Sunday, November 06, 2005

Ainu Embroidery 1


Ainu Embroidery 1
Originally uploaded by anyram.

This afternoon I was in Asahikawa for my Ainu sewing "class". I had my camera along, so I took some pictures of some of the samples that other people have done. I really like this one. I'm working on copying it, but my stitches aren't as delicate as the original. I'm sure they will get better with practice.

It was a really fun class -- a few hours of sewing, chatting and coffee. Today we finished off by learning a traditional Ainu song. It's like a working chant. One voice starts, and new voices come in repeatedly, like ripples. The melody is very simple, and now I know the Ainu words for a bundle of firewood (nishike).

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