In this thesis I investigate social processes that motivate the contemporary reproduction and public dissemination of older Central Coast Salish spindle whorls. In a case study, I develop a cultural biography of spindle whorls to examine how material culture produced by past generations informs contemporary activity. Visual materials, first- and third-person accounts and writings in three areas—material culture, the social nature of art and colonialism—are drawn together to demonstrate that spindle whorl production and circulation is grounded in social and historical contingencies specific to Central Coast Salish First Nations. I propose that in using spindle whorls, Central Coast Salish people are drawing on the past to strengthen their position within current circumstances.

In this thesis I investigate social processes that motivate the contemporary reproduction and public dissemination of older Central Coast Salish spindle whorls. In a case study, I develop a cultural biography of spindle whorls to examine how material culture produced by past generations informs contemporary activity. Visual materials, first- and third-person accounts and writings in three areas—material culture, the social nature of art and colonialism—are drawn together to demonstrate that spindle whorl production and circulation is grounded in social and historical contingencies specific to Central Coast Salish First Nations. I propose that in using spindle whorls, Central Coast Salish people are drawing on the past to strengthen their position within current circumstances. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

Spinning, a task modern western society has eliminated from the list of household chores, was once a staple of every medieval woman’s life. This facet of medieval women’s work should not be neglected, since its shift appears to play a fundamental role in allowing industrialization through relocation of workload. When the new tool, the spinning wheel, was added to a woman’s possible ways of finishing this task, was it universally adopted? A look at the pervasive task from three perspectives shows that this new tool was slowly accepted and did not replace the original tool, the spindle. These perspectives are, first a literary review of how and when the term spinning wheel entered the the the cultural vocabulary. The second is a pictorial review of what type of spinning implements are shown in artwork and when the spinning wheel joins these pictures. An archaeological review of spindle whorls form York and Sweden to see if the introduction of the spinning wheel can be inferred from their inertial values is last. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Anthropology

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This thesis is a study of textile production in the Late Bronze Age, using new evidence uncovered by excavations at Ancient Eleon in Boeotia, Greece. Textile production is a nearly forgotten art. To the Mycenaeans of the Greek Late Bronze Age (ca. 1700-1100 BCE) textiles were nearly a form of currency, and a symbol of power. This thesis begins by examining the Mycenaean administration of textile production, which was systematically controlled by the palatial centres of Greece and Crete. Linear B documents record resources and workers under palatial control, and the amounts of cloth that they were expected to produce. The Mycenaean palace at Thebes was the administrative centre that controlled the region of eastern Boeotia, including sites such as Eleon. No document directly links textile production at Eleon to Thebes, but other Theban tablets and the two sites’ close proximity suggest a similar relationship to other Mycenaean centres and their dependents. Usually, ancient textiles from Greece do not survive in the archaeological record. The only evidence that remains is the Linear B archives and the tools of production. Linear B tablets have not been found at Eleon, but many spindle whorls for yarn production, loom weights for weaving, and other tools indicating the production of textiles have been recovered from the site. This thesis discusses the significance of these objects and attempts to place Eleon in the greater context of the Mycenaean textile industry. / Graduate

This thesis is concerned with textile production in Middle and Late Bronze Age on the Greek continent and western Anatolia. First part explains the description of methodology of approach to textile manifacture in the studied area, followed by description and properties of threads used to weave the cloths, as well as technologies used in their making. Terms related to textile are mentioned on clay tablets with linear writing B, hence the thesis engages in their interpretation and comparison between particular centres. Second part analyses tools used in textile manifacture, namely whorls and loom weights based on their shape. Then follows topographic overview of the most prominent localities of textile manifacture in which textile-making tools were found. Localities not included in the overview are mentioned in the table. The overview describes locality, number and types of whorls and loom weights and what materials are they made of. Whenever possible, the most important specification is mentioned - the weight - based on which the type of weaved textile is described. The aim of the thesis is to create overview of localities with tools used in textile making as well as their analysis and comparison. Collected data are converted into tables, graphs and maps. In the last part called discussion,...

This essay will treat the Gotlandic textile production during the Viking period (790 AD­–1150 AD) by studying the three grave fields, Barshalder in Grötlingbo parish, Broe in Halla parish and Ire in Hellvi parish. The focus of the study are the textile related objects, spindle whorls, weaving tablets, needles and needle cases found at the grave fields. The study will mainly examine the spindle whorls since differences in the weight and diameter can tell us about what type of yarn or thread that was produced and in extent the textiles that were produced. The results will be catalogued, and a correspondence analysis will be done in hope it will show patterns in the material. The study will also look at if there are differences between the three grave fields and in extent on the island.