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Textile Map

Run the Textile Map MicroSim Fullscreen

About This MicroSim

The Textile Map places ten South Asian textiles and garments on a schematic tile map of the eight countries. The dots are Jamdani (Bangladesh), ajrak (Sindh, Pakistan), the perahan tunban (Afghanistan), pashmina shawls from the Kashmir and Ladakh region, Chyangra Pashmina (Nepal), kira weaving (Bhutan), Banarasi silk, ikat and Kanjivaram silk (India), and the osariya or Kandyan saree (Sri Lanka).

Click or tap a dot, or choose a textile from the menu, to see where it is made, what fiber it uses, how its pattern is made, and what garment it usually becomes. The panel draws a simple garment in the textile's colors and a pattern swatch drawn by code: scattered woven flowers for Jamdani, feathery diamonds for ikat, teardrop buta shapes for pashmina, indigo and crimson stars for ajrak, and so on. The swatches are simplified illustrations, not copies of real pieces.

Quiz me hides the textile's name and place. Read the swatch, the fiber and the technique, then click the dot you think matches.

The map is schematic, not to scale, and does not draw any national borders.

How to Use

  1. Look at the map. Find the eight country tiles and the ten orange dots.
  2. Click or tap each dot (or use Previous and Next). Read the place, fiber, technique and "worn as" lines.
  3. Compare the pattern swatches. Which patterns are woven in, which are dyed into the thread first, and which are printed on?
  4. Untick Show place names and see if you can still name every dot.
  5. Press Quiz me. Study the mystery swatch and garment, then click the matching dot. Your score shows under the buttons.
  6. Press Stop quiz to go back to exploring.

Learning Objective

Students will be able to connect ten South Asian textiles and garments to the regions where they are made and to their fiber (cotton, silk or wool) and technique (woven, tie-dyed before weaving, or block-printed).

Bloom level: Remember and Understand (identify, explain).

Iframe Embed Code

<iframe src="https://aaryavvatts-lab.github.io/south-asian-culture-textbook/sims/ch12-textile-map/main.html" height="842px" width="100%" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Grade level: 9 to 12 (world geography, world history, art, ethnic studies, or a South Asian student club meeting)

Duration: 15 to 20 minutes

Activity:

  1. (3 min) Ask students to name any South Asian clothing they know. Write the list on the board.
  2. (6 min) Students click all ten dots and fill in a table with four columns: textile, country, fiber, technique.
  3. (3 min) Students sort the ten into three groups: patterns woven in, patterns dyed into the thread before weaving, and patterns printed on.
  4. (5 min) Students play Quiz me in pairs, taking turns, and aim for 8 out of 10.
  5. (3 min) Discussion: Why are the pashmina dots in the mountains and the fine cotton dots in hot, low places?

Assessment questions:

  1. Which textile is woven around Dhaka, and what did UNESCO do in 2013?
  2. What is the difference between how ikat and Jamdani patterns are made?
  3. Which two dots use wool from mountain goats? Why do those goats grow such fine undercoats?
  4. Which textile is block-printed in Sindh, and what colors is it known for?
  5. Name the national dress of Bhutan and the Kandyan saree's Sinhala name.

Chapter 12: Clothing and Textiles