Ikaria: The lady of the loom died at the age of 112

The lady of the loom, Ioanna Proiou – Dimitriadou, passed away yesterday at the age of 112.

She had become known to the ends of the earth, for her art but also for her age. Since the island is located in the blue zone with the areas of the longest-lived residents in the world, Ioanna Proiou was the first subject in these reports.

He had given countless interviews to foreign and Greek media. He had an incredible sharpness of mind and fluency of speech and an inexhaustible sense of humor. In fact, they argued with those “curious” who came to see if he was alive, with the phrase “what do you want and are you delaying me, I’m fine, but I have a lot of work on my loom and I’m yawning, come on, hello…”.

He counted no ages, he had an incredible courage to constantly create, setting new goals, as soon as he finished the ones he had set so far and always completed them successfully. So I sit now and take a step back in my thoughts, I bring out from the past many images next to her, in the “House of the Loom” in her beloved village, Rahes Ikaria, where she wove and often sang softly, sometimes alone and sometimes with many girls of our island, who taught them her art like a good teacher. She had a big goal to get as many weavers as possible from all over the island to continue her work. And he succeeded.

Ioanna Proiou Dimitriadou was born in Rahes, Ikaria, in 1911 (remember that the Turks left the island a year later). He was the 12th among thirteen children. Her mother, Efthymia, born in 1870, was one of the best weavers on the island. Her best student was little Ioanna.

“My mother raised me under the loom. He had a chest open, and baby I was nestled in the open lid, which was hollow. With one leg he was working on the loom and with the other he was rocking me. He raised me there, among the fluff and threads. The first toy she gave me to keep me from crying was a thread of thick woolen thread. I was playing with the thick thread, pulling the threads and I was so distracted that I forgot to cry and my mother could do her work. He made woven orders and we lived. Back then, people dressed in textiles – from baby diapers to underwear. We made roll fabrics – for sheets to clothes. We took animal wool, spun it, it became soft and we wove it. We made bedspreads, dresses, towels, suits. Everything. Anything you can imagine. Later, we wove linen. And they were healthy, because they breathed, they had no chemicals. Now there are so many studies coming out that say what bad fabrics are in circulation. I read them and say, hey, why don’t girls come back and learn this art?’ We notice that it does not say “the loom” but “the loom”.

“As soon as I jumped up, I also climbed the loom. That’s where I grew up, that’s where I grew up. Once secretly, I entered the loom and my soul trembled lest my mother should come in and shout at me that I was spoiling her warp. I waited for her to come with a beating heart. It’s coming to you. I glance over to see how he was looking at me. And I see her smiling! And he says to me “Ioannaki, your little legs are still close. Grow up a little and I’ll put you on the loom.” This gave me life! Instead of getting discouraged, he gave me courage. My mother Efthimia was a famous weaver. And she chose me from her daughters for her continuation. From the age of 15 I was a professional weaver.”

“Although I have given everything to the loom, now I need help. I have allocated all my resources to supply the looms, to get the raw materials for the girls to learn. I also told the mayor of Ikaria that I have been a volunteer for so many years and that I spent what I had there with pleasure and I never thought of getting a subsidy, but now others need to help as well. We were looking, for example, for a place where the three looms could go in and where the younger ones could learn. I thought of an abandoned room, which was a rubbish dump, littered with rubbish, near the Primary school. The mayor helped, we cleaned it and made it the “House of the Loom”.

Excerpts from interviews of Mrs. Ioanna

Mrs. Ioanna “stings” the then Mayor of Rachos by the neck with her mace and says to him “Mayor, I asked you for something and you promised me that you would give it to me. So this space – a warehouse at that – I want to become the home of the loom. And I won’t take down my magura if you don’t promise that immediately this place will become what I asked of you.” What should the Mayor do, he could do otherwise, the space was immediately transformed and the three looms of Mrs. Joanna entered. And immediately our beloved compatriot got a job and worked endless hours, making all the things she wanted to weave. Little by little, many girls, young and old, came by her side and her smile was wide, because she knew that she was creating the future of the work that she loved so much and served for over a century.

Always with her kind words, smile, and creative interest to offer. In how many exhibitions in Athens that we participated as Ikaria, she did not bring her woven creations and beautify the stand. In recent years, her child had hired a woman to look after her and take care of her. But Mrs. Joanna, always a Levantine, there on the uphill from her house in the “House of the Loom” was literally flying with the pi she had like a walking stick, in front of her, behind the woman who was looking after her. This centenarian girl with a child’s heart, always had an appetite for work, there she forgot her sadness, her problems.

So this wonderful mother, grandmother, aunt, teacher, our Lady Joanna, left us today, because she has a lot of work… to make her textiles for the angels and archangels who welcomed her in the courtyards of Paradise. She was orphaned not only by her family, but also by all the Icarians everywhere, who had loved her so much as one of their own.