Nepal: The weavers of Sarangkot.

The women of Sarangkot hold a "monumental" art in their hands. On their looms, they weave silk pashminas that are considered traditional folk textile artworks. In this village, perched on the Himalayas, far from being locked in attics never to be used again, as in many parts of the world, looms are experiencing an unprecedented boom. One of the most famous and popular textiles manufactured here is the pashmina dhaka, a mixture of natural fibres of silk and wool, with rich ornate details and exquisite weaving.

Sarangkot is a village of great natural beauty,on the footsteps of Annapurna mountain, at an altitude of 1600m.

In this mountainous place, domestic self-sufficiency from a single type of work is not feasible.Thus, apart from agriculture, people also engage in animal farming.They keep domestic animals, sheep, goats and buffaloes to produce milk, meat, wool and manure, so their animals are accustomed to living in extreme temperatures. They also grow cotton in the lowlands, which, after being processed, is transported in the form of threads to the hills. Within this context, apart from animal farming and house-keeping, women are also engaged in family businesses, hair spinning and weaving on looms. These women, enclaves of tradition, carry the secrets of their craft from generation to generation and their high-quality fabrics are warm, durable and beautiful. 

Of course, in Nepal, weaving has a history of centuries

The writings of ancient travellers and traders describe the clothes and blankets of this area as the best of the Himalayas. The Himalayan Mountains are one of the coldest regions of the world, while people still have no heating in their homes. They thus depend entirely on the fabrics woven by women, primarily for warmth and secondarily for clothing, so weaving takes place in almost every home. The production and sale of wool has not only helped the mountain communities improve their conditions of life but has also increased the efficiency of women, as they process the raw material and determine the quality of the yarns, dyeing and weaving.

The handmade pashmina dhaka silk shawls are famous, but other parts of the country also offer similar products, meaning that demand for Nepali shawls has created robust industries. Pashmina, known in the west as cashmere is the softest, warmest, most luxurious wool in the world. The wool comes from Chyangra (capra-hircus) goats living in the high areas of the Himalayas, northern India, Nepal and remote areas of Tibet, at an altitude of over 4000m-5500m, where temperature reaches -40C in the winter. 

These goats are blessed by nature with a very thin inner layer of hair, which is an optimal insulator; this inner layer is the pashmina or cashmere.This inner layer of hair, 1/6th of a human hair in circumference, is protected by a thick layer of hard and long hairs, which serve to preserve the precious elements present in the substrate. One goat produces 80-100gr of wool cashmere wool per year and wool from three animals are need for a medium-sized pashmina. Obviously, 100% pure pashmina wool is a luxury item even in these places. Therefore, cashmere is mixed with silk and cotton. The best choices are considered combinations of 70/30% or 50/50% silk and cashmere.

 

The raw wool is very fragile, which means that the separation of the grades [A, B, C grades] and its weaving into yarns must be done by hand using a wheel, known as the charkha, in a extremely strenuous and time-consuming process that requires tremendous patience and skill. The process of taking the raw wool, grinding it, separating it and forming yarn balls is a source of life and income for the women in the mountain regions, and weaving is an integral part of their everyday activity. Most families have heavy hand-made looms, while another kind of lightweight loom with a simple frame that is easy to carry is also popular, allowing women to work together at each other's houses, easily and enjoyably.The family businesses engaged in dhaka weaving use seated horizontal looms.The looms are usually installed in the basement of the house or a nearby shack. At the stage of weaving, each weaver is the sole creator of her work, putting into practice all she has learned and inherited, but complementing her work with her own personal style and imagination.

Dhaka weaving uses wool, cotton and silk. These textiles are created on a loom, in one piece and have longer durability. Their patterns are complex geometric or inspired by nature, from which the materials used to colour the yarn also derive. One of the most interesting phases is also the design of a distinctive margin pattern. The weaver stretches the warp, caressing with her fingers the stretched parallel rows, the black stripes that create waves in the gap. Her fingers go in and out of small gaps, alternatively underneath and above the strings of the warp, knitting the movement... The rich colourful designs with their original hand-woven mosaics render these pieces truly unique. Each shawl or stole is extremely time-consuming and the smallest omission is reflected in the quality of the product. Knowledge about dhaka weaving has been passed through many generations of women. The weavers are impressive in their ability and the skill with which they work. Women labourers, housewives, women toiling and struggling for a better future, women without adornments, straightforward, proud.

In Nepal, being born a girl is still considered as a sign of bad luck. Women have been exploited and mistreated all over the world, much as here. In recent years, however, the professional role of women has changed compared to previous decades. The Government is promoting training programs targeted to the weakest groups of women living in mountainous areas, where illiteracy is the norm rather than the exception. Small textile weaving cooperatives have been established with the participation of many women, who form a coalition both to disseminate their art and to obtain some income. Looms are a source of hope and an incentive for new weavers, while contributing to the promotion of the village both at home and abroad.

.