Kurban Kiyim
Intangible cultural heritage "willow weaving" weaves a happy life
On March 22, Kurban Keyim, a villager in Tagtovi Village, Yar Town, Gaochang District, raised his eyebrows, and many people came to meet his willow weaving crafts.
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Willow weaving (Uyghur branch weaving) is one of the excellent folk skills of the Uyghur people and was included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. Kurban, 40, has been engaged in willow weaving for 27 years and is the municipal non-hereditary heir of the project. His grandfather and father were both willow weavers, and under their words and deeds, Kurban was able to make finished willow weaves when he was a teenager.
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"The branches used in willow weaving mainly include elm branches, poplar branches, red willow branches, poplar branches, willow branches and so on. The baskets we used to use to hold grapes, naans and even feed sheep were made by ourselves. Kurban recalled that during the agricultural leisure season, his father would go to the field to collect the branches of elm, red willow, mulberry, willow and other trees, and then soak in the water for three or four days and then fish out the shade, and weave these branches into daily necessities such as rakes, baskets, baskets and other daily necessities through skillful hands, and take them to the bazaar to sell to supplement the family.
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Kurban knows that integrating this ancient technique into modern life is no easy task. In the past, most craftsmen continued traditional methods and techniques, focusing on affordability and durability. With the development of the times and the improvement of people's living standards, users are no longer satisfied with basic practical values, and the requirements for beauty and interest are increasing, which puts forward new requirements for willow weaving artists.
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How to make willow weaving into modern life? After several thoughts, Kurban combined traditional weaving with contemporary arts and crafts to innovate the raw materials and types of willow weaving products. He entrusted a friend in Shandong who was engaged in willow weaving technology to send white willow and other branches, enriched the raw materials of willow weaving, and created more than 100 kinds of willow weaving works that were both ornamental and practical: willow rings, willow gourds, willow wine glasses, willow weaving Sugong Pagoda... The handicrafts with different shapes and simple forms are loved by tourists from all over the world.
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"The willow weaving is all done by hand, and the completion of a work can be as little as an hour and as much as a week, which is a test of people's patience and care." Stealing a little laziness, playing a little slippery, will be reflected in the finished product, such as the basket gang is not evenly woven, or the bottom of the basket is not flat enough. Kurban said that due to the limitation of materials, the technique of willow weaving cannot be arbitrary, mainly including flat weaving method and twist weaving method, and the patterns are diamond-shaped, chain-shaped, wavy, oval and so on. Through the clever combination of these techniques and patterns, coupled with multiple processes such as cutting, cutting, interspersing, inserting, twisting, etc., the commonly known branches can become exquisite crafts. Although he has been engaged in willow weaving for many years, he never dared to be sloppy in the slightest.
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As a non-genetic heir, what moved Kurban the most was that the government attached great importance to the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage. Since 2016, he has been invited to Shihezi University many times to participate in the Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Group Training Program, and at first he was a student, and then as a teacher, he taught non-genetic inheritors and passed on this skill to more people. In recent years, Turpan City has also used the Grape Festival, Spring Expo and intangible cultural heritage display activities as a platform to make intangible cultural heritage, including willow weaving, bloom with new brilliance by organizing study tours and holding exhibitions in scenic spots.
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Today, willow weaving is a part of Kurban's life, and he sits down to knit even if he has only 20 minutes of free time. In order to let more people know about this intangible cultural heritage project, Kurban often publishes the production process of willow weaving on social platforms such as Douyin and WeChat Circle of Friends, and incidentally sells some handicrafts made by himself. "I will pass on this craft to more people who like it, build another willow weaving processing factory, and carry forward the willow weaving skills." Kurban said.
Appreciation of other willow weaving works by Kurban Kiyim
Source: Pomegranate Cloud/Xinjiang Daily Turpan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Reporter: Jia Chunxia
Edit: To pengju