Weaving and loom terminology in Japhug

Abstract We describe the yarn preparation and weaving tradition of the Japhug people of Sichuan Province, China, speakers of a Rgyalrongic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family. We discuss the practical aspects of the loom and its operation, as well as the terms used to describe it. Our analysis shows that the terms are mostly a mixture of autochthonous Rgyalrongic and borrowings from Tibetan. The loom is a version of the frameless body-tensioned loom, an ancient and widespread type in East Asia and Southeast Asia, used by many Sino-Tibetan language speakers. We provide a simple guide for researchers interested in recording weaving traditions in the field, and we briefly discuss the implications of our findings for the study of the languages and ethnography of the Sino-Tibetan peoples generally.