout 2

This layout was arranged with the motifs Nyamenti and Dwannimmen

alone and the pallav had a chequer board pattern and plain zari.

Layout 3

The motifs Besesaka and Eban was combined to form this layout. The

end piece had plain zari along with a four headed star shaped pattern.

Layout 4

The saree body area in this layout was designed using the motifs

Kramo bone and Akomantoso. The pallav had concentric circles arranged

along the width of the saree along with plain zari area.

Layout 5

In this layout the motifs Sankofa and Mmusuyidee were used in

designing the saree body. The end piece had repeated crescent pattern and

plain zari.

4.3 Evaluation and Finalization of Layout

All the five layouts prepared were evaluated on the basis of the

evaluation attributes and preference of the judges. The scores obtained in the

evaluation are shown in Table 1.

19  

  

Table1.Scores obtained for the designs.

Layout No. Total Score (Out of 20)

1 15* 2 14 3 13 4 12 5 12

Based on the scores obtained the Layout no. 1 which scored 15 marks

was selected for further development.

4.4 Product Development

The selected designs were then edited using computers to facilitate

card punching for jacquard. There were 149 cards for the body design and

41 cards for the pallav part (Plate 8-9).

4.4.1 Purchase of raw materials

The 2 ply 20/22 silk yarn, 4 ply 100/120 silk dupion yarn and 200D

zari yarn was sourced from the weaver’s society itself. The finest linen yarn

available, 80s linen was sourced from Coimbatore through Dinesh Textiles,

Kannur. The color of the silk warp and linen weft was off-white and the

dupion silk was dyed in navy blue color chosen from the weaver’s shade

card (Plate-10).

4.4.2 Weaving of the final product

According to the weaving capabilities and capacities of the handloom

weavers of Sathyamangalam, the new product was woven with 2 ply 20/22

silk for Warp,80s linen as base Weft and 4 ply 100/120 Dupion silk dyed in

navy blue color in figures. They had also used 200D zari for borders and

20  

  

pallav (Plates 11-12). The reed was 96s, 3/dent, EPI came up to 144 and PPI

was 64. Fabric width was 48 inches with a total number of 6400 ends. The

saree length was 6.5meters. The Weavers at Sathyamangalam were able to

dye silk yarns excellently but they could not assure linen dyeing flawlessly.

4.5 Collection of the final woven saree

The saree after weaving, was cut from the loom, checked for quality,

folded and packed in their traditional way. The end product, punched cards

and excess yarns were taken back for documentation (Plate 13-16).

4.5.1 Identification of problems and difficulties

Since the weavers of Sathyamangalam where used to weaving silk,

not any noticeable difficulty in doing the sample was identified. Only

change was to adjust the picks per inch from 64 to 60as 80slinenweft was

used instead of the 3 ply 20/22 as base weft.

4.5.2 Cost calculation and Cost Evaluation

The designing and card punching cost came up to Rs. 2440/saree. The

raw material cost was Rs. 3482/Saree. The preparatory and weaving cost

was Rs. 6575/ Saree. Since it was sample weaving the preparatory and

weaving cost has been more when compared to regular weaving. The

evaluation was done based on three levels such as high, adequate and low by

a panel of ten judges who were selected for evaluating the artworks. Five of

them reported that the cost was adequate; four of them evaluated high and

one of them reported that the price was low.

The cost calculated for the product and its evaluation is given in Table

2& 3 and is as follows.

21  

  

Table2.Product Cost calculation Sheet.

Items Quantity Rate Amount Designing 1 750 750 Editing 1 250 250 Card Punching 300 4.80 1440

Silk 2ply 20/22 Warp 330gms 5.2/gm 1716 4ply 100/120 Weft 300gms 2.3/gm 690

80s Linen 330gms 2.2/gm 726 Zari 200D

Warp 180gms 1.75/gm 315 Weft 20gms 1.75/gm 35

Sample Processing 1 500 500 Sample Dyeing 1 500 500 Sample Preparatory 1 2000 2000 Sample Weaving 5.5 650/m 3575 Total Cost 12497

(The calculated cost includes wastage charges also)

Table 3. Cost Evaluation

Evaluation Level Scores

High 4

Adequate 5*

Low 1

22  

  

DISCUSSION

Tradition always possesses beauty and simplicity, whether it be textile

or the craft of making textile. The idea of adapting Adinkra motifs on sarees

was proposed to serve as an initiative towards popularizing the less known

African textile tradition and towards the aesthetic value addition of the

Indian traditional hand woven attire - the saree.

Hand weaving deserves a tension here as a symbol of versatility and

creativity of living craft. Even though handloom sector is facing stiff

competition from the power loom and mechanized sector, there are a number

of hand loom weaving centres and villages across Tamilnadu. One way to

empower and facilitate them to enhance, competitiveness of products in the

domestic as well as export market in a sustainable and reliable manner is to

provide them within new and appealing design patterns.

In this context, the idea of cultural integration in designing for hand

wovens through the combination of traditions of different parts of the world

seemed to be a viable option as previous experiments have gained enough

popularity.

The motifs of traditional African Adinkra textiles characterized by

bright colours and intricate patterning were selected as a source of

inspiration. The detailed study about Adinkra Textiles revealed that it is

deeply rooted in African culture. It is also clear that the African people had a

strong sense of colour, and designing along with the idea of textile

manufacturing and natural dyeing. Looking onto sarees, one of the

traditional attires of India, it is liked by all women irrespective of all

diversities. It is suitable for all occasions in all weathers. As the predilection

23  

  

of eco-friendly garments caught on, natural made sarees have become

fashionable. The idea of making the saree with silk and linen emerged as a

result of the understanding that wearing linen is no longer luxury but ideal

for today's hot weather and it absorbs a large amount of moisture unlike the

pure silk sarees with generate a lot of heat while wearing.

Since at Sathyamangalam where silk saree weaving is a regular

activity, was chosen for doing the project, it was comparatively easy for

sourcing raw materials, to convey the idea behind the project and to carry

out weaving flawlessly. They welcomed the idea wholeheartedly and in spite

of their day today busy activity, it was agreed to complete the project on

time. The only difficulty was to source80s linen as there is a very less

number of organizations stock it and also a smaller quantity for sampling

was not easily available. Finally it was sourced from Coimbatore through

Dinesh Textiles, Kannur who were into using it for making shirt fabric.

The final product was evaluated to be a well appreciated one in terms

of its feel, durability, luster, design and colour which are the most desirable

qualities of a saree. However the idea of incorporating different traditional

motifs in designing for woven or printed textiles extends a wide scope for

future experiments in this regard. The study was definitely evaluated as an

attempt to familiarize African textile tradition, to preserve the wealth of

tradition, to rejuvenate the charm of sarees and to the value addition of hand

woven products.

24  

  

       

Ananse Ntontan Nyame dua

         

Dwannimmen Nyame nti

                   Bese saka Eban

Plate -1

25  

  

   

 

 

 

      

Akoma ntoso Kramo bone

Mmusuyidee

Sankofa

ADINKRA MOTIFS

Plate - 2

26  

  

 

DESIGN-1

Plate - 3

27  

  

 

DESIGN-2

Plate - 4

28  

  

 

DESIGN-3

Plate - 5

29  

  

 

DESIGN-4

Plate - 6

30  

  

 

DESIGN-5

Plate -7

31  

  

 

 

DESIGN-1

EDITED USING COMPUTERS FOR CARD PUNCHING

Plate – 8

32  

  

          

 

           

  

PUNCHED CARDS

Plate – 9

33  

  

      

 

 

 

SAREE WEAVING AT SATHYAMANHALAM USING PIT LOOM

Plate – 10

34  

  

                               

 

 

Plate – 11

35  

  

                   

                    

LOOM WITH THE WARP

Plate – 12

36  

  

 

 

            

 

 

WEAVING OF THE SAREE

Plate – 13

37  

  

                       

FOLDING AND PACKING

Plate – 14

38  

  

        

 

                     

 

FINAL WOVEN PRODUCT

Plate – 15

39  

  

                 

 

 

 

                

 

                 

Plate – 16

40  

  

5. CONCLUSION

As per the present study the traditional African Adinkra textile designs

were studied initially. Even though these motifs are associated with particular

meanings and are meant for wearing during occasions like marriage, worship

and especially funerals, their aesthetic appeal was only taken into consideration

while designing. Ten of the popular motifs consisting of Ananse Ntontan,

Nyamedua, Sankofa, Besesaka, Dwannimmen, Eban, Mmusuyidee, Nyamenti,

Kramo bone and Akomontoso were identified for initial study. A combination

of these motifs where applied in five different arrangements in the saree layout

confining to the limitations of the selected source for weaving. The size of the

design area of body part of the saree was restricted to either 2.5 inches or 5

inches. The prepared artworks of 5 different saree layouts were subjected to

evaluation. Out of the evaluated designs, Design 1 scored 15 marks over the

scores of Design 2, Design 3,Design 4 and Design 5 which scored 14, 13 12

and 12 respectively. Thus Design 1 was taken for further development.

Initial preparation of the layout was done by hand and with black outline and

filling. But for further development, the selected design was edited using

computer to facilitate card punching for the jacquard and thereafter for

weaving. For the construction of the saree, the prevailing count of silk yarn

2ply 20/22 was decided to use as warp, 4ply 100/120 silk Dupion for

figuring and 200D gold zari for ornamentation in the borders and the pallav

portion. The reed on the Loom was 96s with 3/dent facilitating the making

of a saree with a 144 Epi. The loom had a total of 6400 ends forming a 48

inch wide saree. Since 80s linen was used as base weft along with 4 ply

100/120 silk dupion for extra weft figuring, the Ppi was adjusted to be 60.

The length of the saree was 5.5meters.

41  

  

The colour of the saree was fixed to be of off-white due to two

reasons - one being the lack of confidence of the weavers to dye linen

flawlessly and other being the classic beauty of off-white color. The color

for the extra weft was navy blue which was chosen from the weavers shade

card and it does not possess any particular significance to Adinkra motifs.

A final visit was arranged to Sathyamangalam 2 months after

extending the design, raw material and technical assistance for completing

the weaving of the product. The time consumption for weaving the sample

saree was relatively more when compared to the regular production as the

regular work could not be disturbed. The final product after completion was

cut from the loom, checked for defects, folded and packed in their traditional

way. The remaining yarns, the punched cards and the finished product were

taken back for documentation.

However the present study of cultural value addition of silk linen

sarees through the adaptation of African Adinkra textile design motifs was

an aesthetic innovation based on the old but with additions from other

traditions. The product came out to be handcrafted, eco-friendly traditional

attire that matches every mood, occasion and budget. It also serves as an eye

opener for further studies in this area. The study also claims to have

familiarized the lesser known traditions and preserved the same in many

ways possible.

42  

  

6. REFERENCES

• Anamika Pathak, 2008, Indian Costumes, UP, Om Books Publishers.

• Anne-Marie Bouttiaux, Frieda Sorber, Anne van Custem, and John

Mack, 2008, African Costumes and Textiles, Retrieved from

www.scholarworks.iu.edu/journals

• Anshul Sharma, Saroj S. Jeet Singh and Neelam M, Rose, 2016,

Development of Motifs: Traditional to Contemporary for Saris,

Retrieved from www.isca.in/rjrs/archive.

• Asha Rani Mathur, 2002, Woven Wonder, New Delhi, Rupa and Co.

• Camilla Ebert, Mary Harlow, Eva Anderson Strand and Lena

Bjerregaard, 2016, Traditional Textile Craft-An Intangible Cultural

Heritage, University of Copenhagen, Centre for Textile Research.

• Catherine Carpenter, 2011, African Textile Patterns, London, A&C

Publishers.

• Chris Spring, 2012, African Textiles Today, USA, Smithsonian Books.

• Claudia Owusu-Sampah, 2014, Adinkra, Retrieved from

www.scholarworks.rit.edu/thesis

• Diane V. Horn, 2012, African Printed Textile Designs, USA, Stemmer

House Publishers.

• Duncan Clarke, 1997, Art of African Textiles, London, PRC Publishing

Ltd.

• Ekta Sharma and Susan Paul, 2015, Adaptation of Indian Folk Paintings

for Designing and Digital Printing of Apparels Using Computer Aided

Designing, Retrieved from www.allresearchjournal.com

43  

  

• Jamie Jackson, 2017, Travelling By Cloth: Beautiful Textiles from

Around the World, Retrieved from www.wheretraveler.com

• Jasmine Danzy, 2009, Adinkra Symbols: An Ideographic Writing

System, Retrieved from www.ir.stonybrook.edu

• John Gillow and Bryan Sentence, 1999, World Textiles, London,

Thames and Hudson.

• John Gillow, 2012, African Textiles: Color and Creativity Across a

Continent, London, Thames and Hudson.

• John Gillow, 2001, Printed and Dyed Textiles from Africa, London,

British Museum Press.

• John Picton and John Mack, 1989, African Textiles, London, British

Museum Publications.

• Jose Ruben Ornates Garcia, 2012, Voices of Mexico 72,Published by

CISAN UNAM

• Linda Lynton, 1995, The Sari, NewYork, Thames and Hudson.

• Lindsay Poirier, Ron Eglash and Bill Babbitt, 2014, Ghana Adinkra

Symbols, Reston VA, NCTM Publishers.

• Luther Hooper, 2008, Hand Loom Weaving, Plain And Ornamental

(1920), USA, Kessinger Publishing.

• Lynn Gray Ross, 2014, Hand Weaving - The Basics, London,

Bloomsburry Publications.

• Martand Singh and Rta Kapur Chishti, 1995, Saris of India, New Delhi,

Wiley Eastern Ltd.

• Martand Singh and Rta Kapur Chishti, 2010, Saris-Tradition and

Beyond, New Delhi, Lustre Press.

44  

  

• Meenakshi Kumar Seth, 2013, Contemporary Textile Design Inspired by

Mughal Monuments of Agra, Retrieved from www.shodh.inflibnet.ac.in.

• Meenu Srivatava and Sangeetha Vaishnav,2015, Adaptation of Warli

motifs with Computer Aided Designing for its Contemporary Uses,

Retrieved from www.scientificresearchjournal.com

• Neethi Kishore, Susan Paul, Ekta Grover and Srishti Maurya,2013,

Adaptation of Monumental Motifs for Textile Application,

Retrieved fromwww.researchjournal.co.in

• Nesa Arumugam, 2011, A Dictionary of Silk in India, New Delhi,

Abhinav Publications.

• Nesa Arumugam, 2011, Silk Saris of Tamil Nadu, New Delhi, Abhinav

Publications.

• ParulBhatnagar, 2009, Traditional Indian Costumes and Textiles, New

Delhi, Abhishek Publications.

• Peter Adler, Nicholas Barnard, 1995, African Majesty: The Textile Art

of the Ashanti and Ewe, London, Thames and Hudson.

• Shaleni Bajpai, Professor Anjali Karolia, Professor Amita Pandya, 2015,

Intervention of Newer Design for Handloom Brocade Sari of Varanasi,

Retrieved from www.ijrhss.org.

• Style-The Sari Warriors,2012, Retrieved from www.livemint.com

• Valentina A. Tetteh, 2006, Adinkra - Cultural Symbols of the Asante

people, Retrieved fromwww.stlawu.edu

• Vijayi Singh Katiyar, 2009, Indian Saris: Traditions, Perspectives,

Design, New Delhi, Wisdom Tree.

45  

  

APPENDIX – 1

EVALUATION SHEET FOR ARTWORKS

Sl. No. Motif Aesthetics

Placement of Motifs

Layout Arrangement

Overall Appearance

Design 1

Design 2

Design 3

Design 4

Design 5

(Max. marks 5, evaluation by 10 judges)

46  

  

47  

APPENDIX - 2

COST EVALUATION SHEET

Judges High Adequate Low

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.