Coppersmiths and silversmiths are today part of history. Old crafts die out. However, a man from Banja Luka has been continuing the family tradition of pulling out wool for thirty years.
After sheep’s wool or comb wraps are washed and dried, they are ready for further processing. Traditionally, women use a spindle from such wool to knit clothes.
But today, this process is a rarity.
“The fewer people there are, the less work there is for us. This craft is extinct, as the older grandmothers are unable to do this and younger women are less and less willing to work with this job because they do not know how to pluck it,” says for N1 Goran Iric, a carder.
The quilts, pillows, and mattresses filled with rye wool were once again appreciated. However, not enough for this craft to become alive once again.
“Few people know how good wool is and how healthy that mattress is. There are orders, but I do not have many. One or none monthly. But I’m getting old wool from the mattress and I get it back to the original condition, and this wool is good for 130 years,” adds Iric.
And the machine with 22 rollers is older than a hundred years. Goran inherited it from his grandfather. In the event of a malfunction, there are problems as to where and how to obtain parts because such machines are no longer produced.
“I do not have anywhere to get it in the RS or BiH, so I have to go to Serbia. And I take it from colleagues who no longer work, so we buy parts from each other at a lower price. Then, I cannot import it, so I have to smuggle it,” he says.
The process of industrialization and the lack of interest of young people to continue the tradition have led to the extinction of old crafts.
At the beginning of the 20th century there were more than 90 types of old crafts in Vrbas Banate, there were more than 5,000 craftsmen, and there were about 500 of them in Banja Luka.
Today, Goran Iric is the only carder in Banja Luka.
(Source: N1.ba)
