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THE
CRAFT OF WEAVING |
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| The
Himalayas are a cold place. Without good heating systems in
their homes, the mountain people have had to depend on the fabric
they weave for warmth, for easy travel, and for survival. Particularly
the nomads have used simple but effective weaving methods to
fulfill their need for fabric. The work that the people of mountain
regions and the high hills do with their weaving results in
high quality handwoven fabrice that is strong, warm, as well
as beautiful. This feature breifly presents the weaving process
practiced in the Himalayan belt. |
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| Wool
is obtained from sheep, yak, and other animals that are used
to living in the cold. These animals have been domesticated
to produce milk, meat, manure, wool, as well as to generate
cash or bartering power. The animals are also used to ship goods
across the Himalayas. Particularly, the strands of Tibetan wool
used for making sweaters and rugs is a filament with an inside
filling that absorbs the dye: resulting in colors that improve
over time. Cotton is grown on the lower plains and carried to
the higher hills and mountains. |
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| The
images above show the harvesting of angora rabbit wool. Wool
is harvested several times a year. Its growth is particularly
good during the cold Himalayan winter. While producing and selling
wool alone would not support mountain communities, the trade
does help them generate cash and results in greater profits
if the women are adept at processing the raw material: making
yarn, dyeing, and weaving. These process are a part of the day
to day activities of a majority of women of the Himalayas. |
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| The
pictures above shown how wool is turned into thread using simple
and primitive methods. The thread is dyed in vats or in large
pots. Often, especially at the village level, it is unnecessary
to dye the yarn. Balls of yarn can be sold or used. The process
of making yarn, dyeing, and rolling it into easy to use balls
makes income for the Himalayan woman. |
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| Women
may weave from a design (if they are working for an industry)
or create images in their mind and work with it. The images
that they work with have been passed down over time. The hand
and foot looms have been in use for many centuries. While heavy
looms have been developed and are in use, lighter looms are
used by many women and, particularly, some areas use a simple
frame that can easily be carried by the woman to her neighbor's
house where they can chat and work. |
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| Handwoven
carpets, pashmina shawls, radi rugs, and dhaka cloth are some
of the products that women make in the Himalayas. The plains
of Nepal have similar products. Bhaktapur's plain black sari
with a red border is well known throughout the nation. The demand
for Nepaese and Tibetan handmade fabric and rugs has created
stpowerful industries in the country. |
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