For centuries the backstrap loom, known in Guatemala as "stick loom," has been the inseparable tool of the Mayan female weaver. It is made of hand carved wooden parts. Two end bars support the warp. The heddle rod divides the even and uneven threads of the warp. The batten opens the warp and tightens the weave. The tenter assures a uniform width. the bobbin threads the weft through the warp to create the weave. The weaveer controls the tension of the weaving by means of a backstrap places around her waist and attached to the lower end bar of the loom. the upper end bar is fastened oto a tree or pillar by means of a rope.

The breadth of cloth produced on the backstrap loom are relatively short and narrow. For this reason, garments of pre-hispanic origin such as sleeveless blouses known as huipiles and wraparound skirts are made by joining two or more breadths. This type of construction, as well as traditional technology and designs, are used by TRAMA to create products both for the national and the international markets. this association of weavers has also rescued textile procedures, that are becoming extinct such as the use of natural dyes and undyed brown cotton.

Weaving in the intimacy of their homes and preserving their cultural tradition, TRAMA's backstrap-loom weavers are able to provide additional economic income for their families. By marketing their products through an organization that fights for the dignity, well-being and ethnic expression of its associates, the continuity of an artistic work that has been a female domain since the moon deity taught weaving to the first woman, is guaranteed.

Linda Asturias de Barrios, Ph.D.
Guatemalan Anthropologist

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