Jannonï

In the old Tenwä, Jannon was footwear woven from narrow strips of birch bark. They were light and held well, making them ideal to wear during summer's heat. Even as times moved forward and ages changed, jannonï remained a staple choice within various northern cultures throughout the world.

When the Merientei left with ships to southern Attasaraï and reached the shores of Ullonwï, they quickly found birch absent from the region. What they did find were willow, elm and linden, and realised that their underbarks were of a similar composition to birch bark.

Material

The choice of the tree was as important as any other part in the process. Young, whole and healthy trees gave better quality materials than those that were too young or old.

With birch, a sharp blade was required to carefully strip away the bark from the trunk as one, long and narrow segment—children learned this part last, not only because of the potential danger but also because the taller one was, the longer the strip they could make, generally speaking. Another way was to cut through the bark first, then pull it away from the trunk.

Afterward the material was left in a sheltered, dry place where moisture would leave from the underside, thus preventing mold from forming on the surface. Once dry, the bark could be rolled and put aside for later use.

Weaving

The weaving could begin once the dry bark or underbark could be cut into suitable pieces. The process began from the front tip, which formed a singular point from where the strips could be attached from by weaving them into each other. The bottoms were woven first due to the simplicity of the surface. Most jannonï were short, ending below the ankle to protect the weaving, which could suffer if made to bend repetitively.

Weavers

Every child learned to weave jannonï, and later near adulthood learned how to cut the bark or underbark and process it. After the Second Age, this tradition grew rarer but many wished to keep the old traditions alive, and so learned how to weave the shoes as well and wore them instead of other options.

As the weaver wove the shoe together, they sang for the folk to enter it and protect it from wear and tear. The subtle spell showed no outward sign of working on the spot, but many claimed their shoes could last a month before becoming too worn to wear afterward.