Felting between East and West

Murray Lee Eiland III


Felt Among the Nomads
In many ways felts are the most essential part of nomad material culture , as they provide the fabric which lines the Yurts. The Mongols, Kalmyks, Burayats, and the Turkic peoples of Siberia, the Tuvinians, Khakass, and Altaiains did not develop pile textiles as did the nomadic peoples of the West (Basilov and Naumova 1989: 101). Although the picture is far from clear, it appears that the modern Turco-Mongol groups in Central Asia learned pile weaving from Iranian groups who preceded them (Moshkova 1970: 12).

Felt also played an important role in the ceremonies and rituals of nomadic groups:

“In electing their chieftans the Turkish tribes were accustomed to lift them on a white felt rug, not on a carpet. In ceremonial ritual the oldest customs of a tribe are purely preserved and rigidly adhered to, and it is plainly manifested by this practice that the use of felt rugs preceded that of woven rugs among the Turks. It is an interesting fact also that in the primitive life the art of weaving is never mentioned, whereas sewing, embroidering, and felting are referred to as the sole pastime and handicraft of women.”

Laufer 1930: 12

While archaeological and art historical evidence of the early Turks is sparse, the custom of raising the ruler on a felt may be preserved on some distinctive Turkoman coins (fig 8), as seen on a central device from a large bronze coin struck by the Artuqids of Mardin, Nasir al-Din Arslan (A.D. 1201-1239). A figure in traditional Turkish costume holding an orb may be assumed to be the ruler (Spengler & Sayles 1992: 148-149). While the figure - variants which can be found on period metalwork as well - has traditionally been described as being seated on a platform, it is likely that in keeping with ancient Turkish practice, he is seated on a felt, which indicates his status. It is clear that the engraver would have considerable difficulty in representing a flat floor covering, and the dots placed in the field may be interpreted as a space filler rather than the kind of decorative scheme one may expect to find on period felts. Further evidence for the kinds of designs that may have appeared on felts (and other textiles) can be found on other coins. Figure 9 shows the detail of a bronze coin struck by the Zengid Atabegs of Al-Jazira, depicting Mu’izz al-Din Sanjar Shah (A.D. 1180-1209). The tamga of this coin is clearly the central focus, and may have either a classical or nomadic heritage. Whatever the origins of this device, it is clear that it is well suited for use as a tribal emblem, and is not out of place on felts. If interpreted with a Central Asian focus it clearly has horns reminiscent of animals. While tribal emblems may no longer be identifiable on modern textiles, it is likely that in the past, particularly in non-literate cultures, symbols would have been appreciated in a more systematic way. Unfortunately, a detailed study of design is hampered by a lack of textile materials extending into the past.

When compared to a sturdy woven structure, such as a pile carpet, felt is not particularly durable. At the same time considerably less time has been invested. And unlike woven structures, the felt can use more hair than wool, which also reduces the cost of raw materials. The basic technique for making felt is simple, so that nomadic groups are able to produce this cloth without having to set up looms that would be bulky when travelling. Felts may be produced in a short period of time, which is often the time frame allowed to a group that must travel to find fresh pasture. Ethnographic research among the Kirghiz (Bunn1997: 84-5) shows just how flexible the technique is. For a pressed felt 4 x 2 metres, about five or six fleeces would be used. The bulk of the wool would be brown or black, with the coloured pattern being laid out at the end of the process. The wool would be cleaned after shearing from the sheep by washing and drying and then beaten with sticks to separate any accumulated dust.

The foundation would be laid out on a sedge mat. An average felt has three layers. The first plain brown layer is beaten flat with sticks, and another is added, to which is added the coloured pattern layer. The pattern is made by outlining the design with a long sliver of wool, which is later infilled with (usually) another coloured wool. After the design is complete, hot water is applied and the felt is rolled and wrapped in cloth, tied, and then agitated. While there are many ways of agitating the wool to become felt, here it is accomplished by kicking about the street. After one and a half hours further water is added, and then the roll is opened and rolled over and over again with arm pressure. The final product is then washed. Altogether the process takes up to two weeks - although certain stages can be interrupted with little difficulty - and a felt made in this manner will last several years (Bunn 1997: 84-5). In different regions felt is made in different ways, as in Anatolia it is made by men and rolled by foot, and in Urfa there is a group of felt makers who manipulate the ends of the felt roll with their hands while rolling it with their chests. In Afghanistan it is wrapped in bundles and flung up and down (Burkett 1993: 177-178).

Felt making by the Turcoman of Iran (Dasht e Gurgan) offers a slightly different model. Two kinds of sheep, the fat tailed sheep (D#SYMBOL \f "Symbol"95#SYMBOL \f "Symbol"95laq) and the Erik (the ‘Turkmen’ sheep) with a thinner tail at the tip, are shorn in spring and autumn, producing about a kilogram of fleece per shearing. The wool of the fat tailed sheep seems to be softer, and is often reserved for making felts or carpets for the family. Lamb’s wool is reserved for the most special felts. Most of the fleece from the spring fleeces are used for carpets, while the autumn shear is frequently used for felts. The white fleece is used for tent felts. While shearing is done by men, the felt making is done by women. After cleaning, the wool is beaten, to loosen it, and then combed. Combing is basically done by young girls. It is combed until it is straight, and then dyed and combed again. Felting is done by women, usually in groups, and occupies the entire day. Soapwort is used in the water to encourage matting. The design was piled first, and the backing is added later (Andrews nd.: 30-33). The colours used in these felts, red, umber, orange, beige and black, are used because they are already used in wool for pile carpets, but in carpets a wider range of colours is available. Turkoman felts are made with a design on either side. One is usually the main design is a “scroll pattern” while the secondary design on the other side is linear (Burkett, nd: 33-34. Nagy & Vidak (1999) note that Turkmen felts with a white ground are used during special religious holidays. The Turkmen also use special prayer felts, which are kept rolled and only unrolled during prayer. The latter may bear distinctive designs of a stylized sheep pelt (which may be a hold over from a time when the Turkmen worshipped out of doors on an animal skin) or a ‘snake’ pattern that was identified as deriving from that animal by the Turkmen.