The Hedendoa and half-weaving

Abstract

The Hedendoa of Sudan produce goat-hair blankets, called shamlas, for nuptial ceremonies employing an extremely rare and labour-intensive half-weaving technique that is completely unrelated to the narrow braided sewn strips used to produce palm leaf mats that cover their tents. I hypothesize that this technique exemplifies technological transfer resultant from casual encounters and incomplete observations of the weaving techniques of the Bedouin pastoral nomads of the region.