Batik and Botanic Dyes

The practice of batik using botanic dyes from the indigoa deep reddish blue; a pigment traditionally obtained from plants. plant is some two thousand years old and was brought to Guizhou(gway-joe) Province in southwestern China by members of the Miao(meow) and Dong ethnic groups. At least three species of the flowering indigo plant cultivated in Guizhou provide a colorfast dye (dye that does not bleed) used for clothing and household textiles. Patterns are applied to undyed cloth using liquid beeswax, and when the cloth is submerged in dye, the waxed parts remain white while unwaxed parts absorb the color. In this video from the 2014 Smithsonian Folklife Festival program, China: Traditiona practice, skill, or talent that is passed down from generation to generation. and the Art of Living, Liang Xiaoying(lee-ahng shee-ow ying) (梁曉英, a student of the ancient art of batik(bah-teek) a textile created using a resist process. dyeing and a performer with the Leishan Miao Music and Dance Group, describes the processes of making batik. Her teacher, master dyer Yang Wenbin(yahng wen bin) (楊文斌), discusses the importance of keeping alive these traditional practices.