A Study on the Indigenous Knowledge of Cultivation, Spinning, and Traditional Weaving of Holy Cotton

Traditional spinning and weaving have been formed following the climatic, material, and spiritual needs of different relatives. Generally, the natural resources of each region are selected as the first option for the production of hand-woven textiles. This research introduces a valuable plant resource called "Malleh cotton", which has been revived and re-cultivated in the Khosf of South Khorasan. Malleh cotton is a kind of soft and brown cotton, which is considered "blessed and holy" by local residents due to its warming properties in winter. The purpose is to preserve the intangible cultural heritage of "the cultivation, traditional spinning, and weaving of Malleh cotton". The most important question of this study is: what is the structural difference between Malleh and white cotton? In order to find a suitable answer to the mentioned question, conventional FTIR and XRD analyses have been used. The research method is based on field studies, interviews, and published documents. The results show that the cultivation method of Malleh is similar to white cotton and it is possible to spin and weave it in a completely manual and traditional method.