CAG 2021-22
SIDDI PATCH-WORK REVIVAL
Anitha N
Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka
As part of her Community Arts Grant, Anitha N organised workshops with about 15 Siddi women from Tattigere, Haliyal taluk, Uttara Kannada district (Karnataka). This ongoing engagement of hers focuses on reviving traditions of patch work quilting of the African origin Siddi women, and creating the space for intergenerational sharing of knowledge there.
Anitha organised patch work quilting workshops, where women of different families and generations met, told stories and co-created in a safe and nurturing environment. They incorporated new techniques, explored their own skill sets, and saw what else beyond quilts they could put their skills to, with an eye on marketability. Understanding design concepts and colour were also a key focus area.
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The women came up with table runners, cushion covers and wall hangings using their quilting techniques and designs.
Siddi Women from across families and across generations came together in the village community centre to exchange their methods of quilting, and create collective work
Describe your image
Siddis trace their origins to African Bantu speakers who were brought as slaves by the Portuguese to India around the 16th century.
The name Siddi is thought to be derived from the Arabic word Sayed or Sayedi meaning lord or master. The term Siddi began to be used by the British to refer to all African communities, whether enslaved or free, settled in India.
The beautiful Siddi patchwork quilts have been exhibited in Bangalore, and well received by people from across the world.
'The entire process of quilting is carried out with an acute awareness of conscious use, and their techniques can be observed as a model for upcycling. Each quilt is created in a way that allows it to be actually used on a day-to-day basis, and the makers are aware that quilts will therefore need to be durable, sturdy and easily repairable. Thus a quilt may continue to be used by multiple generations, until every layer has disintegrated. Often, to salvage a well-used quilt, a few new layers might be added to repair the existing ones.'
- Anitha N
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About the grantee
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Anitha N is a community engaged arts practitioner, researcher and curator working with grassroots traditional and contemporary art and craft forms. She has worked with Natural Dyeing, Block Printing, Wood Craft, and Embroidery. She consults with groups working with Kalamkari hand-painted or block-printed textile, Lambadi embroidery, quilting, wood craft with rural and urban artisans in Southern India. Anitha has been facilitating quilt making with Siddi women (African tribe settled in India) in Yellapur and Haliyal taluks of Uttara Kannada and in Kalaghatagi taluk of Dharwad district to expand the Craft vocabulary and towards tapping contemporary markets.
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