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Women from Chiapas have woven on backstrap looms for centuries. The backstrap loom is a simple device capable of producing exquisite textiles in the hands of a skilled weaver. These portable looms are easily installed in the home, either outside or indoors, allowing the weaver to tend to other duties and relocate when needed. With one end anchored to a tree or post and the other connected by a backstrap around the weaver’s waist, long warp threads are suspended between two wooden end-posts and a series of rods. Weft thread is woven horizontally between the long warp threads, with alternating, multicolored thread added when weaving designs in brocade. Leaning forward or backward controls tension of the loom, and a wooden sword sets each line of weaving. Learn more about "Empowering Threads: Textiles of Jolom Mayaetik" on display, pre-security, in the International Terminal. http://bit.ly/EmpoweringThreads This image was posted on September 27, 2017.

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