The family pleaded with the people to find their child who was taken by the maid. Saron talked about the incident that happened to their family.
Soft, fluffy white cotton has been produced in the lowlands of rural Ethiopia for thousands of years. The production of traditional cotton fabrics for clothing employs both rural and urban artisans in a country that is a major center for handcrafted textiles in East Africa. This textile tradition has proven to be resilient, dynamic, and adaptable to change. Ethiopia’s cotton production is now the second highest in Africa, making cotton production a top priority for governments that want to use the textile industry as a starting point to resume and sustain rapid economic growth.
Spinning was learned and practiced by most social classes in Ethiopia and was considered a fashionable and appropriate activity for the nobility until the 20th century. Throughout Ethiopian history, clothing defined class and status in this complex hierarchical society. Guilds of professional weavers, embroiderers, and tailors worked for the religious and political elite. One of the most important garments in Ethiopian cultural history is the white cotton shamma.
This is a toga-like shawl worn by both men and women and made in a variety of designs. A sheer shawl worn by women over their chemis (gowns) was sometimes bordered with red to indicate class and status. Made of two heavyweights, the shamma was worn by men and used as a blanket and even as a cover for the dead. The tradition of processing Ethiopian raw cotton has been around for a long time and is still widely practiced.
There are three processes: ginning, milling, and spinning. In the old days, the cotton fibers were spread out on a flat stone and beaten with an iron stick called a medamagar to remove the cotton seeds. Bowing fluffed the spinning cotton by striking the bow and sending vibrations through the bowstrings, creating a fluffy cloud of cotton fibers.
