Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village (1st Region – Tarapacá – Chile) e: t i S B E . W s e l w a e i r N o t c n i .t w w w
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Chile’s Map
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Map of the 1st region
Perú
Bolivia
Iquique
Mamiña
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village My story
I began experimenting with plants for dyeing 6 years ago using Dominique Cardon’s book, ‘ Guide des Teintures Naturelles’ and information gleaned from the local countryfolk who unfortunately have lost a large part of their old knowledge I lived in La Ligua, a small town in the centre of Chile which produces knitted and woven items and ‘La Ligua cakes’ I wove and I learned how to spin and shear sheep.
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village ď Ž
First dyeing in La Ligua
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
I lived in a valley north of La Ligua on a piece of land that friends had lent me. I had few means so used old pans, paint pots, barrels cut in half. In the morning I would make a fire in a hole in the ground and keep the fire going till the water and dyes boiled and then I would remove the wool the next day. I used spring water and some mordants when absolutely necessary (alum, copper, and iron sulphate – others such as chrome and tin seemed too polluting)
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village ď Ž
Drying
My hand after dyeing...
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in La Ligua
Solar power
I did some tests using rudimentary solar cooking
Eucaliptus
Wool “protected” by a lizard
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in La Ligua
Fermentation ...
Quintral del molle Eucalyptus
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in La Ligua
Plants
Corn marigold
Quintral del molle (parasite plant)
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in La Ligua
Results Quintral del molle
Corn marigold
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in La Ligua
Drying
Industrial lambswool dyed with cochineal, corn marigold, sorghum seeds, eucalyptus, quintral del molle, onion peel, apricot leaves
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in La Ligua
Results
I tried also sage, artichoke, thistle leaves, apricot leaves and branches, khaki, walnut-stain, avocado, leaves from many wild trees: litre, quilo, molle, guayacán, boldo, tebo, pepper trees (molle schinus)
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in La Ligua
Results
Coochineal with alum, (I cannot find tartar)
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in La Ligua
Results
Old weaving technique used by natives
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in La Ligua
Results
Quintral del molle Fig-tree, nuts, onions, eucalyptus Quintral del molle
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village ď Ž
Then I lived in Paipote, a small village near Copiapo, where Kollas friends taught me native weaving techniques and introduced me to some plants
tomatillo seeds (used to whiten linen)
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Experiment in Paipote (Copiapó)
Pomegranate, bailahuen, onions, artichokes Here, we used tap water (rather undrinkable in the north of Chile)
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Experiment in Paipote (Copiapó)
Pomegranate, bailahuen, onions, artichokes
Copper sulphate does not bother this grasshopper eating artichoke dyed wool
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Then I moved to Iquique, a large town in the north of Chile, where urban life deprived me of easy access to plants and water I started experimenting with strips of wool from Cauquenes in the north of Chile using a rice cooker I bought medecinal plants in the market (origan, eucalyptus, marsh horsetail, huatacay, and I gathered onion peel, artichoke leaves, bougainvillaea prunings...
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Dyeing in Iquique I bought a small pressure cooker, I filled it with plants, and I boiled. Generally I left plants in the water for several days before boiling. I filtered the water from the rice cooker and boiled it with a ball of wool strips I usually added mordant at the end of the process
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Dyeing in Iquique
Technique
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Dyeing in Iquique
Results
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Dyeing in Iquique
Miski Bazaar
In Iquique, I sold my handicraft on Prat wharf (boat trips leave from there) Then, a friend lent me a stand on a public esplanade in the center of the town. I had also the opportunity to display my works in a monthly market at Miski Workshop.
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Dyeing in Iquique
Exhibition at Astoreca Palace
A theatre costume designer friend and I organised an exhibition at the Astoreca Palace, (former dwelling of a rich saltpetre quarry owner), it is now now an exhibition centre for Universad Arturo Prat (UNAP)
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village ď Ž
Astoreca Palace Exhibition
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village Exposition
María Challapa aymara craftwoman from Colchane
Palais Astoreca
Jewels made with natural dyed wool by Jeannette Baeza Rivero
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Experimenting in Tal Tal
I recently had an opportunity to go to Tal Tal, a fishing and mineral ore loading port
A friend who knew some fishermen obtained some local shellfish (‘locos’ and ‘locates’) for me to experiment with.
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Experiment in Tal Tal
Dyeing with locos and locates
Locos
Locates (snails)
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Since February 2012, I have lived in Mamiña, a small village (altitude 2800m) 120km east of Iquique. Mamiña was known in the days of the Incas for its thermal waters. Perú
Iquique
Bolivia
Mamiña
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Mamiña: interesting for its three ecological levels Quebrada (valley) Chacras (irrigated and cultivated zone) Cerros (hills - mountains) Besides, there is access to the Cordillera The local population is native for the greater part (Quechua and Aymara)
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
The three levels provide diferent kinds of plants The local population, who welcomed me very kindly, may offer a good source of information The different thermal waters may allow different results in dying I can find wool, there are still lamas, sheep and rabbit-farming, I hop to get some angora wool.
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village Cerros
Chacras
Quebrada
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
I was welcomed in Maniña by an Aymara woman born in the Cordillera, she spins and weaves, she learned some years ago how to dye with plants with other native women of the village.
Aymara spinning lesson
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in Mamiña
Quebrada plants
Chilca or quellagua
Marsh Horsetail
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in Mamiña
Chacras plants
San Diego or Buscame la noche
Pillalla
Fig-tree and parqui
Amores secos Chile chile Kiko o uchuj ppirka
Vira vira
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in Mamiña
Chacras plants Pear-tree
Molle schinus or Molle Schinus
Sorona
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in Mamiña
Chacras plants Quinoa from ehe Cordillera
Rush alfalfa
Tara
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in Mamiña
Dyeing with a micro-wave is not good for every plants: back to my old rice-cooker!
Quince tree branchs
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in Mamiña
Results
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
First experiments in Mamiña
Cerros plants Brillantina
Pillalla
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village ď Ž
The stand where I worked, weaving, knitting, and dyeing...
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village Mineral water
The various springs
“Rosario” thermal baths
Magnesia water (private spring)
Heart spring
Ipla thermal baths
Chinoanam’s Muds Jamajuga Eye spring
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
The various springs The results of dyeing vary with kind of waters, E.g. cochineal in Mamiña produces a greyer colour than in La Ligua, with better results using Jamajuga water I usually take water from the Eye Spring… Many plants produce a distinct yellow colour whereas books predict brown or green results
Eyes’ spring
Usually, I take water in”Eyes’spring”,it would be interesting to analyse it.
Jamajuga
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Lesson with Kespi Kala Aymara Association in Mamiña
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village ď Ž
Old customs, such as decorating animals with wool flowers, are still alive
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village ď Ž
History and Prehistory Cultivated banks
Cultivated banks
Geoglyphs and petroglyphs
Inca ruins
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village ď Ž
Religious dances
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Zone plants (Pica, Pozo Almonte, La Tirana…) Flooded desert (March 2012)
Tamarugo
Blooming desert (August 2012)
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Dyeing possibilities are reducing with time...
These pre-Columbian caps have colours which native weavers are unable to obtain with plants they use now.
Illustration from book “Awakhuni – tejiendo la historia andina”
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village ď Ž
Dyeing in the South (Mapuche)
In the South, there is a greater biodiversity, therefore more plants for dyeing. The traditional Mapuche clothes use red and blue, but these colours cannot be found naturally, maybe plants have died?...
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Dyeing in South (mapuche)
Plants Relbun (madder red) is known as a Mapudungu word, but it is not known by weavers. As for blue, they propose some berries.
Genista in Temuco
Hualle, digüeño and its “beard”
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Dyeing and distilling in Rancagua Just before leaving for this trip I spent a week with a bee-keeper friend in Doñihue, near Rancagua. She also obtains essential oils from distilling plants We did some experiments
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village ď Ž
Dyeing in a still
Boldo flowers
Wool
Getting essential oils
Boldo
Eucalyptus and iron acetate
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Conclusion
An artisan in Chile: theory influences practice; but above all I work with what I have and the constraints that this entails – thus have I chosen to present the heuristic and exploratory nature of my craft, rather than a theoretical paper on natural dyes in Chile A dying art: unfortunately the natives’ ancestral knowledge is gradually disappearing as are the plants, endangered by mining activity in the region New directions: it would be interesting to explore the possibilities of dyeing with different muds – there seems to be little information available
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Bibliography
Dominique Cardon Le monde des teintures naturelles, Editions Belin Guide des teintures naturelles – Plantes, lichens, , champignon, mollusques et insectes, Editions Delachaux et Niestlé
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Bibliography
Michel Garcia De la garance au pastel – l’herbier de plantes tinctoriales, Editions Edisud Plantes colorantes Teintures Végétales – Le nuancier des couleurs, Edtions Edisud Couleurs végétales – Teintures, pigments et encres, Editions Edisud
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Bibliography Couleur Garance , La teinture de la laine en couleurs végétales Couleur Garance, Bleu Indigo, Des plantes et des couleurs – Indigotier, Polygonum, Pastel
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Bibliography
Teñido artesanal, Let Van De Vrande, Ediciones CEAC Un mundo de manualidades, Técnicas textiles (teñido – decolorado – texturizado), Ediciones Paula Oficios – Teñidos, Isabel Baixas F. Francisca Philippi Y., Editora Nacional Gabriela Mistral (plantas del sur) Tintes Naturales - recuperación de una milenaria tradición relegada al olvido, Ana María Carrasco G. (plantas del norte) Arte Textil Prehispánico – Diseño de los tejidos de la cultura Arica, norte de Chile (1000-1470 d.C.), Helena Horta Tricallotis, Universidad Bolivariana, Iquique, Colección Estudios Regionales y Locales
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Bibliography Awakhuni – tejiendo la historia andina Plantas Medicinales de Uso Comun en Chile, Adriana Hoffmann, Cristina Farga, Jorge Lastra, Esteban Leghazi, Ediciones Fundación Claudio Gay Manual de técnicas textiles andinas – Terminaciones, Ma Soledad Hoces de la Guarda, Paulina Brugnoli, Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes
Natural dyes in Mamiña thermal village
Acknowledgments
Hearty Thanks to: My Aymara and Quechua friends in Mamiña : Raquel and Humberto, Gumercindo, Lalo, Sebastiana and Rosaulio, Josefina and Don Esteban, Aurelia, José « Cayito », Berta and Blanca Cruz, Luisa, Iris, my Kolla friends in Paipote: Daisy, Sergio and their family, Nicolas Marin, my friends Lucy et José in Rancagua, Veronica, Jeannette, Carmen,Roxana and Alicia d’Iquique and many others… My parents André and Madeleine Raffi in Loches en Touraine (France) without thom I could not be here… Dominique Cardon who opened to me the world of natural dyeing
And last but not least I especially thank ISEND Organisers for their kind invitation and their welcome
Natural dyes in MamiĂąa thermal village
The End