The hemp ordinarily stripped by the men is considered too fine to be
used in the manufacture of clothing, so a smaller stripping device is
employed by the woman (Plate XX). On this she cleans the outer layers of
the hemp stalk, from which a stronger and coarser thread can be
obtained. The fiber is tied in a continuous thread and is wound onto a
reel. The warp threads are measured on sharpened sticks driven into a
hemp or banana stalk, and are then transferred to a rectangular frame
(Plate XXI). The operator, with the final pattern in mind, overties or
wraps with waxed threads, such portions of the warp as she desires to
remain white in the completed garment. So carefully does she wrap these
sections, that, when the thread is removed from the frame and placed in
the liquid dye, no portion of the coloring matter penetrates to the
portions thus protected. If a red color is desired the root of the
_sikarig_[17] palm is scraped and the scrapings placed in bark vats
filled with cold water. The thread is first washed in, and is later
boiled with the dye for a half hour, after which it is placed in a
basket to drain and dry. The process is repeated daily for about two
weeks, or until the thread assumes a brick red color. If a purple hue is
desired a little lime is added to the dye. Black is obtained by a
slightly different method. The leaves, root, and bark of the _pinarrEm_
tree are crushed in water. This yields a black liquor which is poured
into a jar containing the thread and the whole is placed over a slow
fire where it remains until the liquid is near the boiling point. When
this is reached the thread is removed and placed in a gourd, the open
end of which fits over the jar so as to catch the steam coming from the
dye. After a time the thread is removed and dried, and the process is
repeated until at last a permanent black is obtained. After the coloring
is complete the thread is again placed on the rectangular frame, the
over-tying is removed and the warp is ready for the loom (Plate XXII.)