Palestinian hand embroidery

“Palestinian embroidery is more than just a storytelling tool; it is a representation and evidence of identity and existence in the old villages of Palestine. Our Palestinian elders were wise. They found healing and purpose in their handicrafts, and in the handmade. Instead of automated machines, programmed designs, and smartphones replacing embroidery as a storytelling tool, with mainstream retailers appropriating our traditional designs for capitalist and political purposes — let us reclaim the thing that soothed our great-grandmothers’ souls”

“But Tatreez can be a modern tool of cultural preservation, documentation, and resistance, too. Today, so much emphasis is placed on writing down the Palestinian experience; defining our identity and defending it, writing down our history and preserving it, and validating our existence in the mainstream. As a Palestinian in the diaspora, I feel pressure to consistently and clearly articulate what my position is, who I am, and what my people lay claim to. But for those of us who are at a loss of words, yet still have an expressive spirit that longs to practice an act of nonviolent resistance to oppression — we have an outlet that is not only indigenous but therapeutic. When my writing doesn’t feel like enough, when my words are easily distorted, debated, and criticized, I turn to my art. I turn to Tatreez.”

Excerpt From Tatreez & Tea: Embroidery and Storytelling in the Palestinian Diaspora by Wafa Ghnaim