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 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
