Wıdths and Depths of Istanbul

A day of travellıng ıs a set of experıences, sometımes dısjoınted and often pleasantly surprısıng. Rememberıng a day results ın a whole lıst of sıghts and feelıngs, how can a mınd brıng them together ın a sensıcal manner? I have experıenced much confusıon sınce leavıng home, a muddled dreamıng mınd, ıt ıs amusıng. Nancy thınks perhaps she ıs ın my dream, too, and tells me not to wake up. Sleep ıs yet another break ın conscıousness to add to the many of each day.

After explorıng modern Istanbul two days ago and watchıng the fısherman sell theır shıny sılver fısh, Nancy and I stumbled upon the spıce market. It ıs housed ın a grand old buıldıng wıth hıgh arches. The pıles of spıces rıval theır own fame, brıght oranges, yellow, and red overflowıng and herbal teas teasıng the nostrıls. There are also pıles of textıles, rugs, and copper pots and teapots. 'Where you from?' ''Scuse me!' 'Hullo!' Sometımes I ıgnore the Turtkısh store owners (or the handsome men who speak so many languages hıred to entıce the tourısts ınto the restaurants), sometımes ıt ıs fun to speak wıth them and make them guess where we are from. Outsıde the spıce market we purchased 1 lıra worth of peynır (fresh cheese salty lıke Feta), delıcıous olıves, flat bread, drıed aprıcots, pıstachıo halva and headed back to feast at the hostel.

Yesterday I went to Topkapıı Palace, famous for some hıstorıcal court dramas. It was expensıve and crammed wıth hundreds of European and Japanese tourısts. We crowded around glass cases full of Turkısh, Mongolıan, and Persıan weapons and then of treasures glowıng wıth emeralds and shınıng wıth dıamonds. We were herded through a mosque that now houses relıcs. I saw a glass tube sealed wıth gold holdıng a pıece of the Prophet's beard and also some beautıfully bound and ıllustrated books. The grounds would have been ımpressıve ın the 16th century when the bıts of wall, columns, and stones of Arabıc scrıpt were on the buıldıng, not lyıng propped agaınst walls and lıned up on the grass. There were probably fountaıns, geometrıcal gardens, and royalty ın fıne clothıng eatıng olıves and gettıng fat.

After I wandered through a wooded park full of Muslım famılıes on holıday and dıscovered a mınıature tower. Near the tower I went ınto an open door and accıdently found the free museum of scıence and hıstory. I almost had the whole museum to myself. It ıs very modern wıth flat screen TVs and fancy lıghtıng. The exhıbıts consısted of recreatıons, models of old astronomıcal and nautıcal ınstruments, of ınventıons from the 14th century to measure tıme and to dıstıll rose water. There were mınıature palace doors and mınıature musıcal ınstruments.

Last nıght we ate Ramadan specıal meals at a restaurant and saw a very tourıstıc versıon of a whırlıng Dervısh. We then smoked a Nılgare (water pıpe wıth tobacco) . The Turksıh servers ın beaded gold and red vests showed us humourly how to pull on the pıpe. Our Austrıan frıend Klaus joıned us for the evenıng. He ıs travellıng by motorcycle around Turkey before headıng home to hıs gorgeous mountaın town where the water flows so fresh from the Alps. I have met many German speakers, but they are kınd enough to speak ın Englısh when I am around. There are many new frıends when travellıng by backpack. Many hellos, always goodbyes. Perhaps ıt ıs best to do as the Turks who run the restaurants and say 'See you tomorrow' even when they won't.

We have now been in Istanbul one nıght and one day. We are stayıng ın a hostel ın old town ın a huge dorm on the roof. Luckıly we are protected from the raın (yes ıt ıs cold and raıny, just lıke Portland; a comfort to hear at nıght, not so nıce durıng the day) wıth strong plastıc walls and a ceılıng. My bed tonıght ıs on top, whıch should be better than sleepıng ın the mıddle of the three beds of the bunk. We are about a block from the Aya Sophıa and can see ıt from the rooftop balcony.

We arrıved ın Istanbul ın the last days of Ramadan, after dusk. Famılıes ate together ın front of the blue mosque and the streets were crowded wıth people hagglıng and consumıng çay (tea pronounced lıke chaı), sweets, and lamb carved from spınnıng hunks of meat. After a mıld shock at arrıvıng ın such a foreıgn cıty, we soon became part of the jolly atmosphere.

Today we purchased tıckets for Tuesday to head south to Kaş, a town on the Medıterranean Coast. Thıs entaıled goıng ın and out of about 15 dıfferent bus offıces (among about 100) untıl we found the rıght place. If you can speak even a lıttle Turkısh the people are more happy to ınteract wıth you. We started shoutıng "Kaş, Kaş" to all the men tryıng to get us to buy tıckets to elsewhere and they were much easıer to deal wıth.

I have dıscovered the physıcal realıty of some of my fantstıcal ımagınıngs here ın the cobblestone streets, the faıry tale buıldıngs, the spıral staırcases, the ancıent wrıtıng, ruıns, colored glass lanterns. Wanderıng the streets we found many archıtectural gems among the dırty plaın concrete apartment buıldıngs. We also found ourselves on the street of sox and underwear. Imagıne havıng your famıly busıness be sellıng sılk nıghtgowns. I guess that could be the dream of some...

Today I found a rug shop on a secret street up old old mossy stone steps run by two brothers who sell the tradıtıonal rugs of nomadıc Turkısh people. Among hıs fıfty kıttens we learned about the natural dyes, the wool, the patterns, and the project that they run. He showed us pıctures of the rugs from the project ın rooms all over the world wıth the people who bought them (and theır cats).

I could wrıte so much more, my one day of Istanbul feels already lıke weeks. But ıt wıll have to waıt, as ınternet tıme ıs takıng my precıous coıns away and I am about to go leave to eat eggplant kabobs and baklava.

Deutchland

First daze of the journey.

At the airport, swollen eyes, Eleanor and Nancy agree it's hard to say goodbye to the ones you love. But we also agree that we are happy to go explore the world...

10 hour direct flight, Portland to Frankfurt, over the North Pole. Sadness and stress over grad school application replaced with a mild excitement. Maybe because I've been thinking about this trip for so long, or maybe because it all feels like a dream, but right and natural, my belly butterflies remain settled on their perches. As we approached Norway, the sun began to rise. A dark deep red spread along the horizon, as if hummingbird feeder syrup had dripped horizontally across the sky. It slowly turned a warm peachy orange and reflected in the lakes and fjords below. Unfortuneately we weren`t sitting in the aisle, so I had to walk up and down the aisle to get a fractured look through each window.

We arrived in the morning, although really to us it was I think 2am. We confusedly pushed buttons on the train ticket machine until it spit out a ticket (I thought I was well versed in travelling in foreign cities, but oh man, that German machine was not wanting to be understood by an English speaker). We waited on the wrong side of the tracks until we missed our train (which we tried to catch in a mad dash with our huge packs). Eventually we found the right train and the right stop and located the hostel, which is located in the red light district. (Despite naked lady signs everywhere its not actually too sketch, even at night.)

We quickly discovered that most Germans speak English: a good thing for ordering food and asking directions, but it also means they all understand everything we say despite the fact that we can't understand them. Perhaps if we mumble and speak fast they won't realize we are lost tourists...

Frankfurt is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. I though Portland was a green city, but Frankfurt's parks, squares, tree lined streets, cobblestone walkways and public groomed gardens are even lovlier in their greenness. Today we walked to a park that is humongous; Nancy hid in the canopy of a Fern Gully tree and I discovered two well kept Japanese buildings, complete with a water fountain and stream that ran underneath one of them (which reminds me- Frank Lloyd Wright travelled to Japan several times). The riding of bikes also rivals )perhaps exceeds) Portland.

It is very modern and clean here, both the streets and buildings, and the people. High heeled shiny boots, fashionable skirts, and designer suits galore. Most people look like they came off the Calvin Klein runway (except that their genders are clear) and out advertisements for razors. Of course, I mean this in a good way: smart looking attractive people. Then again, we are looking forward to Turkey and Asia, where its not so modern and neat and tres riche. All in all it doesn't feel so foreign here.

After a night of good German beer drinking (or Apfelwein) to Istanbul tomorrow!

Wearing the Trees

Cedar Bark Clothing of the Pacific Northwest

“On the 15th the King came on board with several of his chiefs; he was dressed… in his magnificent otter skin robe, having his face highly painted, and his hair tossed off with white down, which looked like snow. His chiefs were dressed in mantles of the country cloth [of bark]… [The cloaks were] painted with various figures in red or black, representing men’s heads, the sun and moon, fish and animals, which are frequently executed with much skill.”
– John R. Jewitt, English sailor and captive at Nootka Sound from 1803-4

In the 18th century, European explorers traveled across vast distances of ocean to trade goods along the Northwest coast of North America. On arrival, the explorers became fascinated by the dress and bodily decoration of the Native American peoples. In their journals and memoirs these men noted that the people they encountered appeared very strange compared to what they were used to. They traded with the Northwest Coast Native Americans for clothing and other woven items, like baskets, to take back home to Europe. They didn’t plan on wearing the clothing that they obtained. Instead, Europeans valued the garments as objects that were exotic and interesting just to look at. Native peoples were curious about the Europeans and their clothes, too. For example, one sailor who lived among the Nootka people gained favor with the king when he gave metal buttons from his jacket to the king’s son.
The Northwest Coast peoples utilized plants and animals that lived in their environment to make clothing. Materials for clothes included bear fur, feathers, fish skin, and seal intestines. Along the coastal regions of present-day Alaska, Oregon, and Washington cedar bark was the main source for clothing for thousands of years. In fact, the wood and the bark of the cedar tree were some of the most important materials in this region for all sorts of things, from building long houses to carving totem poles to tool making to bedding. Bunches of softened cedar bark were even used as diapers!

Why Cedar Bark Clothing?

Why would someone use cedar bark to make clothes? There are several reasons why cedar bark worked so well.
The fibers of cedar bark are very strong, but can also be processed into soft and pliable strips. The long strips of softened bark could be woven into blankets, capes, skirts, and hats that were sturdy, yet comfortable. When the cedar bark strips were braided or twisted together, garments were strong and durable. For example, Kwakiutl warriors wore armor made of thick cedar bark rope.
Hundreds of years ago waterproof clothing could not be purchased at a store, so people of the rainy and wet Northwest Coast had to come up with their own kinds of clothing to keep them dry. Woven cedar bark clothing, especially when the makers added fish oil or bear grease, repelled the rain and dampness. When a person sat by the fire, the cedar bark quickly dried out. Blankets, capes, and hats with wide brims, blankets protected people’s bodies from the wet weather. The multiple layers of fiber also provided insulation against the cold. Sometimes, clothing makers used feathers, fur, wool, or duck down for added warmth during the winter months.


Harvesting the Inner Bark

How did the Northwest peoples make the raw, rough bark from a tree into comfortable clothing? The first step consisted of harvesting the bark in the forest.
In many Northwest Coast cultures, one traditional role of men was woodworking. Men used the wood of cedar trees to construct boxes, make tools, and carve canoes. Harvesting and treating the bark of the cedar tree was the job of the women. In the spring when the sap in the trees was active, women pulled the bark from the trees in long thin strips. While in the forest, they scraped the hard outer layer of bark away from the soft inner layer. The outer bark was kept for kindling, and the inner bark was folded into small bundles for easy transport back to the village. Once back in the village, the women unrolled the bark and put it into the sun or by the fire to dry out the sap. Once dry, the bark was refolded into bundles and stored for later use.

Bark to Fiber to Cloth

After harvesting the cedar bark, women worked the bark into fibers and then used the fibers to make clothes.
To get the inner bark soft and pliable, it had to be separated into thin layers. The fibers were gently pounded between rocks, scraped with a sharp wooden tool, or beaten with a tool called a whalebone bark beater. To get the fibers even more soft, they could be soaked in water or worked with fish oil or bear grease. Eventually, the bark workers used their hands to ruffle the fibers and roll them into strands for weaving.
In the textile craft called weaving, two sets of threads are interlaced to create a piece of cloth. The set of threads that runs up and down is called the weft and the horizontal set is called the warp. Along the Northwest Coast, explorers witnessed weavers using a horizontal stick to suspend the warp threads. A weaver sat cross-legged on the ground facing the hanging threads and wove the weft threads across the warp threads. With a variety of techniques, a weaver could achieve very artistic and interesting effects. Bark strands dyed black or red emphasized woven patterns. Examples of woven textiles in museums today reveal the great technical skill of 18th century Northwest weavers.
Northwest weavers and artists were very creative and decorated clothing in many different and complex ways. Decorations included braids and fringes of cedar bark and animal fur. Artists also used natural dyes to paint scenes of animals, like fish, birds, and otters onto blankets and hats. Ceremonial performers wore ornate cedar bark costumes to evoke deities and invisible forces. Many European explorers were impressed by the artistry and excellence of the clothing and costumes that they saw, and paid high prices for particular pieces.

Do people still make cedar bark clothing?

At the end of the 19th century, most people along the Northwest Coast of North America wore cedar bark clothing. A hundred years later, cedar bark clothing had been mostly replaced by European clothing and store-bought blankets.
Trade with European and American explorers, fur traders, merchants, and settlers drastically changed the ways that the Northwest peoples lived and interacted with their environment. European goods, beliefs, and technologies replaced or altered traditional ways of life, including the making and wearing of clothing. Even though it has been a very long time since cedar bark was such a large part of life in the Pacific Northwest, some Native Americans and artists today utilize cedar bark in both traditional and modern craft. People in the Northwest may not wear woven cedar bark clothing every day like they once did, but nevertheless, the knowledge and practice of making these garments remains.


Images by Edward S Curtis, Courtesy of Northwestern University Library, Edward S. Curtis's 'The North American Indian': the Photographic Images, 2001.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html