Weaving Wisdom: Community Learning Through Wool Crafts

Fabiola Hernandez Cervantes

Wixárika crafts are a testament to resilience and adaptability, they have been preserved since pre-Hispanic times. The evolution of some of these over the past century, influenced by global movements in the 1960s, has created a niche for Wixárika art and craft. Influenced by tourism, new styles, colors, and symbols have been introduced, serving as a form of resistance against the erasure of traditional knowledge and practices 500 years after the colonial period. Tsik+ri has gained global popularity as a method to create decorative geometric yarn pieces, but this craft not only provides insights about Indigenous cultures, experiences, and embodied knowledge, but also raises discussion about land and cultural appropriation by non-Indigenous individuals. In this exposition, I present a series of workshops held in the region of the Arctic Circle, where a development project is taking place to improve and enhance the use of sustainable wool by revitalizing craft heritage in a multicultural way. The method of this study is Art-Based Action Research. The study makes visible an essential feature of this textile artifact: its ability to transcend geopolitical and cultural borders, embodying a unique fusion of heritage and contemporary design. Indigenous craft practices from the Mesoamerican Wixárika culture, such as the Tsik+ri, are rooted in the multicultural identity of Mexico. The workshops served as platforms to communicate the culture and challenges of Wixaritari to Arctic and international contexts. This research sustains that implementing craft practices in the context of contemporary art requires profound knowledge and respect for its origins.

Cross-cultural exchanges in village of Äkäslompolo

I held a second workshop to create a woven piece in Navettagalleria in Äkäslompolo, Finland. A group of international students from the Sustainable Art and Design Master’s Degree Program at the University of Lapland and two locals from the village participated in the crafting and discussion. This time, the workshop took place in a traditional style log house that created a good and warm atmosphere. Some of the students mentioned how they came across the technique, and pointed out the fact that they have seen this craft piece being featured in diverse social media accounts and DIY craft blogs; some others were familiar with the style in their own home countries, as they stated that similar kind of crafts were created using similar materials, patterns and techniques. None of them acknowledged this type of craft as being from Wixárika culture.

After discussing its origins and background, the participants were interested and aware of the context of the tsik+ri. They emphasized the experience of acquiring new knowledge through group dynamics. The encounter provided insights into a culture with which the participants were unfamiliar. The group enjoyed the dynamics of creation and opened up about other topics, such as traditions in their home countries, memories of places where they created similar artifacts, and the sense of place through the materiality of wool.

During this workshop, participants from countries such as Indonesia, Iran, Nepal, China, and Nigeria participated. The discussion continued on identities and cross-cultural exchanges while the participants wove their personal pieces. The materials provided included wood sticks and previously naturally dyed wool yarn. The workshop incorporates eco-friendly materials, such as naturally dyed local wool. At the beginning of each workshop, as a facilitator, I opened a discussion on themes that focus on environmental and cultural sustainability (Figures 14-17).

Craft can be considered as a language that transcends verbal communication, and ABAR as a method that supports craft-based practices. Hence, the ABAR method allows the communication of complex stories, emotions and identities across cultures and language barriers. Crafting together in a multicultural environment engaging in a creative process, allows an open environment where participants often feel comfortable sharing and listening. During the workshops, the participants collaborated in the creation of a collective piece, experiencing a sense of ownership over the outcome, which can be empowering.

The naturally dyed yarn is wrapped or weaved continuously in a circular movement going over one stick, around the stick, and jumping to the next stick. It helps when the sticks are held with one hand, and the weaving is done with the other. We continue until the diamond shape starts appearing in the center. At this point, I review that all the participants are progressing well and help whoever needs it.

After a few minutes of weaving independently, the participants engage in a focused state. Their focus is on the yarn and holding enough tension with the sticks so that the weaving gets tight and even. The participants can decide at any time to change the color of the yarn, and tie a knot whenever they change to another color. Throughout the workshop I guide the participants to keep the tension in their weaving. When I notice that conversations arise, I realize that the process is well understood and is progressing.

At the first workshop I had 10 participants, a good number that allowed me to provide support to everyone. The second workshop was held with 8 participants, and the third had 20 participants, a total of 38 participants from 17 different nationalities who wove over 50 pieces and crafted two collaborative artistic installations. In the first workshop, the participants kept their pieces, and in the second and third, some participants wove two pieces and kept one for themselves.

Woven Cosmos in the Arctic Research symposium

In 2023, I participated at the Relate North, 11th annual symposium of Arctic Sustainable Arts and Design, with the theme Beyond Borders, held in Umeå Sweden, where I presented my research (Cervantes & Huhmarniemi, 2023) about the use of cochineal as a natural dye for wool and as a bridge between Indigenous knowledge and contemporary artistic research, decolonizing practices, sustainable materials, activism through traditional embroidery, material connections and ecocentric thinking through the lens of art-based methods. At the symposium, I held a workshop to create a personal piece, using naturally dyed wool yarn. The workshop aimed to foster a cross-cultural dialogue while crafting a personal piece; participants used naturally dyed wool, wood sticks, elements of color, lines, texture, and patterns (Figures 11- 13).

The Relate North Symposium 2023 gathered leading scholars and artists from around the Circumpolar North to present research and debate issues related to Arctic and Subarctic regions. Participants had various cultural roots, including a Sámi artist and researcher, since people from the Arctic art, Design and Education field come together every year for this symposium, where multiple voices and experiences nourish interaction between academia, artists, and art educators. This forum allows discussions on Arctic thematics such as relations between Indigenous people and others, conflicts in land rights and exploitation of natural resources, and artists´s means to facilitate dialogues.

In the first workshop, the working group discussed how this textile art reflects the materials and technologies available in different civilizations at different times including past and present. The discussion moved to other topics related to how textile crafts have been developed through centuries of exchanging processes and methods between different cultures as a result of natural migrations and global trade. The workshop concluded with a discussion on the local tradition of natural dyes and insights into naturally-dyed yarn using local plants and materials available in the Arctic.

The Relate North symposium was an excellent platform to talk about the origin of this craft piece, the culture of Wixáritari and their struggles with land appropriation, because the participants are aware of other similar Indigenous issues, they possess diverse backgrounds and are familiarized with social issues of their contexts, have abilities for craft, design and materialities, and are open to learn, as they usually come from education and academic fields.

Figures 18-22. Images from the third workshop, where participants from Peru, Iran, Mexico, South Africa, Poland, U.S.A., India, China, Siberia, Brazil, Spain, U.K., Finland and Nigeria wove around 30 pieces. Lola Cervantes, 2024.

Beyond Borders

Figures 11. and 12. Participants at Cervantes´s workshop, weaving a piece using naturally dyed wool. The workshop was held at the Relate North Symposium in Sweden 2023, with the topic Beyond Borders. Photographs by Maria Huhmarniemi 2023, and Cervantes 2023.

Experimenting Woven Cosmos as pedagogical platform

I have been developing my practice of tsik+ri weaving during my doctoral studies. The workshop I have been piloting is titled Woven Cosmos. In this chapter, I present the process and results of the workshop pilots. The workshop is framed on a broader tradition of woven crafts and geometric symbolism in many cultures worldwide. A future collaboration with a member of a Wixárika community is in process, and this will allow the creation of a partnership to ensure that the workshop offers an accurate and informed perspective on contemporary culture of Wixáritari.

The workshop is presented as an educational tool, a platform for connection and acknowledging of the craft´s origins, transparency about its roots, traditional significance, and ritual use. The workshop has been presented as an educational experience that aims to appreciate the craft, acknowledging that the traditional and ritual use belongs to the Wixáritari, and the participants create a personal piece with the purpose of engaging in community learning.

The workshop is a combination of hands-on experience and practice, independent crafting, group discussions, a presentation and a demonstration of a technique that involves a step-by step instruction and one-on-one attention when needed. In some cases, the group engages in dialogues about creativity, heritage, and personal experiences.

I begin the workshop with a small introduction about the concept of Tsik+ri crafts followed by an introduction to the cultural issues and struggles of the Wixáritari people, the symbolic and protective aspects, all through images and text. We continue examining together the materials that we will work with (yarns and sticks). The sticks are previously prepared and presented to the participants, who then proceed to select the yarns which they want to work with. The weaving process starts by making a knot in the center with yarn. I demonstrate the process step by step and wait for the participants to follow the process. (Figure 10).

Three threads: Reflection on the workshop experiments

Crafts are usually utilitarian objects. As heritage objects, they hold tradition and aesthetics; as souvenirs, they are associated with memories of a place or event, and a self-made craft piece in a participatory encounter can provide experiences and embodied knowledge (Zabulis et al., 2020; Fitzpatrick & Reilly 2019). In addition, craft disrupts hierarchies, creating opportunities for dialogue. In the three workshops that I carried as experiments, crafts and dialogical crafting served cross cultural dialogues and knowledge sharing about Wixárika culture. Tsik+ri helped to transcend borders and learn from others.

Crafting together can be further developed as artivism, environmental and political discussion that fosters a sense of togetherness when communities face exploitative policies. While tsik+ri is a craft that is thought to carry protective power, it has the potential to serve as a symbol of nature protection. As part of my ongoing doctoral research in the Arctic, I find the development of these workshops with great potential to serve as a pedagogical platform that can continue building on the efforts that many researchers (Huhmarniemi, 2021; Huhmarniemi et al., 2023; Jokela et al., 2021) have promoted to enhance artists' and communities' participation in environmental discussions in the Arctic and beyond.

Figure 14. Participants at Cervantes´s Tsik+ri workshop, weaving a piece using naturally dyed wool, the workshop was held at Navetta Galleria in Äkäslompolo, Finland in 2023, Photographs by Maria Huhmarniemi, Fian Arrafiani and Andrew Ekhafe.

Figure 16. Group installation of tsik+ri pieces at Navetta Galleria in Äkäslompolo, Finland. Photograph by Fian Arrafiani.

Team Building through collaborative crafting

The third workshop took place at the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland, in the framework of an EU-funded project titled Team Building for Green Organizational Behavior in Rural Areas, focused on interaction and collaboration skills through sustainable craft activities for vocational trainers and co-workers.

The TB-GOBRA (2023-2025) project is focused on offering eight possibilities of exercises and practices designed to promote teamwork using sustainable and ecologically ethical materials. Among the possibilities, we offered the tsik+ri weaving workshop in an effort to contribute to sustainable craft practices, that include key aspects of localism (Fletcher & Klepp, 2018), featured by small-scale activities shaped by traditions and natural factors of a place. We aimed to provide society with a more carbon-neutral artistic activity by using naturally dyed, recycled and locally sourced fibers.

The workshop provided meaningful experiences for participants, enabling a sense of connectedness to nature, while enhancing team skills and communication skills. In addition, by offering tsik+ri as a team-building practice, we encouraged the participants to achieve a common goal, as they were asked to partner with each other, engage in conversations, and mutually support each other during the learning process. At the beginning, some participants struggled to keep the yarn tight and understand the technique, however their team partners offered support and soon they started to enjoy the process. As the teams felt more confident, they began considering aspects of color, design, and self-expression.

A participant from Peru, shared his background and the fact that the tsik+ri shares similarities with some Peruvian crafts from the Shipibo people. Other participants expressed how the repetitive process of weaving and the experience of connecting with others in the workshop, allowed her to relax and disconnect from the hectic daily rhythm. Others expressed how their pieces were inspired by the autumn colors, and that they were very delighted with the newly gained skill (Figures 18-22).

Overall, the participants expressed how easy it was to get to know each other´s background while crafting their pieces, and how by putting together a collaborative piece, engaging in a group effort they dismissed individual ideas and goals towards a common outcome where everybody contributes, thus enhancing team skills. At the same time the group engaged in deep conversations about their personal dreams and values, topics that usually are not easy to engage in a small talk situation. They expressed that the crafting platform encouraged them to feel safe, heard, connected to the group and helped them to be part of the team dynamics.

Figure 10. Weaving instructions, 4-step process. Drawing by Lola Cervantes, 2024.

Figure 15. Detail of pieces woven by the participants in Äkäslompolo, Finland. Lola Cervantes, year.

Figure 17. Participants from Indonesia, Iran, Nepal and Nigeria at the Äkäslompolo workshop, photograph by Andrew Ekhafe.

Figure 13. Woven pieces by the participants of the workshop at Relate North Symposium, photograph by Cervantes, 2023.

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