Ni baluí dbealaà: teachings from my sisters

Size: 80x150cm 2.6x5ft

Weaver: Leonor Lazo González

Materials and methods:  Criollo sheep wool spun in the mills of Tianguistengo. Hand dyed using natural dyes: Béé (Dactylopius Coccus), Yauhtli (Tagetes lucida) and Xiuhquilitl (Indigofera Suffroticosa). Handwoven on a Zapotec style loom of the 16th century adapted from European styles. Woven using a 7 threads per inch reed and wool rayon blend for warp.

Design, patterns and symbols. This rug depicts the eye of the feather snake with the butterfly of wisdom and love in the center of the Diamond. The Diamond represents the balance of the four directions of the universe and in our own bodies: intuition and dreams (nawal), language and logic (tonal), snake energy (earthly needs) and bird energy (spiritual pursuits). There are canales framing the eye of the feather snake inviting us to sit down on the earth in ceremony to share our stories, wisdom and love. There are stripes of the smile pattern that remind us that smiling and laughing is the source of true healing. A row of diamonds with seeds in the middle  remind us of our plantcestors: corn, beans and squash. In our story of creation we are the people made out of corn and the thin stripe of the smile pattern around the little diamonds is similar to a double helix pattern because as much as we transformed the DNA of corn to feed us, the plant also changed us in our essence, so much so that our yearly rituals are in tune with the corn plant development.