Part 1
Transcriber's Note:
Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.
The symbols in the caption for Fig 6. have been approximated by characters from the available character set.
CHINCHA PLAIN-WEAVE CLOTHS
BY
L. M. O'NEALE, E. BACON, C. W. GEMMER, R. V. HALL, I. W. JOHNSON, C. M. OSBORNE, M. B. ROSS
ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS
Vol. 9, No. 2
ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS EDITORS: E. W. GIFFORD, R. F. HEIZER, R. H. LOWIE, R. L. OLSON Volume 9, No. 2, pp. 133-156, 1 map, 8 figures in text, plates 1-9 Submitted by editors March 8, 1948 Issued February, 1949 Price, 50 cents
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS BERKELEY AND LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON, ENGLAND
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FOREWORD
The study presented here was one of a series planned by Professor Lila M. O'Neale, Associate Curator of Textiles in the Museum of Anthropology. The fundamental idea was to make use of the wealth of material in the collections of the Museum of Anthropology, particularly its pre-Columbian Peruvian textiles, as source material for study and analysis by advanced students. Professor O'Neale's sudden death on February 2, 1948, means that, although the paper was completed and in the hands of the Board of Editors of Anthropological Records, the final proofreading has not been done by Professor O'Neale.
The Board greatly regrets that this outstanding contribution will not be followed by others produced under the direction and guidance of a highly esteemed colleague.
CONTENTS
Introduction 133 The material 133
Dimensions of the Chincha cloths 135 Lengths 135 Widths 136
Yarns 138
Textures and weaving techniques 138
Stitchery 140 Patching and mending 141
Pattern 141
Color 143
Summary 143
Plates 145
CHINCHA PLAIN-WEAVE CLOTHS
BY
L. M. O'NEALE, E. BACON, C. W. GEMMER, R. V. HALL, I. W. JOHNSON, C. M. OSBORNE, M. B. ROSS
INTRODUCTION
This study of the Chincha plain-weave materials in the Max Uhle collection of the University of California has been part of the work of a Senior course in technical analysis. Six members of the class, whose names appear as joint authors, are responsible for the data collected and for the initial organization.
The Material
The Chincha collection, excavated in 1900 by Dr. Max Uhle during the Peruvian expedition financed by Mrs. Phoebe Apperson Hearst, is catalogued under two lot prefixes: 4- and 16-. Specimen numbers with the prefix 4- indicate that the precise provenience as to site and grave is known. The cloths in this lot have been previously analyzed and a preliminary report has been published.[1] The cloths in the 16- lot, as is explained in the report on the pottery,[2] did not identify perfectly with entries in the collector's field catalogue or their identification was dubious.
Six Chincha sites described in Uhle's field catalogue[3] are shown on map 1. The number of cloth specimens representing each of these sites varies from 2 to 52 (table 1). Briefly, the time periods indicated by finds forming the basis of this report are as follows.
Site A (2 specimens). "On the declivities of the valley towards the sea, 5 km. from Tambo de Mora to the north." Late Chincha period.
Site B (3 specimens). La Cumbe cemetery; nearly exhausted; the few graves opened were "ordinary ones." Late Chincha period.
Site C (37 specimens). In "the higher Northern part of the valley." Late Chincha period.
Site D, and "near" site D (52 specimens). "Chamberlike tombs, which had been dug out in a mound-like older huaca." Late Chincha period.
Site E, and "near" site E (20 specimens). "The dry natural terrace ... in front of the ruins of La Centinela." Several graves at this site held European articles. Late Chincha period, in part after the Spanish Conquest.
Site F (2 specimens). "The natural terraces with slopes directed to the sea north of La Cumbe (circa Las Palmas)."[4] Late Chincha period.
Table 1
Basic Table: Sites, Periods, and Number of Specimens in Study =================================================== | | No. 4- | No. 16- | Total Site | Period | specs. | specs. | specs. ---------+--------------+--------+---------+------- A | Late Chincha | 2 | ... | 2 B | Late Chincha | 2 | 1 | 3 C | Late Chincha | ... | 37 | 37 | and Inca | | | D | Late Chincha | 7 | 41 | 48 "Near" D | | 4 | ... | 4 E | Late Chincha | 10 | 9 | 19 | and Inca | | | "Near" E | | 1 | ... | 1 F | Late Chincha | 2 | ... | 2 ---------+--------------+--------+---------+------- Totals | | 28 | 88 | 116 ---------------------------------------------------
Most of the fabrics described in the literature on ancient Peruvian textiles are characterized by beauty of coloring or arresting designs or unusual workmanship--sometimes by all three. These all-cotton Chincha specimens have none of the expectable features. First and last they seem to have served utilitarian purposes; for that reason, most of them are comparable to our so-called domestics. The larger ones are probably mantles: the proportions of the largest two-breadth pieces with full dimensions (4-3973d, 59.5 in. by 66 in. and 16-1250, 52 in. by 61 in.) place them in this group; a third specimen (16-1292), also formed of two breadths (intact breadth 35 in. plus fragmentary breadth 28 in.) was probably a mantle 62 inches by 70 inches over all. The smaller specimens suggest scarves (or incomplete mantles), carrying cloths, or kerchiefs (figs. 1, 2).
The fact that many of the Chincha cloths in the 16- lot had apparently been roughly torn to rectangular shapes leads us to believe that the excavator used them to wrap pottery specimens. Indeed, the majority seem to have been used even by their makers as wrappings. A number of them have long loose stitches or hanging cordlike threads, which originally may have held several layers together. Many of the single breadths have traces of seaming stitches on one or both selvages, indicating that the original wrapping was two or three times its preserved width.
A large proportion of the cloths in this group are badly worn and clumsily patched. Two, three, and sometimes more pieces of irregular shape applied to the base material and even on top of a first patch are not infrequent (pl. 3,d). The mended fragments do not appear to be either the original sizes or shapes. Many of them have been reduced to their present rectangular shape by tearing off tattered (?) edges.
One small group of striped textiles in the 16- lot is a noteworthy exception to the majority. Finely striped cottons similar to the one in plate 5,d must certainly have been made for other than utility cloths, probably for garments.
There are four small bags (or pads?) in the Chincha 4- lot. Three of these were formed of small whole cloths sewed together at the sides with running, double running, and whipping stitches respectively. The fourth is made of a piece of an edge-stripe material and has one loomstring end and one side selvage. On this bag the torn edges have been turned in and seamed with a running stitch.
Ties for one of the bags have been made by plaiting in a 4-strand flat braid the elements consisting of the two loomstrings plus an additional 12-ply cord drawn through the corner of the bag to its center point, thus giving two ends. Another of the bags has a draw string formed by a 9-ply cord drawn through the top end with a running stitch.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] L. M. O'Neale and A. L. Kroeber, Textile Periods in Ancient Peru:I, UC-PAAE, 28:23-56, 1930.
[2] A. L. Kroeber and W. D. Strong, The Uhle Collections from Chincha, UC-PAAE, 21:1-54, 1924; Max Uhle (A. L. Kroeber, ed.), Explorations at Chincha, UC-PAAE, 21:55-94, 1924.
[3] Max Uhle, Explorations at Chincha, pl. 1, pp. 87-90.
[4] Ibid., pp. 68, 69.
DIMENSIONS OF THE CHINCHA CLOTHS
One hundred twelve cloths in the plain-weave group were measured. Because some of the specimens could not be placed under tension, the forefinger was drawn along the cloth beside a steel tape to smooth out wrinkles. Measurements taken by this method approximate those on a cloth stretched between the bars of a loom.
Lengths
Complete dimensions can be taken on eighteen Chincha specimens in lots 4- and 16-. As figures 1 and 2 show, these dimensions cluster around two sets of proportions: the eleven cloths represented in the diagram in figure 1 are squarish; the seven in figure 2, with a length-to-width proportion of approximately two-to-three to one, are rectangular. Four of the squarish cloths are formed of two separately woven breadths of material. All the rectangular cloths are single breadths.
Measurements of these specimens with complete dimensions are given below under the two classifications.
Squarish cloths Measurements in inches Specimen 4-3633b 15.5 by 14 16-1260 19 by 14 4-3890a 23.5 by 26 4-3883a 26.5 by 27 4-4056 27 by 26 16-1253 28.5 by 24 4-4027 29 by 28 4-4022a 40 by 35 (2 breadths) 4-3883b 43.5 by 38.5 (2 breadths) 16-1250 52 by 61 (2 breadths) 4-3973d 59.5 by 66 (2 breadths)
Rectangular cloths Specimen 4-3889c 9.5 by 5 4-4029 10.5 by 4 4-3962 11.5 by 9 4-3882f 13 by 7 4-3710m 18 by 11.5 4-3883d 53.5 by 21 4-4059a 62 by 22.5
From the twenty Chincha plain-weave cloths with intact lengths (fig. 4) it is possible to know (1) that the cloths were woven by methods standard among the ancient Peruvians; (2) that each breadth represents a separate warping operation which established its ultimate length; (3) that each breadth was made singly on the loom. The evidence for such procedures and the identifying features of the end selvages on Peruvian cloths are to be recognized in the continuous thread which forms the warp skein--in contradistinction to cut ends of warps--and in the presence of two or more heavy wefts, the first ones put across the web. The cords binding the end loops of the warp skein to the loom bars hold the first of these loomstring wefts, as they are called, to the bars. The two or more succeeding wefts, which are interlaced with the warps, establish the width of the piece and give it a certain firmness. On the ends of some cloths the strand of cord for loomstrings was long enough to carry across the web only twice. In the majority of our plain-weave cloths it was carried across three times; in over a fifth of the total number of intact ends in the 16- lot the loomstring carried across four times. The frequencies of two, three, and four loomstrings at the ends of webs in this group are approximately as 6:32:16. A number of these occurrences are on cloths in which the heavy cord is not long enough to make a complete crossing; the remainder of the breadth is completed with weft of the size used for the regular weaving.
In the Chincha 4- lot, loomstrings of from 2- to 12-ply formed the weft for from two to six courses of weaving. In seven of the twenty-four specimens showing finished ends, the loomstring stopped partway across its course in the web and was there joined to the regular weft yarn. In two the joining was effected by finger knots, in the other by splicing (?). The two specimens (4-3889c and 4-4029) having strong 12-ply loomstrings were small but complete cloths which had been doubled and stitched along the sides to form bags. The loomstrings thus served to reinforce the open mouth of the bag.
In eleven specimens the loomstrings had an initial S and final Z twist; twelve show the opposite combination. In one specimen (4-4056) the separate plies have an S twist, but the final yarn is untwisted.
Complete lengths of Chincha plain-weave cloths in order from shortest to longest:
Spec. no. Inches
4-3889c 9.5 4-4029 10.5 4-3962 11.5 4-3882f 13 4-3633b 15.5 4-3710m 18 16-1260 19 4-3890a 23.5 4-3882a 26.5 4-4056 27 16-1253 28.5 4-4027 29 4-4022a 40 (× 2) 4-3883b 43.5 (× 2) 16-1250 52 (× 2) 16-1290 53 4-3883d 53.5 4-3973d 59.5 (× 2) 4-4059a 62 16-1292 62
Ninety-odd of the measured cloths are incomplete as to length. These preserved lengths fall within arbitrary groupings as follows:
From 5 inches to 20 inches in length 29 pieces From 21 inches to 30 inches in length 33 pieces From 31 inches to 40 inches in length 17 pieces From 41 inches to 50 inches in length 7 pieces From 51 inches to 60 inches in length 4 pieces From 61 inches to 70 inches in length 2 pieces
Widths
There are three times as many weavings with complete widths as with complete lengths; 60 as compared to 20. Clues to the wrappings or blankets of which these breadths were sections are frequently furnished by traces of stitchery and broken threads on the side selvages. As shown by table 2 and figure 3, the five narrowest complete breadths (Group 1) are within a range of 4 to 12 inches. Narrow widths can be woven most rapidly on the backstrap loom. Complete breadths in Group 2 (18 specimens) fall within the range of 14 to 20 inches. These widths, also, can be woven without much effort. Seaming together narrow breadths appears to have been preferred to weaving wider ones equal to the two or three which compose some of the rectangular specimens.
Table 2
Frequencies of Complete Width Measurements
======================================+========+===========+======= |Width in|Number of |Total |inches |occurrences|occur- | | |rences --------------------------------------+--------+-----------+------- Group 1 | | | 4-4029 | 4 | 1 | 4-3889c | 5 | 1 | 4-3882f | 7 | 1 | 4-3962 | 9 | 1 | 4-3710m | 11.5 | 1 | 5 | | | Group 2 | | | 4-3633b, 16-1240, -1256, -1260, | | | -1274 | 14 | 5 | 4-3970, -4075d, 16-1274, -1280 (2) | 15.5 | 5 | 16-1240, -1248 | 16 | 2 | 4-4022a (2), 16-1225 | 17.5 | 3 | 4-3883b (2) | 19.5 | 2 | 4-4068b | 20.5 | 1 | 18 | | | Group 3 | | | 4-3883d | 21 | 1 | 4-4059a | 22.5 | 1 | 4-4068b, 16-1291 | 23 | 2 | 16-1237, -1238, -1242, -1251, -1253 | 25 | 5 | 4-3890a, -4056 | 26 | 2 | 4-3883a, -4068d, 16-1251, -1265 | 27 | 4 | 4-4023 (2), -4027, 16-1257, -1265, | | | -1271, -1272, -1289 | 28 | 8 | 4-3633a, -4055, 16-1261 | 29 | 3 | 26 | | | Group 4 | | | 16-1259 | 30 | 1 | 16-1250, -1294 | 31 | 2 | 4-3973d (2), 16-1283, -1304d | 33 | 4 | 16-1252, -1269b | 34 | 2 | 16-1266, -1292 | 35 | 2 | 16-1286 | 41 | 1 | 12 --------------------------------------+--------+-----------+-------
Group 3, as listed in table 2, comprises breadths falling within a range of 21 inches through 29 inches. These widths reduce weaving speed and bring about problems in manipulation of the loom parts. The twelve widest complete breadths in the Chincha lot range from 30 inches to 35 inches with a single specimen measuring 41 inches. For this last piece, and possibly for several of the narrower ones in the same group, a two-bar loom not attached to the weaver's waist seems indicated.
Complete widths of Chincha plain-weave fabrics in order from narrowest to widest:
Spec. no. Inches
4-4029 4 4-3889c 5 4-3882f 7 4-3962 9 4-3710m 11.5 16-1274 13.5 + 14.5 4-3633b 14 16-1256 14 16-1260 14 16-1240 14.5 + 15.5 4-3970 15 16-1280 15 + 15 4-4075d 15.5 16-1248 16 16-1225 16.5 4-4022a 17.5 + 17.5 4-3883b 19 + 19.5 4-4068b 20.5 + 23 4-3883d 21 4-4059a 22.5 16-1291 23 16-1253 24.5 16-1237 25 4-3890a 26 4-4056 26 4-3883a 27 16-1251 27 + 24.5 4-4068d 27.5 16-1265 27.5 4-4027 28 16-1257 28 16-1271 28 16-1272 28 16-1289 28 4-4023 28 + 28.5 16-1261 28.5 4-3633a 29 4-4055 29 16-1259 30 16-1250 30 + 31 16-1294 31 16-1283 33 16-1304b 33 4-3973d 33 + 33 16-1252 33.5 + 33.5 16-1269b 34 16-1266 34.5 16-1292 35 16-1286 41
Seventy-odd individually woven breadths of material are incomplete as to width. The arbitrary groupings in which these fall are as follows:
Under 10 inches in width 3 specimens 11 inches to 20 inches 42 specimens 21 inches to 30 inches 22 specimens 31 inches to 40 inches 7 specimens
Side selvages strengthened by any one of the several methods we know from commercial weavings are rare in textiles from primitive looms. It is not uncommon, however, to find four or five edge yarns drawn more closely together than are the others in the web. Familiarity with these two facts made our discovery of a unique selvage finish a matter of unusual interest. The edges of specimens 16-1228 and 16-1236 have been reinforced by two stitchery techniques. Plate 8,i shows the ordinary whipping stitches which form the foundation for the second technique. Plate 8,h shows this second line of work to consist of a double strand twined, but always from back to front, with the tops of the whipping stitches.
On one of the Chincha 4- specimens (4-4068a) the half-inch selvage is distinguished from the body of the fabric by the use of warp yarns lighter in color than those appearing in the body of the fabric and by the two-over-one weave of the right-hand selvage in contrast to the one-over-one weave found elsewhere in the fabric. In specimen 4-4027 the edges are strengthened on each side for some six inches of the length by a single heavy 4-ply warp unit.
In the Chincha 4- specimens, where congestion of edge yarns occurs, its extent in from the edge varies from 5 threads (in 3 specimens) to 24 threads (1 specimen); in the majority of these specimens, the congestion ranges from 6 to 12 threads (8 specimens). Textures in plate 4,a, c are comparable to those in which maximum congestion occurs.
YARNS
All yarns are initially spun as single plies. In the ancient Peruvian textiles, there are evidences of preferences for single-ply yarns or at least the use of them even in fabrics we should consider called for heavier elements. The Chincha domestic cloths are good examples. We made yarn analyses on half of the total number of cloths in the study. All but ten of the fifty-seven examined were woven with single-ply warp and weft elements and of these ten, only one coarse cloth had 2-ply warps and wefts; the remaining nine had 2-ply warps crossed by single-ply wefts. The majority of these fabrics classified as "fine" weavings.
Yarns may be twisted (spun) in two directions. The spirals formed by twisting may extend upward to the left (the S-twist) or to the right (the Z-twist). The frequencies of the left and the right twist in yarns are indicative of motor habits, if nothing more.
The largest Chincha group comprises twenty-nine cloths in which the warp and weft elements have left spirals; a much smaller group (5 specimens) shows yarns with right spirals. Two other groups (6 and 3 pieces, respectively) have warps with left spirals crossed by wefts with right spirals and vice versa. The other cloths in which yarns with different twists are combined perhaps may represent the use of odds and ends of yarns. The following combinations were found:
1. Single-ply S-twist and Z-twist warps crossed by single-ply S-twist wefts (2 specimens) or crossed by single-ply Z-twist wefts (1 specimen).
2. Single-ply S-twist warps crossed by single-ply S-twist and Z-twist wefts (1 fine-texture specimen).