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Article In:
Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area
Vol. 48:1 (2025) ► pp.44–61

Weaving and loom terminology in Japhug

ORCID logo | INaLCO, CRLAO-CNRS-EPHE
 | Tracing Patterns Foundation
We describe the yarn preparation and weaving tradition of the Japhug people of Sichuan Province, China, speakers of a Rgyalrongic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family. We discuss the practical aspects of the loom and its operation, as well as the terms used to describe it. Our analysis shows that the terms are mostly a mixture of autochthonous Rgyalrongic and borrowings from Tibetan. The loom is a version of the frameless body-tensioned loom, an ancient and widespread type in East Asia and Southeast Asia, used by many Sino-Tibetan language speakers. We provide a simple guide for researchers interested in recording weaving traditions in the field, and we briefly discuss the implications of our findings for the study of the languages and ethnography of the Sino-Tibetan peoples generally.
Keywords: Japhug, weaving, spinning, language documentation, loom, warp frame, spindle
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Spinning and warping
    • 2.1Spinning
    • 2.2Winding the warp
  • 3.The Japhug backstrap loom
    • 3.1Basic terms
    • 3.2The use of the loom implements
  • 4.The tridimensional orientation coordinate system in the loom
    • 4.1Riverine dimension
    • 4.2Solar dimension
    • 4.3Vertical dimension
  • 5.The Japhug loom in its areal context
  • 6.Recording weaving and loom terminology
  • 7.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
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