Table of Contents
What is the history of indigo?
Indigo got its name because of its origin in the Indus Valley, discovered some 5,000 years ago (or circa 3000 BCE), where it was called nīlā, meaning dark blue and by the 7th Century BCE, people started using the plant for producing the blue dye (Kriger and Connah, 2006).
What plant does indigo come from?
Indigofera tinctoria
Indigofera tinctoria, also called true indigo, is a species of plant from the bean family that was one of the original sources of indigo dye….
| Indigofera tinctoria | |
|---|---|
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Indigofera |
| Species: | I. tinctoria |
What was indigo used for in the 1800s?
“It was used literally as a currency. They were trading one length of cloth, in exchange for one human body.” Enslaved Africans carried the knowledge of indigo cultivation to the United States, and in the 1700s, the profits from indigo outpaced those of sugar and cotton.
Who originally used indigo?
‘ But we now know that, besides India, indigo is also endemic to the tropical zones in Africa and China. As early as more than 5,000 years ago, our ancestors in India, East Asia and Egypt, as well as probably the Maya, used the blue dye derived from the Indigofera Tinctoria plant to dye their clothes.
How was indigo discovered?
Indigo was most probably imported from India. Indigo remained a rare commodity in Europe throughout the Middle Ages. A chemically identical dye derived from the woad plant (Isatis tinctoria) was used instead. In the late 15th century, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route to India.
Where is indigo plant found in India?
Indigo has acclimatised well to the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand in addition to the southern states. Though it is a tropical crop, it can also be grown in temperate areas. But the crop has to be protected from excessive rainfall, water logging and hailstorms.
Where is indigo grown today?
Most dye plants are grown for commercial purposes in India or South America, where the price of labor is far less. Indigo was grown in the Southeast coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia in the 17th and 18th centuries but, to my knowledge, has not been grown commercially in North America since that time.
How did indigo get to Africa?
Indigo in West Africa was obtained from local plant sources, either indigofera or lonchocarpus cyanescans. Transforming the raw material into a successful dye vat was a complex process requiring great expertise and liable to unexplained failure.
Does South Carolina still grow indigo?
Indigo is long gone as an SC cash crop, but traces linger on the Lowcountry landscape.
Is indigo still used today?
Indigo dye has been used for thousands of years by civilizations all over the world to dye fabric blue. It has been the most famous and most widely used natural dye throughout history and is still extremely popular today as evidenced by the familiar colour of blue jeans.
What happened on 20 March 1860 with respect to the indigo cultivation?
Q. 6) What happened on 20th March 1860, with respect to the indigo cultivation? Thousands of ryots refused to grow indigo and started a rebellion. Thousands of ryots started fresh new cultivation of indigo.
How did slaves make indigo?
Slaves were responsible for most of South Carolina’s indigo production. Field slaves planted, weeded, and harvested the crop, and skilled “indigo slaves” worked to convert the plant to dye. The Revolutionary War disrupted production, although the Continental army used Carolina indigo to dye some of its uniforms.
What are indigo plants used for?
Several indigo plant varieties have been used medicinally; however, true indigo is the most common utilized species and was popular with the Chinese to clean the liver, detoxify the blood, reduce inflammation, alleviate pain and reduce fever.
What is Indigo made from?
The spectral range of indigo is between 450 and 420 nanometers. The name of the color indigo originally came from the indigo plant. Indigo is a dye made from the indigo plant, used to dye cloth.
What is the production of indigo?
Indigo was produced from many plants throughout the history but the most famous indigo dye was produced from the plants of the genus Indigofera. One of those plants is Indigofera tinctoria which is native to India which was the earliest major center for production and processing of indigo dye.
What is an indigo plantation?
Indigo Plantation. Indigo Plantation is friendly coastal living at its finest. With an impressive list of amenities including a clubhouse, an outdoor pool, a marina, tennis courts, and walking trails, Indigo Plantation offers a great deal to its residents.