[Moo] Warp weighted loom videos

Wed Mar 5 08:25:35 PST 2014

I recently stumbled on a series of videos published on YouTube by the
Norwegian Folk Museum. It is a 3 part set of silent films with Norwegian
titles and it shows the weaving and use of a heavy wollen blanket by a Sami
woman on a warp weighted loom.

I thought I would share my translation for those who might think it
interesting. I hope the moo doesn’t trash the format too much, if so, let me
know and I can email the word doc.

Enjoy

Wiglaf

Attached is a translation of the titles embedded in an interesting film made
on weaving with a warp weighted loom. This film series is a silent film with
titles of a Sami woman weaving a traditional heavy woolen blanket called a
Raðno in her native Sami language or a Grene in Norwegian.  The Grene was
used for many things including a tent section, blankets, and covers for
their sled gear. All of these uses are shown in the first part as shown with
the Samis erecting a tent after disassembling their sleds. The blankets from
their sleds are then put over a frame made from their sled runners and
support structure. 

My point of interest is the demonstration of the warp weighted loom by a
woman who clearly knows how to use it. Her skill with this loom interesting
to see. Also using the terms grenevev in a google search shows hits for a
warp weighted loom.

There are a lot of cultural things embedded in the movie. The Sami were
previously known as Lapp people or even in the sagas as “striding Finns” but
both terms are now considered pejorative. The Sami are the northern most
aboriginal people in Europe and their homeland stretches from Norway,
through Sweden and Finland into Russia’s Kola peninsula. They were described
as “sea Sami” and mountain Sami. The mountain Sami are well-known reindeer
herding nomads. They were isolated from the Viking peoples with the bubonic
plaque outbreaks in Norway in the 1300s. The Norwegians were killed at a
rate much higher than the Sami who were more isolated. When the two cultures
reconnected in the 1500s, the Norwegians began to think of them as less
sophisticated. But the Sami held on to traditional things further into the
modern times and so we have these films. 

Part 1 shows the reindeer herders and an interesting segment of them setting
up their tents.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUm2JvsLzx8 

Part 2 shows the woman preparing the warp for weaving
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxA1bpj6lB0

Part 3 shows the weaving and the resulting gren back on a sled.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PD-FASC6ZQ 

There is another set of modern videos that shows close ups of some of the
processes but the narrator is speaking Sami.
www.senterfornordligefolk.no/greneveving.4855035-150284.html

Del 1 av 3

Ein Rein eigar flytter dit dyra finn rein mose

Til vinter teltduk på finnmakrs vidda brukte fjell samane teppe av ullgarn,
tette, tverr stripa

Radno er same namnet på dei store teppa. Grene seier andre norske.

Rein skinn og grene er seng klede og slede feld

nå set dei opp grene teltet i snø ver

grue til elden

Del 2 av 3

gren veving treng steiner som er jam tunge og helst slette ull garn till
øver kant i ei grene

sør i norge i ei myr på jaren låg ei renning med smal øvre jaren ikring 1500
år

renninga er nå i stavanger museum og eit fotografi kjem her

flette-moskar held rennings trådane på plass

Ho legg hovlar om annakvart tråd par og om avil soabbi mjukt ullgarn till
tverr trådane i veven

Nå ser vi korleis lyngen kvinner kan veve grener til vinter teltduk og til
sengetøy

fjell samane vil ha tette grener till vinter telt derfor må ho dra godt til

Når ho nokre gonger har rulla veven opp, flytter ho steinane ned.

Ein må slutte å veve når det ikkje lenger er godt skil i veven.

Grena er nå snart ferdig til senge klede kjore teppe eller til telt duk
Grene på flytte lass på Finmarks vidda

part 1 of 3

A reindeer owner goes where the animals can find reindeer moss.

In winter on Finnmarks plateau the canvas used by the mountain Sami is a
blanket of wool , dense , striated called “Raðno.” The Norwegian name for
the same big blanket is “Grene”.

Reindeer skins and grene are bed clothing and sled coverings. Now in snow
world they set up the tent frame covered by grene over the hearth fire.

Part 2 of 3

Gren weaving needs stones that are evenly heavy and straighten wool yarn in
a grene border.

In a southern Norway marsh was found a bottom warp end with a narrow strip
circa 1500. That warp is now in the Stavanger Museum, and here is a
photograph of it.

A braid (mask) holds the warp threads in place.

She separates every other line pair and (if avil soabbi her name?) soft wool
as the cross threads in the weave. 

Now we see how the “heather women” can weave grene for winter canvas and
linens

Mountain Sami will have thick grene in the winter tent so she must go well –
be careful.

When she has rolled the weaving up , she moves the stones down.

One must stop the weave when there are no longer good separation in the
weave/warp .

The gren is now almost ready to use as bedclothes blanket or tent webs and
moving loads on the Finnmark plateau.

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