The patriarchal Indo-European culture has enslaved women for over 5000 years; portraying mothers as dragons and serpents to be slain; the sexual women into whores and prostitutes; the sages and wise women into crones and witches. So what does it mean to be a woman outside of the misogyny of the patriarchally created images? You will see the real image of yourself, in the beautiful images of our ancestresses - the creatresses, the clan mothers, the artisans and wise women – the women before the vilification. We need to reclaim the beautiful imagery, symbols, terms and ideographs that spoke of our true essence, equality and capabilities.

The beliefs of the mothers / women, equal and strong, went underground and became expressed in the beliefs of the folk cultures. Textiles provide the visible record for the beliefs that the continuing creativity of the mother spins all life out of her own body. Which is why most ancient mothers are depicted spinning and often associated with spiders.

Through archaeology, comparative mythology and ancient history I have learned a great deal of what it means to be a woman - a creatress; free, equal and respected; strong yet feminine; beautiful as well as intelligent; constantly growing and evolving, even with the graying of my hair. Having cast off the patriarchal historical baggage, I have been learning the hidden history of women, buried in the soil of the earth, transmitted through images that survived on bones, stone, ceramics, metal. Rarely did ancient wood and textiles survive the ravages of time, but the traditions were carried on, even in the shadows of oppressing patriarchal cultures, often through women’s textiles, tools and jewelry.

Historical Baggage is inspired from these histories and artifacts from around the world, taking a purely functional bag, using the language of their ancient symbols and imagery to weave their story in textiles. Transmitting their history, like mothers did to daughters, to become your story. Each unique, hand made bag includes an explanation of the history and artifacts that inspired it. I hope that you will be equally inspired as a woman.

All Historical Baggage is made from natural materials (cotton, linen, hemp, wool, silk for the fibres, excluding metallic threads) and includes elements related to the artifacts and cultures depicted, such as materials, colors, bones, stones, beads, metals, etc. In some cases, I have used recycled materials to make the bags more sustainable, which also adds to their individuality.

For additional information on the scenario of the mother cultures and patriarchal Indo-Europeans,
please see the link below.

Mother Cultures and Patriarchal Indo-Europeans Research

 

 

Kathryn QannaYahu