One of the first dyes that I ever encountered was cochineal, and although I was surprised that it came from an insect, I was also in love with its beautiful color. Cochineal was the most important natural dye to originate from Oaxacan indigenous culture that still has great value and a global impact today. When Spanish colonizers realized the value of this dye, they created plantations and exploited indigenous labor to process up to 300,000 pounds of cochineal for export per year. It was one of the most precious colors and brought great wealth to the Spanish crown. Being in Oaxaca right now, it’s exciting to see cochineal used in contemporary indigenous textiles. Other artisans have incorporated it into their work.
Other important natural dyes from the Americas include logwood, famous for its deep purple shades and Osage Orange, a strong yellow from the Osage tree, and of course, indigo, especially the very high quality indigo varieties from Central America. The North American Black walnut is renowned for its dark shades, and our dye flowers such as coreopsis, are from the Great Plains area.
Join us this Indigenous People’s Day and explore some of the colors that we celebrate for their cultural history, beauty and importance in the natural dye palette.
See Kathy Harvesting Cochineal here.
