Woman's blouse

Westerners may think that garments such as these are authentic only if they are made of natural materials, but this is not really the case. When synthetic fibers were first developed, they were considered precious. Materials such as polyester, not widely available when it was invented in the early 1940s, soon became commonplace, however. Many people do not realize how quickly synthetic materials became available throughout the world.

There are many other examples of once costly materials that are now considered ordinary. A small cone of aluminum, for instance, caps the Washington Monument. At the time the monument was being built, aluminum was considered more precious than gold because it was so difficult to refine. Improved technology made refining aluminum inexpensive, and like polyester it is now ubiquitous.

Indigenous peoples may have valued the new human-made materials for their rarity and because of their advantages over natural fibers. Synthetics are easy to launder "wash and wear" and they hold their dyes longer.

The blue fibers were examined using polarized light microscopy. These photographs, taken through a polarizing light microscope, show the distinctive nature of different types of fibers. Natural fibers can be identified by examining both the length of the fiber and its cross section. The cotton fiber is twisted and has a hollow center; its distinctive structure distinguishes it from all other fibers. The synthetic fiber is smooth and slick. Synthetic fibers are made from resins, which are extruded from machines as thin strands. Since most synthetic fibers are made the same way, their cross sections often look identical. It is necessary to perform chemical spot tests with various solvents in order to confirm the type of synthetic fiber from which the object was made.