Hand Carved Cotton Gin

Bninis is the local name in Dawan name for a cotton gin. Locally grown cotton bolls are picked and are fed into the rollers on this cotton gin to remove the seed. Once cleaned the cotton is carded and spun into thread to make textiles from.

This cotton gin is made from sustainably harvested teak wood (Tectona grandis). Traditional people have always decorated their tools for their own pleasure. Threads of Life encourages this practice as a way to generate income for remote communities such as the maker of this beautiful wooden object in Amanuban Timor. The motifs that appear on the wooden cotton gin are also what would be carved on traditional houses and also found on traditional textiles.

This cotton gin is not only a piece of art but is practical in that you could use it to gin cotton yourself. All components break down and are labeled for ease in packing and reassembling.

Hand carved teak wood (Tectona grandis). Made in Amanuban, Timor, 2024. Size 48 x 8 x 46 cm / 19 x 3 x 18 in