The canuts () were
Lyonnais silk workers, often working on
Jacquard loom
The Jacquard machine () is a device fitted to a loom that simplifies the process of manufacturing textiles with such complex patterns as brocade, damask and matelassé. The resulting ensemble of the loom and Jacquard machine is then called a Ja ...
s. They were primarily found in the
Croix-Rousse neighbourhood of
Lyon in the 19th century. Although the term generally refers to Lyonnais silk workers, silk workers in the nearby commune of
l'Arbresle are also called canuts.
Etymology
The word canut may come from an abbreviation of the French expression "Voici les cannes nues!" (''Look at those bare canes!''), as
canes without any
charms or
ribbon
A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mater ...
s were considered a sign of poverty. It may equally well come from the word ''canette'' (''
spool
Spool may refer to:
*Bobbin, a cylinder or reel on which a quantity of thread, yarn or wire is wound for use in a particular machine or device
* Cable reel, used to carry various types of electrical wires
*Spool (record label), active 1998–2008
...
'') referring to the spool on which the silk was kept prior to being used.
History
The canuts were
Lyonnais silk workers in the 19th century, often working on
Jacquard loom
The Jacquard machine () is a device fitted to a loom that simplifies the process of manufacturing textiles with such complex patterns as brocade, damask and matelassé. The resulting ensemble of the loom and Jacquard machine is then called a Ja ...
s primarily in the
Croix-Rousse neighbourhood.
The canuts were subject to extremely poor working conditions. On account of these conditions, they staged many worker uprisings, known as the
Canut revolts. The first revolt, in October 1831 is considered to be one of the first worker uprisings. The canuts occupied Lyon, shouting "Vivre libre en travaillant ou mourir en combattant!" (''Live free working or die fighting!'') King
Louis-Philippe sent 20,000
soldiers and 150
cannons to suppress the "riot". On February 14, 1834, the canuts revolted a second time, occupying the heights of Lyon. The revolt lasted 6 days before being suppressed by 12,000 soldiers. According to historian Gérard Cholvy, the revolts had a profound effect on the French scholar
Frédéric Ozanam.
Other uses
Laurent Mourguet was an unemployed canut when he created the character
Guignol and his eponymous
puppet show for children, supposedly in his own image.
Cervelle de canut (lit. ''silk worker's brains'') is a cheese spread/dip, a Lyonnais speciality. The dish is a base of
fromage blanc, seasoned with chopped
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
s,
shallots,
salt,
pepper
Pepper or peppers may refer to:
Food and spice
* Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant
** Black pepper
* ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae
** Bell pepper
** Chili ...
,
olive oil
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...
and
vinegar.
The canuts were the subject of songs by
Aristide Bruant and Éric La Blanche.
In contemporary times, the word canut is often used to talk about citizens of Lyon in general in an affectionate way.
See also
*
Luddites
*
History of silk
*
Canut (surname) Canut () is a surname of Catalan origin. It is of religious lineage. Canut is one of the oldest surnames of Catalonia. The name was taken to pay tribute to King Canute IV of Denmark, a devout Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as th ...
References
External links
Histoire des canuts* La chanson d'
Aristide Bruant ''Les canuts''
*{{in lang, fr La chanson d'Eric la Blanche
''Les canuts''
19th century in Lyon
Society of France