I hope that you enjoy watching this silkworm's amazing journey as she spins her cocoon home - from the inside out! She belongs to the Bombyx Mori species of the silkworm family - the creators of luxurious, mulberry silk. An average cocoon weighs between 1.1 to 1.5 grams and contains one long contiguous strand of raw silk filament that measures about 1,000 yards. Turn up the volume and watch her go!
According to legend, silk fiber was first discovered in China by Queen Xi Ling Shi, wife of emperor Huang-Ti when a silkworm cocoon fell from a mulberry tree into her cup of hot tea and started to unravel.
Since that time, silk has captured the imagination of the world. Known as the queen of textiles, silk has long been associated with beauty, sensuality and elegance. It has been woven into textiles, tapestries, stockings and rugs for thousands of years. It has been the traditional fabric of royalty and religion. In India, silk is an integral part of daily life and culture.
Below is a brief timeline of silk and its importance in history.
Science Lesson: A silkworm’s life can be divided into four distinct stages of development: Egg, Larva, Pupa and Moth. The practice of sericulture actually begins at the moth stage. After mating, the female silkworm moth lays about 300-500 eggs that are each about the size of a sesame seed. The newborn silkworm is black, hairy and very small. It constantly feeds on mulberry leaves for 4-5 days without sleeping. It then rests for 18-20 hours and sheds its skin. This process is called an instar. Over the course of 25-27 days, the silkworm larva will go through a period of five instars and will increase its weight over 10,000 times. In the final 3 days of its life, the silkworm spins one contiguous strand of silk, moving from side to side and top to bottom until it is totally encased in a cocoon. This cocoon house is the basis of silk!
It takes about two weeks for the pupa to change into a moth. The adult Bombx mori silk moth is hairy, with large eyes and four wings. On its head are two antennae. Because the breed has been genetically domesticated and has no predators, the silk moth cannot fly. In addition, it does not eat or drink anything. Once the adult silk moth emerges from its cocoon, its sole mission is to find a member of the opposite sex and mate. This process often starts within an hour after hatching. After mating, the male and female moths will die in a few days, after the female has laid her eggs.
On domesticated silk farms, the pupas will never change into silk moths. Their commercial value is in the silk cocoon. The silk cocoons must be taken to market during the critical time before the moths can emerge. If they are not sold during this window, the pupa will go through their final transformation and rip a hole through the cocoon wall as they enter into the moth state. Once the threads are broken, the silk cannot be used in the traditional reeling and weaving processes.
India is the largest consumer of silk in the world and the second largest producer of silk next to China. Nearly 500,000 acres of mulberry plants are currently under cultivation, supporting the annual production of approximately 23, 529 tons of raw silk. Domesticated silk farming, or sericulture is highly concentrated across 60,000 villages in the southern part of India. Nearly 90 percent of the country’s mulberry silk is produced in this region.
Mulberry farmers in India are currently facing economic challenges caused by water shortages and increased competition in raw silk imports from China.
This video, called “The Lake” chronicles some of these recent struggles through the story of a silk farmer named Shivaya from Singarajapura Village in the Indian state of Karnataka.
~ In Kannada with English subtitles.
Science Lesson: Silk is comprised of a gummy protein called sericin which forms the hardened shell of the cocoon and filament protein called fibroin. The most perfectly formed cocoons are used to make high quality silk yarn – but the challenge is to extract the threads before the silk moth breaks through the cocoon during the final stage of metamorphosis.
In the process of reeling, the cocoons are first soaked in very hot or boiling water to soften the sericin, which enables the ends of the threads to be discovered and pulled. As the cocoons are unraveled, the threads are plied together, a few strands at a time, and then wound around a reel. The diameter of the yarn must remain consistent for weaving purposes.
The video, "Reeling Silk Cocoons" illustrates the work of the reeler.
Scroll down to read an excerpt from a recent conversation with Mr. Syed Mehboob Pasha, a reeler from Nandi Village, India discussing his perspective on the reeling business today.
Approximately 21.4K metric tons of mulberry silk cocoons are exchanged each year in Indian markets. The Indian government plays an oversight role in regulating the silk trade by setting the floor and ceiling price for raw silk. Much is at stake for the sellers. Silk farmers in India are currently facing economic challenges caused by water shortages and increased competition in raw silk imports from China. A “30- ton day” in a large cocoon auction - like in the village of Sidlaghatta or Ramanagaram equates to the sale of about 10.8 million cocoons. Each cocoon weighs between 1.0 – 2.5 grams and contains approximately 1,000 yards of silk filament – or raw silk. If each strand were laid end on end, there would be enough silk to circle the earth 247 times or make 12.5 round trip journeys to the moon.
I frequently visited several cocoon markets during my stay in India. Below is an essay called, "Destination: Siddlaghatta" that describes my impressions.
This is the story of a handloom weaver in Bangalore named Mr. B. Ganganna. Although to some, handloom weaving is seen as an art, to Mr. Ganganna, it is a livelihood that he started nearly 40 years ago when he was just 15 years old. Weaving has afforded a basic income that has supported his family. In the early years, the money was good so education for his five children was not a priority. These days however, it is harder to make ends meet. Although all of his children know how to weave, only one son is in the business today.
The silk saree is one of the most iconic symbols of Indian culture. The word Saree or Sari is derived from Sanskrit and means, “strip of fabric”. A saree typically ranges from six to nine yards in length and can be draped in several ways, depending on the region of India and the wearer’s preference. The origin of the saree has been traced back to the Indus Valley civilization which existed during 2800-1800 BC. In addition, there are references to the saree in the oldest scriptures of the Hindu religion called the vedas.
From simple designs at the lower level to elaborate, hand-woven designs with thread wrapped in gold at the higher level, the structure of the saree has remained the same for hundreds of years – six yards of unstitched cloth.
The video, "The 100 Saree Pact" tells the story of an agreement between two friends to wear their sarees one hundred times in 2015 and to blog about the story of each saree. Their promise turned into an international movement with an agenda to spread and preserve the love for sarees.
The video, “The Saree” illustrates a popular Indian draping style, where one end of the saree is tucked into a petticoat and then wrapped and pleated around the body.
Ayyangarkulum is a small village outside of the city of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, India. The word Ayyangar is derived from the term ayya or arya. It means “noble” in the Sanskrit language. This silk story takes place on a small street called Subramaniyar Koli. The close-knit, spiritual neighborhood has produced generations of master handloom weavers dedicated to the art and craft of creating the revered Kanchipuram saree. Like other small rural villages in Tamil Nadu, things are rapidly changing. Aggressive government programs are in full swing to improve the standard of living through education and technology. Children have access to computers in schools and many of them have been given laptops to use at home for their studies. Most homes, however modest, have a television with cable TV and smart phones are becoming increasingly ubiquitous.
About 70% of the inhabitants living on Subramaniyar Koli street are still engaged in the business of handloom weaving. In December, 2015 I photographed each home, from the outside and from the inside over the course of two days to better understand the impact of change. There were striking differences between how the handloom weavers live and the rest of the community. Most families are now educating their children and want a better life for them, outside of the weaving business.
The video, "A Day on Subramaniyar Street" chronicles the daily rhythm of this area.
