The other day I fell down a rabbit hole looking up the history of red bandanas. This article was one of the gems I came across. It contains some fascinating details about how red bandanas have been used as signifiers; And about the development of colorfast red - which I’m interested in, because I’m using hematite (which is also called bloodstone) and other ‘red dirt’ from the Iron Range as a fabric dye and printing ink — though the colors that derive from it are a very different red than what this describes:
“It was a both complex and laborious process, involving madder root and alizarin to fix the dye to the cloth, as well as sheep’s dung, bullock’s blood and urine. This admittedly odd combination produced a highly valued color, one that wouldn’t fade with sunlight and washing–aka colorfast.”
Another detail about red bandanas that I found relevant to what I’ve been thinking about involves the role of these textiles in the labor movement, and the origin of the term ‘redneck’:
The West Virginia Coal Miners March of 1921 was one of the largest armed uprisings in labor history and, at the march, over ten thousand United Mine Workers wore red bandanas to demand unions, an event many equate to the popularization of the derogatory term “redneck.”
It just so happens that I got a bunch of old bandanas in a bag of donated fabric from my hometown — and I’m now thinking about how to bring them into the project. To start with, I’m creating some new prints and using them as a kind of appliqué on these bandanas. I’m creating images with reference to stories I’ve heard from women who grew-up or currently live in mining towns on Minnesota’s Iron Range.
As I’ve been driving around for my research, I’ve been listening to country music. I think I might need to do a deep dive into songs that mention red dirt and rednecks… There’s no shortage.
Carry on.