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Ge Jia textiles: baby carriers

The Ge Jia are expert embroiderers using rich coloured threads - usually of silk - as well as artists with the wax knife creating very fine white and indigo fabric using a wax resist. The Chinese authorities classify the Ge Jia as a Miao sub-group but they like to think of themselves as a separate group. There is a concentration of Ge Jia in the south east of Guizhou province around Kaili and at least some of the baby carriers shown here were collected there, including one in Ma Tang, a village within the Kaili city area. All the textiles shown below - except the one of a winter baby carrier in use in November 2001 in Ma Tang - have some age.

The first group of Ge Jia babycarriers shown below are embroidered (with occasional trim of strips of wax resist). The second group are wax resist, mainly for winter baby carriers.

for further photogalleries of Ge Jia textiles see Ge Jia textiles: jackets and Ma Tang village, Kaili city also see an interesting forum thread on dating provenance
Click on thumbnail to go to enlargement - click on enlargement to return to photogallery
to 60K Jpeg ge-jia-emb-bc This embroidered Ge Jia baby carrier which is in the collection of Andrew Dudley was said to be 30-40 years old by the seller when he purchased it.
to Jpeg 77K 1299 Embroidered Ge Jia baby carrier collected by Pamela Cross in 2001 in Ma Tang village, Kaili city and which Andrew Dudley estimates is likely to be more than 20 years old. See his embroidered baby carrier which the seller estimated as between 30-40 years old.
to Jpeg 108K GJ1282 The main part of the embroidery for a Ge Jia baby carrier from Pamela's collection which may have been removed from the original carrier. This was purchased by Pamela in 2000 but probably collected earlier in the Kaili area.
to Jpeg 89K GJ01 An embroidered Ge Jia baby carrier from the collection of Bill Hornaday. About 12 years ago Bill found this baby carrier in Bangkok and bought it knowing nothing about it. He had previously not been exposed to Miao textiles from China and was so inspired by it that he immediately flew to China. These Ge Jia embroideries are now some of Bill's favourites and, as he says, there is something 'both beautiful and powerful' about them.
to Jpeg 72K An beautiful embroidered Ge Jia baby carrier from the collection of Bill Hornaday. On the forum he said of this baby carrier: "As to questions regarding Baby Carrier 2 (the one shown above) the wax-resist straps are clearly indigo and seem even darker in real life than the pic. This piece is clearly very old as the straps while old do not seem to be the first set of straps used on the carrier. Because of the quality of the Baby Carrier itself, I would have loved to see the original straps.It seems evident that this piece has been used by multiple generations. It seems as if the silk thread has been faded whether by sun or by washing it is imposible to say. There are definite signs of wear, and one place has a 3/4 inch patch. One has only to feel it to realize that it has a feel that comes from serious age."
to Jpeg 76K gjbc3ful embroidered baby carrier in the collection of Bill Hornaday
to Jpeg 92K gjembc1.1 an embroidered Ge Jia baby carrier in Andrew Dudley's collection probably from the 1930s-1940s
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Click on thumbnail to go to enlargement - click on enlargement to return to photogallery
to Jpeg 74K gjbc winter Ge Jia baby carrier in the collection of Bill Hornaday
to Jpeg 80K Ge Jia batik baby carrier in the collection of Andrew Dudley
to Jpg 99K A piece of Ge Jia wax resist fabric designed for a baby carrier in the collection of Pamela Cross. Purchased in May 2000 in the UK although most likely it was sourced from dealers in Kaili, Guizhou province. Andrew Dudley has a similar carrier in his collection which is attributed to the second quarter of the 20th century.
to Jpeg 65K a winter baby carrier in the collection of Andrew Dudley
to Jpeg 53K 0111G28 A Gejia couple loving their baby which is wrapped in a winter wax resist baby carrier. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
to Jpeg 100K ge-jia12_wntrbc_pac A wax resist Ge Jia baby carrier in the collection of Pamela Cross
Click on thumbnail to go to enlargement - click on enlargement to return to photogallery

The photos of the Ge Jia baby carriers above come from the textile collections of Pamela Cross, Andrew Dudley and Bill Hornaday and were originally posted on various threads on the www.tribaltextiles.info/community forum. (To access these Ge Jia threads go to the forum and click on 'Search' - one of top right hand buttons on screen - and input 'Ge Jia'). The photos are the copyright of each textile owner. Further information about each carrier may be found accompanying the enlargements linked to the thumbnail photos above. The explanatory web pages also include additional photo details to illustrate, compare and contrast the textiles.

We are particularly indebted to Andrew for sharing his considerable knowledge of Ge Jia textiles with us on the forum. His textile collection consists mainly of batik but also some embroidery from south east Guizhou predominantly of the Ge Jia, White Collar Miao and Rao Jia which he has collected over 8 or 9 years. Bill and Pamela have been attracted to the fine wax resist and embroidery of the Ge Jia and, over the past decade or more, have accumulated small collections of these fine textiles. See Ge Jia textiles: jackets for another photogallery containing more of the fine Ge Jia textiles from Andrew's (and Bill's) collections which were originally posted on the forum.

If you have a Ge Jia baby carrier do share it and add to this resource by joining the forum and posting a photo.

contact Andrew, Bill or Pamela

for further photogalleries of Ge Jia textiles see Ge Jia textiles: jackets and Ma Tang village, Kaili cityalso see an interesting forum thread on dating provenance

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Copyright © 2012 Pamela A Cross. The contents of this site, including all images and text, are for personal, educational, non-commercial use only and may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of Pamela A Cross.
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this page last updated 4 October, 2013