We are indigenous Mixtec people who have been spinning and weaving native cotton since pre-Hispanic times. Cotton and other indigenous fibers have been used here to produce clothing and meet domestic needs for centuries. The revival of local, native cotton production was implemented and carried through by the local sustainable development counsel of San Juan Colorado starting in 2011. The thread to our textile past has never been broken, but we needed to rescue our native cotton from extinction and to teach the younger generations art of spinning so that the craft and the tradition will not be lost.
The spinners and weavers of Katyi Ya‘a have been part of the local native cotton rescue work since 2012. By creating a demand for native cotton textiles, we are able to participate in maintaining a living seed bank. Katyi Ya’a works as a collective with 15 to 25 artisans collaborating at any given time. Currently, all of the artisans are women. The collective provides a neutral, open workshop for all to work in, and artisans also frequently work at home. Our model is democratic and transparent and we seek to uplift the artisans and their families through this ancient and honorable craft. Most of the artisans speak only Mixtec, making communication with customers and designers next to impossible. To that end we have an elected leader, Isabel Nicolas Hernandez, who handles communications, banking, accounting, inventory, payments and orders. We also have three auxiliary assistants to help smooth the way.
We spin, dye and weave native, local, sustainable coyuchi (naturally brown), green, red and white cotton. Our finished products include clothing and household textiles are made with 100% native cotton thread, handspun with a drop spindle and handwoven on a back-strap loom. Articles include blouses, huipiles, tunics, rebozos, scarves, men’s shirts, shoulder bags, coin purses, pillow covers, table runners, napkins and hand towels. The textiles that Katyi Ya’a creates are based on traditional items such as cotones (men’s’ shirt), hupilies and rebozos, which we create with our own design innovations in the use of varying colors of cotton and or naturally died thread, structure and weave application. Our tools (drop spindle and back strap loom) are 100% traditional. The basic weave and brocade designs we incorporate in the weaving are iconic to our local, folk art tradition.
