Name/Title
Ikoots Backstrap LoomEntry/Object ID
2025.05.01Description
Portable backstrap loom composed of cylindrical and flat wooden elements including warp beam, cloth beam, heddle rod, shed rod, and sword-shaped batten. The loom retains an in-progress cotton textile mounted under tension.
The woven panel features a natural white cotton ground with red supplementary weft patterning arranged in vertical registers. Motifs include stylized animals and branching vegetal forms characteristic of Ikoots (Huave) textile iconography from the Mexican Isthmus region. The warp threads extend beyond the lower beam, indicating the textile was unfinished at the time the loom was stored or collected.
Wooden components show hand-carved shaping and smoothing from repeated handling.Ethnography
Cultural Region
Region
Isthmus of TehuantepecLocation
Oaxaca, Mexico, Veracruz, Mexico, Chiapas, MexicoDimensions
Width
19-1/4 inLength
30-1/2 inDimension Notes
Backstrap LoomLength
19-1/2 inDiameter
3/4 inDimension Notes
Espada (Batten/shed stick)