You'll love these unique, handmade silk scarves featuring abundant natural scenes and the colorful lore and mythology of Haiti.Treat yourself to a luxurious, colorful silk scarf while helping to empower Haitian women and their crafts. The Atis Fanm (Kreyol for Women Artists) Matenwa draw their designs on white, 100% silk scarves with a clear liquid resist. Non-toxic silk paints are then brushed between the lines. Afterward the colors are heat set with old-fashioned irons fueled with charcoal. The resist is washed out in the community stream, leaving a clean, white line separating fields of color.
Images can be repeated for orders, but because they are drawn and painted by hand, no two are exactly alike. Given the nature of the process, small imperfections add to the character of every piece, each of which is signed by the artist who paints them.
You will enjoy your truly unique and exquisitely colorful silk scarf and know you are really providing an opportunity for these women and their art to flourish!
Depending on availability of materials, some color combinations are different than shown.
Approximately 14 x 72 inches
Available in several styles and patterns featuring rich shades of blue, turquoise, green, and gold reflecting the natural world.
 Matenwa villagers have survived for generations by farming small family plots and slowly turning trees into charcoal for sale. Several years ago the director of the local school together with an American artist tried to find a way to tap the great creativity of the women of Matenwa, focusing on something the women could enjoy making to sell. The goal was to encourage self-respect and independence using new methods of self-sufficiency - without rocking a fragile balance by using up limited natural resources like firewood and water.
The idea to hand-paint their brilliant imagery on silk scarves seemed a viable solution. It is low-tech, unbreakable, and an excellent vehicle for artistic expression. In addition, the head scarf (called "mouchwa" in Kreyol) is a traditional accessory women in Matenwa wear and appreciate. Women, who do much of the labor and child-raising, battle to keep their families fed, often depending on other family members, or men who have less work as traditional farming methods fail.
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