Having lived in the American Southwest from r a long time, I’ve paid close attention to the mix and transfer of food crops between the old world and the new. The Navajo and Puebloan weaving cultures (I think mostly post-Spanish contact, because the Spanish brought sheep) use natural dyes including cochineal. Was there a pre-contact cochineal in Palestine? Or was it brought over from the Americas?
There was no pre-contact cochineal, it was brought over from the Americas, but there were other local equivalents: different species of kermes, though I don't know if they produce the same shade. In any case kermes has a weaker dyeing power, which is why cochineal was imported and embraced.
I think it is so important to keep culture alive through traditional foods, and traditional crafts. When things are talked about, passed down, even orally they will always stay alive and no amount of history erasing will bury the culture. This information is a delight to read Joumana!
I am stumbling upon this article (happily) as I research natural dyes and tatreez. My question for you is regarding the color purple, or what I interpret as purple when I look at historic thwab. Is this a color that would be have been made through a mix of colors, like you mentioned the way green was produced by dying yellow, then overdying with indigo? Perhaps purple could be created by dying red, then overdying with indigo?
Hi Jenna, you can do either! Cochineal, which was used for red to purplish red can be made a lot more purple-blue by simply manipulating the pH of the dye. But that remains within the spectrum of cochineal dye. For more violet shades, red (whether from cochineal or madder) can indeed be overdyed with a weak indigo (or logwood) as I’ve done for my small sample of purple thread towards the bottom of the post. Did you have a specific example in mind?
Yes, for an example, this link from Tatter (https://tatter.org/tatreez-and-the-palestinian-thobe/) has an up close image of tatreez in the thobe - it's the 5th image from the top. I see a variety of colors ranging from the bright pink to purple. Perhaps this purple I'm seeing is the weaker indigo.
You also bring up another question I have been considering regarding cochineal. I'm curious if you know when prickly pear was introduced to Palestine? I have read that prickly pear grows abundantly there, but understand it is native to the Americas. I haven't been able to find a reference suggesting the time period during which it was grown and cochineal was used.
Wow, these are so beautiful. Yes I see the purple you mean, and I think this is a DMC palette rather than historical dyes. If I were to try and reproduce it, I would try indigo over cochineal but it would take a more experienced dyer to get it accurately.
Prickly pear was introduced specifically to grow cochineal (it also grows in Lebanon and was a familiar sight for me so I was quite surprised later to discover it wasn't native). I'm sure I've seen a reference to this, but I'm away from my books right now. I'll try to find it when I get home.
Having lived in the American Southwest from r a long time, I’ve paid close attention to the mix and transfer of food crops between the old world and the new. The Navajo and Puebloan weaving cultures (I think mostly post-Spanish contact, because the Spanish brought sheep) use natural dyes including cochineal. Was there a pre-contact cochineal in Palestine? Or was it brought over from the Americas?
Oops, that was “for a long time”
There was no pre-contact cochineal, it was brought over from the Americas, but there were other local equivalents: different species of kermes, though I don't know if they produce the same shade. In any case kermes has a weaker dyeing power, which is why cochineal was imported and embraced.
What is the scientific name for kermes (so I can figure out what kind of plant it is)?
It’s an insect, kermes is the genus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermes_(insect)
I think it is so important to keep culture alive through traditional foods, and traditional crafts. When things are talked about, passed down, even orally they will always stay alive and no amount of history erasing will bury the culture. This information is a delight to read Joumana!
A belated answer, but I agree with you! Thank you!
I am stumbling upon this article (happily) as I research natural dyes and tatreez. My question for you is regarding the color purple, or what I interpret as purple when I look at historic thwab. Is this a color that would be have been made through a mix of colors, like you mentioned the way green was produced by dying yellow, then overdying with indigo? Perhaps purple could be created by dying red, then overdying with indigo?
Hi Jenna, you can do either! Cochineal, which was used for red to purplish red can be made a lot more purple-blue by simply manipulating the pH of the dye. But that remains within the spectrum of cochineal dye. For more violet shades, red (whether from cochineal or madder) can indeed be overdyed with a weak indigo (or logwood) as I’ve done for my small sample of purple thread towards the bottom of the post. Did you have a specific example in mind?
Yes, for an example, this link from Tatter (https://tatter.org/tatreez-and-the-palestinian-thobe/) has an up close image of tatreez in the thobe - it's the 5th image from the top. I see a variety of colors ranging from the bright pink to purple. Perhaps this purple I'm seeing is the weaker indigo.
You also bring up another question I have been considering regarding cochineal. I'm curious if you know when prickly pear was introduced to Palestine? I have read that prickly pear grows abundantly there, but understand it is native to the Americas. I haven't been able to find a reference suggesting the time period during which it was grown and cochineal was used.
Wow, these are so beautiful. Yes I see the purple you mean, and I think this is a DMC palette rather than historical dyes. If I were to try and reproduce it, I would try indigo over cochineal but it would take a more experienced dyer to get it accurately.
Prickly pear was introduced specifically to grow cochineal (it also grows in Lebanon and was a familiar sight for me so I was quite surprised later to discover it wasn't native). I'm sure I've seen a reference to this, but I'm away from my books right now. I'll try to find it when I get home.