Dear Spiders
Among the many organisations I belong to is the Oxford Asian Textile Group
(England). I can seldom get to the meetings, but the Newsletter is well worth
while. In February 2005 an article told us of the disastrous effect the
Tsunami had had on the Lace Industry of southern Sri Lanka (used to be called
Ceylon, an Island in the India Ocean). Thirty foot waves hit the eastern and
southern coasts, engulfing towns and villages and causing the death of over
30,718 people. A second article carries on the story.
The lace-making areas in the Southern Province were badly hit. 220 families
are involved in the lace-making industry. According to the article, they made
delicate and complicated designs with needle and thread, mats and tablecloths
were sold to foreign tourists. When the tsunami struck, the women lost their
source of income as well as 'cushions' and stock of raw materials. They
sought Government help to rebuild their lives and rehabilitation programmes
were set up with local NGO's. The South Asian Partnership of Sri Lanka
(SAPRSI) assisted the lacemakers, whose families had worked in the lace
industry for generations.
The lace making women in the Southern Districts were immediately supplied with
lacemaking equipment and tools and access to the International market was
arranged. DanChurchAid, Denmark opened markets for high-quality lace
products. This means the women can export their products directly, without
the intervention of middlemen. SAPRSI also organised tuition in packaging
and business planning. The women no longer work as isolated individuals.
Training programmes are set up to introduce new deigns and products, so demand
will increase. One lacemaker who employed a group of women, had lost
everything. She had pawned her jewellery and Oxfam had given her £50 to start
again. The bobbins she used are all antique, possibly Portuguese.
This is only a brief summary of a rather long article. The author (Emily
Castelli Burns) mentioned needlelace, but the photo on the Newsletter cover
shows a woman with a flat pillow with a roller inset, held by crude wooden
pegs. The pattern on the pillow is a torchon band, with spiders in the
middle. The bobbins are bulbous, like Spanish or Maltese bobbins. The
Portuguese were everywhere in the Indian Ocean, trading throughout several
centuries.
Angela Thompson
Worcestershire UK
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