A very old article written by me popped up. It was time to review and know more about how the textiles in Bhutan and the Royal Academy of Textiles was doing. The following is the old article. A further update and article, I will post a bit later.
Image courtesy -
Royal Textile Academy,
Bhutan
This
little Himalayan Kingdom which measures its GDP not as a measure of money or
currency but as a Happiness Index – the term Gross National Happiness has its
enviable repertoire of textiles. The textiles which I had seen at the various
exhibitions organised by Dastkar and Dastakari Haat Samiti, came into their
cultural and historical perspective at the exhibition organised at the Indira
Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi, where a host of textiles and
jewellery were displayed. Further research via the Bhutanese Embassy led to the
email exchange of information from both the Royal Textile Academy and The Textile Museum, Department of Culture,
Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, Bhutanese Textiles, on the textile heritage of
Bhutan.
The Exhibition titled – Textile Arts from the Land of the Peaceful Dragon – was a collaborative effort between the Textile Museum of Bhutan with the ICCR. The focus was to showcase and promote Bhutanese Textiles. Introduce and export Bhutanese textiles to international markets to fulfill the eventual goal of self sustainability. To provide a platform for Cultural Exchange between the two countries as the event also hosted a Cultural program from the Bhutanese Cultural troupe and to build partnerships in Design Industry and promote regional collaboration in design through institutional linkages and cooperation.
Via email, Mrs. Rinzin O. Dorji, Executive Director, Royal Textile Academy
says, “Thagzo or the art of weaving is one of
the 13 traditional arts of Bhutan. Our
weaving tradition spans more than three centuries, for generations Bhutanese
girls have been trained in the textile arts from an early age – a skill passed
down from mother to daughter. But as development sets in, rural life has
gradually evolved towards urbanization and many mothers are no longer able to
teach their daughters the art of weaving.
But this tradition is slowly on the decline due to rapid
urbanization.” Royal Textile Academy has
taken upon itself the mandate of reviving weaving and preserving the textile
arts of Bhutan. 
Image Courtesy-
Royal Textile Academy,
Bhutan
Mrs. Dorji adds, “The Academy aims to revive this culture of weaving, to ensure that the weaving art form is not lost and to facilitate the knowledge transfer to the younger generation outside of the existing custom of mothers teaching daughters. It also strives to create awareness and encourage international collaboration to promote mutually beneficial exhibitions and educational programs.”
The booklet produced for the exhibition gives in great detail and length the garments worn and the types of looms, appliqué and embroidery done. Three types of looms are in existence in Bhutan. The back strap loom is known as pangthag. This was the most popular loom and a predecessor to more modern frame looms. The frame looms which are commonly used are called thrithag – these are the horizontal ones. Card looms are used for narrow textiles.
The weaving of day to day was the exclusive preserve of the women, while the textiles to be stitched or sewn were made by men. The monk body was also trained to stitch and sew. Woven cloth is mainly used for clothing. The cloth is woven on narrow looms and joined together. For a man’s garments the loom length is joined in a way that the stripes are oriented vertically. On the other hand for a woman’s dress it is done horizontally. The men’s garment is called gho and the women’s garment the kira. Kera the belt is woven on the card loom. Embroidered and appliqué textiles are created which are used in Dzong’s fortresses, temples, monasteries and noble households. These include throne covers, gayok saddle covers, textiles used for ceremonial purposes, temple hangings, canopies scrolls, shoes. Silk is used predominantly.
To the onlooker, the row of pattern of weaving seems amazing, so beautifully does each colour merge with the other. The designs and patterns blend seamlessly into each other. Geometric patterns are predominant. But it follows itself into continuous patterning and does not looked joined at all. It is almost like jacquard look work, mixing geometrical patterns with some motifs for ornamentation. There are a lot of traditional names for the patterns ranging from mentsi mathra, aikapur pattern and more. The silk used ranges from cultivated silk, Chinese silk, wild silk. Backing on the garment uses Indian cotton.
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