![]() Women have two tighter pouches, much closer to their chest, used for money when trading on the market, and essential for drop-spindle spinning. The men’s is ample enough to contain the bamboo lunch basket, or books, or a 12 in blade knife. Neither costume uses buttons both are secured firmly around the waist by a tablet-woven belt, or kera, thus creating pouches where the fabric crosses over the chest. The men’s gho is tailored and resembles a wide kimono, hitched up to knee length. The women’s kira is a ‘shoulder to ankle’ long rectangle wrapped around the body and clasped at the shoulders. The traditional Bhutanese dress, for both men and women, is sewn from 3 strips of cloth approximately 250cm by 50cm. In others, like Kishutara and Onsham, weavers brocade intricate and colourful designs, in brightly coloured silk. In a different weave, contrasting supernumerary warps give regular-patterned broad stripes, often red or green on a yellow background. In the warmer climates at relatively lower altitudes of 2500m (8000ft), the cotton-based fabrics are usually embellished with metog (this word means both ‘flower’ and ‘weaving-design’). As with Scottish clans, each locality has its particular designs. Woollen fabrics are made in the higher altitudes of central Bhutan, with natural dyes and warp-and weft-stripes visitors often comment on their ‘tartan’ appearance. Both weave cloth approximately 50cm wide. But in crafts, women are the textile experts, and leave carpentry to men.įabric is traditionally woven on two main types of loom: a four-shaft floor loom, similar to that used in Nepal (see Susie Dunsmore’s article in The journal Vols 145 and 146), and a backstrap loom. In Bhutanese society, men and women usually have equal status, whether working in the fields or minding young children. For instance, the vertical supports for the backstrap loom are often built into the timber structure of the houses. These skills are general knowledge, not restricted to experts. People still maintain skills for producing their own tools for agriculture and techniques for house building, as well as weaving cloth and making clothes. The people of Bhutan have had to be totally self-sufficient until recently, and in many remote parts virtually still are when the nearest road is four days’ walk away, any exchange of goods is hard-earned, and only done when essential. Modern developments are beginning only now, under the control of a government aware of the consequences of Nepal’s unrestricted and irreversible opening to the rest of the world. The first hundred miles of road were built in 1961 a bus service now links the capital, Thimphu, and Tashigang in the east, on a 3-day journey, 340 miles by road or 120 miles as the crow flies. ![]() Until recently, travel from one valley to the next was laboriously slow, and new ideas spread even slower, preserving ancient traditions. ![]() Protected by the steepness of the mountain slopes, Bhutan is one of the few countries which has never been colonised. Hidden away in the Himalayas, just east of Mount Everest, lies the tiny kingdom of Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon. ![]() She will gladly show and discuss these tablet bands and textiles from Bhutan with anyone who is interested. When travelling, textiles grew in interest through meeting local weavers, and have now become the main reason for travel, and even learning languages (Gaedhlig, Dzongkha and Turkish). Tablet weaving reminded her of the double helix of the DNA molecule DNA has only 2 strands, with mainly S turns, and some Z. Written in memory of Margaret SeagroattĬlaire Thomas came to textiles about fifteen years ago from molecular biology. Published in the Journal for Spinners, Weavers and Dyers. ![]()
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