TRADITIONAL POUCH AND BELT WEAVING IN TOSYA AND ITS PRESENT STATUS

Abstract

The art of weaving is one of Anatolia’s crafts, which has been going on through the ages and has a wide range of cultural and artistic richness. Its traditional identity, the technique used, the motif and composition characteristics of the region are among the main elements of our cultural heritage. Although the examples that have survived from traditional weaving art to the present day have a rich diversity, it is seen that due to today’s technological conditions, traditional identity has been disrupted and production has decreased.

The purpose of this research is to determine the technical characteristics of the tools and production stages used in Tosya pouches and belts woven using mohair yarn. For these purposes, ethnographic research method was applied. The weavers in the region and the institution authorities were interviewed, the pouch samples that can be reached in the district, the internal and external belt samples were examined. Within the research, all the preparation, weaving and finishing processes made in pouch and belt weaving in Tosya were determined. The pouches, which are the subject of the research, are woven in the plain knitting technique, while the inner belts are weaved in the herringbone twill knitting technique.

The final procedures applied to the bladder weaving make it easy to remove dead skin from the skin. In the pouch and inner belts, the lint’s own color is used and is not subjected to any painting process. The external belts, also known as the “alaca belt” in the region, are no longer made. The production and use of internal belts continues to this day. With this study, it is aimed to help the production of “Tosya Pounch” and “Tosya Belt” to be recorded and preserved and to continue in the future without deteriorating their quality.