700 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1893. 



quite waterproof, is woven by the natives. It is extremely narrow, 

 about 4i to 5 inches in breadth, and in it are narrow stripes of red, 

 white, green, blue, and yellow. This stuft' is very much prized. The 

 women make their aprons and skirts of it in some portions of the 

 country (Mark'anis and Bat'ang for instance), and blankets of it are in 

 great demand, 13 bands of the stuff being sewn together to make a 

 blanket, never more or less. 



I have found but few notices concerning Tibetan weaving in books 

 accessible to me. William IMoorecroft, however, gives some interest- 

 ing details on the methods of weaving of the northern Ladakis: 



To the northward a coarse loom is iu use, little unlike in its parts to the cue com- 

 mon in Europe. Here the two ends of the warp are fastened together, and it is then 

 stretched upon two rods, one tixed to the body of the weaver (who is invariably a 

 woman) by a cord, which admits of the work lieing loosened or tightened at pleas- 

 ure, and the other well fastened to some stones at a distance equal to half the length 

 of the cloth. The whole is close to the ground, on which the work woman sits, but 

 the porti(m close to her is slightly elevated by a third rod. Loops, each including a 

 thread, and received upon a small stick like a rattan, supply the place of a heddle;^ 

 of these there are three sets, which draw up parts of the warp alternately as 

 required. A large heavy mash, into which a thin bar of iron is inserted, is a substi- 

 tute for the reed, and three or more heavy strokes are made with its armed edge upon 

 every thread of the woof. The last instrument must be taken out after«the inser- 

 tion of each piece of yarn, and when placed perpendicularly, with its two edges 

 8ei)arating the warp, abundance of room is given for the passage of the balls of 

 worsted made use of, without the covering of a shuttle. This part of the process is 

 tedious, but the warp is prepared in a quick and simple way. Several pegs are driven 

 into the ground so near each other that the whole may be reached without any 

 material movement of the body; the yarn is fastened to one of them, and carried on 

 round the others till a sutiicient quantity has been wound; all are then taken olf 

 except three, which have their places supjilied by rods, and the warp only requires 

 spreading. - >* * Each piece is about 17 inches broad, and the average length 

 may be stated at 74 yards. * * * Very good sacking is also made of the hair and 

 wool taken from the yak. (Travels in the Himalayan Provinces of Hindoostan, 

 etc., II, pp. 72-74.) 



Felt {chyin(i-j)(() is also largely used in Tibet. Its mode of manufacture 

 is extremely simple. The wool, having been first picked over, is s])read 

 out a handful at a time on a large piece of felt on the ground, each hand- 

 ful overlapping the preceding one iu such a way that a piece of uniform 

 thickness and of whatever size is desii'cd is made. This is rolled up 

 tightly and with much pounding of the closed tist and then unrolled, 

 and this work is kept up for an hour or more; then the roll is soaked in 

 water and the work of rolling, unrolling, kneading, and beating with 

 the closed fist goes on for another hour or two. I was told that a piece 

 of felt had to be kneaded at least 1,000 times before it was ready for use. 

 After the roll has been left to dry for a while it is opened, and by pulling 

 it slightly in different directions the surface is made smooth, and the 

 edges are trimmed with a knife. Sometimes it is bleached. Altogether, 

 Tibetan and Mongol felt is vastly inferior to that made by the Chinese. 



The Navajo loom, I take it, resembles this one very closely. 



