Paper short abstract:

Materials and their sources are integral to craft processes. When heritage sheep are separated from their native context, new opportunities and limitations motivate creative rule-breaking to conserve and recontextualize wool through traditional making and artistic innovation.

Paper long abstract:

The production and preparation of natural materials is a rarely acknowledged part of the creative process of crafts, and wool is a prime example. Although it is familiar as an industrially processed and standardized commodity, producing wool traditionally involves numerous aesthetic decisions that start with breeding sheep for fleece textures and colors suitable for their creative applications. This may involve heritage sheep, old breeds that are associated with specific cultural landscapes and textile crafts, thus linking livestock and handwork in the cultural imaginary and conservation efforts. Recognition and conservation of these animals relies on subjective decision-making by humans who create breed standards and farm subsidies. Farmers, craftspeople and officials may link the value of the sheep with their relationship to their native landscape, farming practices, and local craft traditions, or they may frame their value in terms of biodiversity or utility in commercial applications. The influence and power of stakeholders varies, leading to controversial decisions that shape the material reality of farmers, animals, and the environment while also affecting the availability and qualities of traditional craft materials. When heritage sheep are separated, physically or conceptually, from their native context, new opportunities and limitations motivate creative rule-breaking to conserve and recontextualize the wool and its traditional applications. Using the example of Estonian native sheep and their connection to Kihnu Island, a cultural space recognized by UNESCO, this paper examines the complications involved in conserving heritage sheep in the context of contemporary environmental concerns, local intangible cultural heritage, and creative innovation.