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Malagasy lamba silk weaving

Also known as Lamba landy · akotifahana

The lamba is the wrapped cloth of Madagascar, and its finest silk form is woven on a low ground loom in long coloured warp stripes, with extra weft threads floated across to make bands of diamonds and zigzags. Highland weavers shaped the style, and a small group of workshops keeps it alive.

Play the previewAbout this tradition
Malagasy lamba silk weaving: photograph by RAKOTOBLUE
Photo: RAKOTOBLUE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
Malagasy lamba silk weaving: the game in attract modeLive previewPlay

Runs in your browser, works offline once loaded.

How to play

  1. Choose a silk colour and a motif from the strip under the cloth.
  2. Tap a square to weave it: the left half of the cloth is copied to the right, as the two selvedges of a lamba mirror each other.
  3. Match the small design shown above the cloth, then press Check.
Rules at a glance
  • The cloth is a mirror across its centre line: whatever you weave on one side appears on the other.
  • A square counts only when its motif and its silk colour both match the design.
  • Three stars need a nearly perfect copy; you may undo or clear as often as you like.

About the tradition

Silk and cotton lambas have been woven in the highlands of Madagascar by Merina and Betsileo weavers, and the richly patterned silk cloth was revived in workshops in the 1990s after the skill had nearly been lost.

Origins

A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin.

Credits

Sources

Get the app

Malagasy lamba silk weaving is one of 17 textile crafts in the Textile Crafts of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.

See all 17 textile crafts in the app

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