barn; A roof facing oblivion in Sistan and Baluchistan
The “black tent” or “gadam” handwoven by nomadic women, which was once a shelter for life and a source of income, has been forgotten today due to the profit of dealers and lack of economic benefit for weavers.
Although the color is black; But its inhabitants have a heart as pure as humanity and as white as snow; Gadam, the dwelling place of Baloch nomads in the past, is not so far away that we can see it every year only during Nowruz at the entrance of some cities, which makes every traveler curious to linger and rest in its shade for a few minutes.
We suggest that you get to know more about Balochi Chador Black Ghodam.
Although today Gadam is an attraction for tourists and Newroz travelers; But there are many stories of people who spent years in a corner of the desert with honor and dignity and in peace and tranquility in the shadow of Gadam.
Gadam is a symbol of resistance to the problems of life, generosity and hospitality, cooperation and cooperation, humanity and love, effort and effort, togetherness and empathy and many good things that need to be told to the young generation of this ancient heritage so that they know that this ancient history has a long and very mysterious history, some of which may have been forgotten.
Black tent is a very simple hand-woven fabric with goat hair, which is used in the roof and walls of the nomadic tent. The primary and important material required for weaving the black tent is goat hair, which uses the black color of its raven.
The reason for the permanent black texture of goat hair tents is due to several important properties of this hair, the most important of which is the very favorable property of resisting moisture during rains; Because rain water does not pass through its window.
Availability and cheapness is the second feature of this main raw material and the third feature is the lightness of goat hair; Therefore, the black tent is easier to collect and carry than modern canvas tents.
barn; A shelter for nomadic life
The head of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department, Mirjaveh, in this regard, pointing out that Gadam is a shelter that is obtained by nomadic women, said: In Balochi language, the black tent is known as “Gadam” which was woven by nomadic women and girls and was used as a shelter in their lives, especially nomadic life.
Abdullah Kurd added: Gadam was built based on the need of the people of the region for a suitable shelter, the abundance of the raw material, which is goat hair, the simplicity of the texture, portability, being able to be made into desired shapes, the weather condition of the region consists of a simple structure; But its residential use made it to be considered as a good prosperity in people’s life, especially nomadic and mountain life.
He continued: Gadam has different dimensions according to the needs of families and their population, and the dimensions of 6.12 and 18 meters have been used the most.
This official stated: Today, the acceptance of the use of Gadam has decreased, but it can be developed and revived with the support and guidance of its production, and even with proper marketing, it can be exported to other provinces and even the countries of the Persian Gulf in order to create stable and suitable employment for the people of the region.
In the other part of his speech, he mentioned the steps involved in preparing the warehouse and added: picking goat hair, separating the hair from fluff, shat (unifying the hair), twisting the hair, spinning with a jalak (spindle), preparing two samples of thick and thin thread called shat and weft, installing large long nails on the four sides of the work and also installing the rod or middle stick (behuto) are the steps of preparing this black tent.
He emphasized: the simplicity of the work and the required tools made the texture design to be done in a simple way and special shapes and motifs were not used in the texture of the barn; But in some other areas, it is possible to use different motifs. Supporting the production of “gadam” which creates employment for the nomads and villagers. In completing the above article, he discussed the tools needed for weaving the gadam and said: the necessary tools for weaving the gadam or black tent are available in the region, and if a special tool is needed, he prepared it with the help of the blacksmith craftsmen of the region. These tools include goat hair, shells, rods or thin wood that is installed in the middle of the work and in front of the weaving part. is used
The head of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department of Mirjaveh stated: Today, the change in lifestyle has caused old gadams to be eagerly collected or sometimes destroyed. The reason for this is the high price, lack of demand for purchase, lack of proper production, and the presence of dealers in obtaining this product at a low price.
Supporting industrialists, guaranteeing economic prosperity and creating employment
He stated that supporting the production of godam will lead to the economic, social and cultural growth and development of the region, and said: employment prosperity, preventing the indiscriminate migration of villagers to cities and engaging in fake jobs, earning money and creating sustainable employment in the region and preserving this ancient art and craft are among the advantages of supporting the production of godam.
This official emphasized: Buying a number of gadams (black tents) from the people of the region for use in exhibition spaces, identifying artisans in this field, planning to organize training classes in the coming months and pursuing insurance for gadam weaving artisans in the region are among the protective and protective measures of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department of Mirjaveh in this field.
According to him; Encouraging artisans to form handicraft cooperatives for the guaranteed purchase of handicraft products, especially Gadam, has been done to enable the development of this industry in all urban, rural and nomadic areas, also new and new designs and roles have been presented with the preservation of authenticity and local culture in order to attract the attention of customers.
Kurd said: Making cheap raw materials available to producers, preparing promotional booklets and brochures to introduce Gadam, as well as obtaining the authenticity and standard code for the product are among other measures to preserve these valuable works.
At the end, it is worth mentioning that the fabric of the black tent was common before the emergence of religions, but the Islam-like taste of the desert dwellers, villagers and natives of different lands in the fabric of the shelter has been amazingly refined and has caused more artistic creativity and technical prosperity.