Spinner in India II
Here is another support spindler on the move. Note the larger spindle and support stick than we saw last time. The larger tools are probably because she would be spinning sheep's wool rather than cashmere.
As with the spindler in my prior entry, she is from northern India, this time from the Ladakh region on the Tibet border.
(click for bigness)
But whereas the woman in the last entry was fairly citified, this spindler is a working shepherdess. You can see her sheep* in the background, grazing on next to nothing.
Her dress has been patched and re-patched. She wears a sheepskin around her shoulders, and her hat is knitted. It looks to me like the red sash is silk. You can see that she wears several layers of clothing.
See the blue bag on her left forearm? That's her version of a wrist distaff--it holds her fiber supply, which looks to be prepared rovings.
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*I can hear some of you crying out, "But what kind of sheep are they?"
The best answer I can give you is Indian sheep.
According to the publication Sheep and Goat Breeds of India by R.M. Acharya, Director, Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute, Avikanagar via Jaipur (Rajasthan), India,
In the strict sense, there are no specific breeds, since the majority of them do not have specified defined characters. Neither are there breeding societies or agencies to register animals of particular breeds, maintain flock books and ensure the purity of the breed. A population of sheep or goats in a given locality, with characters distinct from other populations in the vicinity and with a distinct local name, has usually been considered as a breed.
Most of the breeds of sheep and goats are very well adapted to the harsh climate, long migration, and lack of vegetation and drinking water. A large proportion of sheep and goats (more particularly the latter) are of nondescript or mixed breeds.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/X6532E/X6532E00.HTM
