Songye Heddle Pulley Congo
Width: 1.5
Depth: 1.0
Description
A heddle pulley with a simple design comes from the Songye people. No longer equipped with the spindle and spool.
Heddle pulleys are used in weaving cloth out of native-grown cotton and are often sculpted with symbolic imagery. The cord attaching the pulley to the loom was passed through the holes in the head and would be tied to a crossbar of the loom. The roller (generally an old thread spool) over which another cord moved up and downwards was held in place between the two legs of the pulley by a small stick pushed through the center hole of the spool from one leg to the other. The heddle pulley is an integral component for the double-shed loom so common in West Africa where it would open spaces so that the warp (the lengthwise threads) would be separated from the weft threads (horizontal or crossing threads) to allow a shuttle to pass through with the weft threads.
Height (In): 4.5
Width (In): 1.5
Depth (In): 1.0
145679
Approximate Age: 20th Century
People: Songye
Country of Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Material
Condition
Overall Condition: Good to Fair. Most ofour pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.