Cloth waulking in South Uist

Waulking was done to shrink and finish handwoven tweed. The wet cloth was kneaded and passed from hand to hand round a group of women seated at a board. The rhythmic, repetitive work was accompanied by waulking songs with the verses sung by an individual and the chorus of vocables by the whole group.

This waulking was filmed in Iochdar in 1970 by the School of Scottish Studies. With the last waulking taking place in the community in the 1950s, the women were largely working from memory. The photograph was taken by Ralph W Morton who worked at the School of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh.

University of Edinburgh, School of Scottish Studies Archives: SSSA BVIII 3 7678