A photo essay on the weavers of Sandrandahy, Madagascar

For artists in the remote Madagascan village of Sandrandahy, weaving a single raw-silk scarf takes four to six weeks and requires the work of 15 to 30 people. But few outsiders ever saw these intricate weavings until last year, when Peace Corps volunteer Natalie Mundy helped local artists bring their work to the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market for the first time. Photographer and filmmaker David Evans, whose work has appeared in National Geographic, traveled to Sandrandahy in April to film a documentary about Federation Sahalandy, a local cooperative of about 80 weavers. Evans’ images capture the essence of this revered folk art tradition.

Sandrandahy sits in the central highlands of Madagascar, seven to eight hours by car from the capital city of Antananarivo. Much of the impoverished country, located off the east coast of Africa, is inaccessible by road. Extended families live together in traditional two-story homes—shown here on the outskirts of Sandrandahy—built of mud and dung, adobe bricks, and thatch roofs and set among rice terraces. Some houses in the village center have electricity for a couple of hours a night, but as with most communities in Madagascar’s remote, rugged interior, there is no running water or fresh-water wells.

Here women harvest rice at the end of the rainy season. “Weaving isn’t the only thing they do in Sandrandahy,” says Evans. “This is a subsistence culture. Everyone has to grow rice.” Village children help with harvest by taking double handfuls of the rice stalks and beating them on a wooden base until the kernels fly loose.

Weaving raw silk is an elaborate process. First, wild silkworms must be harvested from the country’s tapia forests. Eighty percent of Madagascar is deforested, so the cost of silkworms continues to rise. Next, weavers remove the silkworms and stack the silk cocoons on top of each other on long wooden nails, as pictured left. Then they boil and wash the cocoons several times and throw them against walls to dry.

Once a week, on market day, people come to Sahalandy to buy and sell vegetables, fruit, clothing, handmade metal tools, and rice. Left, a weaver named Menja (middle) holds a dried bundle of  silk cocoons over a drop-spindle. As she spins it against her leg, she separates the silk from the mass of cocoons, pulling it to a consistent-size thread. The thread is then dyed naturally, using plants, roots, and flowers, including blue lily pad flowers (below), and then woven by hand on traditional floor looms.

The vibrant textiles vary in color and texture, depending on the weaver. “These are artists, and they do take great pride in the individuality of their creations,” says Evans. “At the same time, they are all very grounded and savvy. They are focused on finding an international market” for their work, which this year will include bed coverings, as well as shawls and scarves.

The 25-year-old artist Rado, shown here wearing one of her open-weave shawls (the technique is called spider’s web), was chosen by the Federation Sahalandy to represent its weavers at the International Folk Art Market next month. Though this will be Rado’s first time out of the country, she is already planning to use her profits to attend business school in Antananarivo when she returns. Last year, the Federation earned $35,000 at the Market, an enormous sum in a country where the average annual income is less than $1,000. With the money she earned at last year’s Market, one 70-year-old artist was able to build two new homes for her children and grandchildren.

A portion of the money made at the Market also went back to the cooperative. They were able to build three shelters (pictured left) to rent to trekkers coming through their remote village. These new buildings were a dream come true and part of an economic development plan to earn extra money for the community.

—Katie Arnold

Award-winning travel writer, Arnold’s stories have appeared in Travel & Leisure, The New York Times and Sunset among other publications. She also writes a Raising Rippers column for OutsideOnline.com.