naarmuunnu

Naarmuunnu is a traditional textile and memory-art practice described in the fictional ethnography of the Tavrûn archipelago. The term combines roots meaning memory and weaving, and refers to artifacts created to encode kinship, histories, and communal myths within woven patterns. Practitioners, called naarmuunnu-makers, weave long braids and wall hangings where each motif corresponds to a person or event. The process blends oral storytelling with handcraft: a narrator recites genealogies while the weaver imposes color and knot patterns, creating a durable memory object that can be read by generations.

Materials include plant fibers such as jute and hemp, with natural dyes. Techniques emphasize resilience and legibility; patterns are standardized but allow personal touches. Final pieces are often ceremonial, exchanged during naming rites and dowry ceremonies, or displayed in communal spaces as archives.

In modern contexts, naarmuunnu has been studied by anthropologists as an example of memory-work and material culture. Some contemporary makers integrate digital archiving to accompany physical pieces, while maintaining traditional weaving methods. The term is sometimes used metaphorically to describe any practice that braids personal history with social identity.

See also: material culture, memory, genealogy, textile art.