In Search of Wild Silk - Exploring a Village Industry in the Jungles of India. Karen Selk; Schiffer Publishing, 2022.

Reviewed by Pat Zimmerman, August 2023

This book’s author, Karen Selk, owned and ran Treenway Silks for many years. She personally sourced much of her stock from the makers of wild silk in Indian villages. As she notes in her introduction, “The textile industry is the second-largest global polluter after the oil and gas industry. Raising wild silk is a cycle that regenerates rather than depletes.” She then goes on to beautifully illustrate the wild silk life cycle and resultant gorgeous fibers created in the Indian villages that she worked with. The book is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of photographs.

An Introduction and five initial chapters give extraordinary background on wild silk production. For example, Chapter 2 is titled “What is Wild Silk and Why Should We Care?” which explains the difference between wild and cultivated silk. It was produced in the Indus valley during the Bronze Age, ca. 2800-1500 BCE, about the same time that cultivated silk was produced in China, but by very different means. While China has industrialized its production, the villages that Selk worked with continued their historical process (with scientific improvements), resulting in spectacular fibers.

Other chapters in this section review improvements in the health and yield of the silkworms, resulting from research by government scientists and engineers. The Adivasi tribal group’s tasar cocoon harvest has soared an incredible 800 percent since 2000 thanks to scientific advances. She sprinkles anecdotes of travel to remote Indian villages 40 years ago and official’s amazement that a white American woman was interested in their work. There are many stories of individuals’ and groups’ experiences with Karen and the friendships formed.

Chapter 5 illustrates spinning, weaving and printing at various villages. Anyone who has warped a fine or long warp should read this chapter. Details of creating a 138 yd. warp of 1,500 threads are shown. Another method includes a rock suspended from a grooved rod which turns with the warp beam. The rock falls off the end of the rod onto a piece of metal with a loud clang, signaling that the correct length of tasar yarn has been wound. Another technique uses pomelo fruit sizing to strengthen the warp.

The next three chapters, 6,7 and 8 examine in depth the three types of wild silk: tasar, muga and eri. In each chapter, there are 3 parts: silkworm, cocoon to yarn and yarn to cloth. These are comprehensive chapters, covering many aspects of the areas where they are produced. For example, she notes that tasar is produced mostly in three states that experience the most industrial pollution and the deepest levels of poverty and illiteracy.

Each type of silkworm has specific rearing requirements. Hatching, food, habitat, rearing environment and more are all described in part I of each chapter. The second part talks about reeling and spinning the cocoons, which varies widely from village to village and between silk types. Bowl, thigh, reeling machine and other methods of unwinding the cocoon are illustrated. Different parts of each cocoon required different treatment. The effect of very simple machines on the lives of previously unemployed tribal women is amazing. They go from deep poverty to self-sufficiency, eliminating middle-men and money lenders from the process.

The third section of each chapter is catnip for weavers. Imagine all the beautiful indian fabrics you’ve ever glimpsed. These pages describe how they were made (if from wild silk) and tell wonderful stories about their makers. Golden muga cloth, ikat, eri “eye of pigeon” shawls; a wealth of photos and stories fill these pages. The cultural and social aspects of cloth making are not neglected.

Chapter 9 is “Imagine! A Ministry of Textiles”. If we only had one! Quoting Gandhi: “production by the masses instead of mass production”, Selk reviews the political and economic status of handwoven cloth in India today. The final chapter 10 is a heartfelt plea for the Slow Clothes movement.

In an epilogue Selk writes: “Writing this in the third decade of the twenty-first century, I have witnessed many changes, some hilarious, some good, others sad.” Her love of the country shines through every page.

I too love India after many trips there and love this book about wild silk. Particularly fascinating were the details about how difficult it is to raise wild silkworms - men spend weeks living in the forest to protect them from predators. And the hundreds of gorgeous color photos brought my mind back to my travels to some of the same places. I highly recommend this book for any textile lover.