Textiles of the Banjara: Cloth and Culture of a Wandering Tribe

Description

The Banjara - an ethnic group composed of semi-nomadic tribes found throughout the Indian subcontinent - are renowned for their highly colourful textiles. Embellished with mirrors, shells and intricate embroidery. Banjara work displays a surprisingly modern aesthetic. Created to showcase embroidery skill, protect the owner from harm and channel auspicious powers, the Banjara technique is unique in India and a celebration of the strength of the women who practise it. This is the first book devoted to the traditional clothing and embroidery of the Banjara, illuminating their long history and investigating their links with the European Roma.

Charlotte Kwon is director of the Maiwa Textile Symposium, owner of Maiwa Handprints Ltd, and director of the Maiwa Foundation. In 2002 she curated an exhibition of tribal embroideries from the Kutch Desert. Tim McLaughlin is a professional photographer and writer. In collaboration with Charllotte Kwon he has edited and co-directed four documentary films.

'This book should be required reading for anyone who does not consider that textiles are a subject for serious study' - Selvedge