During the Turkish occupation, most of the families of Metsovo were engaged in the processing of wool, the manufacture of carpets and clothing. The textile industry has a long tradition. The local weaving created elaborate textiles, carpets, rugs, bedding, boharoskoutia, flokatas, etc., with methods and tactics that go back many generations. The weaving art as part of women’s traditional knowledge and as a value of housekeeping, captures the connection of the local population with the past, tradition, local history and the natural environment. The themes of the performances that are woven tell us stories and perceptions of their time. They also condense the feminine speech and poetry of the women of Metsovo, reflect the world and its values. Finally, it contributes substantially to the formation of collective memory and survives to this day as an experienced experience and not as a simple recording.
Metsovo remains one of the most important centers of weaving, where the tradition continues from the traditional weavers who indulge in the art of loom. The loom is the main tool for the textile, a tool that covered the needs of clothing, household equipment fabrics, etc. The factors that affect the varieties of weavers are the local habits, desires and needs of the weaver, the available space, the available materials and the knowledge. The art inherited from the previous generations to the next required innate talent, great dexterity, sensitivity and physical endurance. The evolution of the textile art, the basic way of production, the tools, but also the style of the textile art remain almost unchanged over the centuries.
Today, many creations of the weaving art of the women of Metsovo belong to the collection of the Tsanaka Museum. However, they are also objects of interest to other museums, resulting in collaborations with other cultural institutions in the context of the mobility of museum objects.
Τraditional loom
Τraditional Metsovite woven
