"An exceptionally fine ethnography that focuses on the integral
role that traje or Maya dress and cloth production plays in the
lives of the people of Tecpa n, Guatemala.... offers rich insights
into the power of traje: as decorative clothing reflecting both
individual tastes and the collective power of the Maya community,
who regard cloth as more than clothing. For them, traje is the
memory of their proud past and an integral part of their future."
-- American Anthropologist
Traje, the brightly colored traditional dress of the highland
Maya, is the principal visual expression of indigenous identity in
Guatemala today. Whether worn in beauty pageants, made for
religious celebrations, or sold in tourist markets, traje is more
than "mere cloth"-- it plays an active role in the construction and
expression of ethnicity, gender, education, politics, wealth, and
nationality for Maya and non-Maya alike.
Carol Hendrickson presents an ethnography of clothing focused on
the traje-- particularly women's traje-- of Tecpa n, Guatemala, a
bi-ethnic community in the central highlands. She covers the period
from 1980, when the recent round of violence began, to the early
1990s, when Maya revitalization efforts emerged.
Using a symbolic analysis informed by political concerns,
Hendrickson seeks to increase the value accorded to a subject like
weaving, which is sometimes disparaged as "craft" or "women's
work." She examines traje in three dimensions-- as part of the
enduring images of the "Indian," as an indicator of change in the
human life cycle and cloth production, and as a medium for
innovation and creative expression.
From this study emerges apicture of highland life in which
traje and the people who wear it are bound to tradition and place,
yet are also actively changing and reflecting the wider world. The
book will be important reading for all those interested in the
contemporary Maya, the cultural analysis of material culture, and
the role of women in culture preservation and change.
General
Imprint: |
University Of Texas Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
December 1995 |
First published: |
1995 |
Authors: |
Carol Hendrickson
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 20mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
261 |
Edition: |
New |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-292-73100-4 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-292-73100-0 |
Barcode: |
9780292731004 |
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