From Seed to Scarf

When the borders to Tibet closed due to the Indo-China war of 1962, this trade was destabilized. Once Tibetan sheep wool had to be imported through Nepal, the Shauka’s weaving traditions slowly dwindled.

Elsewhere in the Kumaon region, the Boras, another community based in these foothills, were skilled weavers and spinners of hemp.

The Shauka people have long practiced the art of natural dyeing. Combining this traditional knowledge with modern dye extraction techniques, Avani experimented with over 50 plants, ultimately settling on those which are most abundant and whose extraction does not harm the biodiversity of the Himalayan landscape. With the exception of madder root (used to produce red), all of Avani's dyes are sourced from the leaves, fruits, and flowers of plants, rather than roots or bark.

Known as “Ban Mara”, or “Forest Killer”, in Nepal, eupatorium is one of the most invasive plants in Asia. After years of experimentation, dyers from the Avani cooperative found that eupatorium could be used to produce four shades of dye, from a deep olive green to a vibrant light yellow.

But a major shade was still missing: blue. Here, Avani looked to India's history.

The name “indigo” comes from the Greek word “indikon”, meaning “coming from India.” Indigo was first mentioned in writing in the histories of Herodotus, who described its widespread use in Mediterranean civilizations, including the Greeks and Romans.

Although Indigo had long been cultivated in India, formal cultivation for commercial use was not truly widespread until British colonial times. Using a combination of violent force and cheap labor, indigo rapidly became one of Britain’s primary sources of income, enabling them to maintain control over the sub-continent. This history of exploitation tainted the cultivation of indigo for many Indians, who came to associate the crop with the abuses of colonialism.

Conscious of indigo’s complicated past, Avani took care when introducing the crop to Kumaoni farmers to ensure that their model of cultivation was sustainable, ethical, and community-led.

Today, Avani’s indigo cultivation allows local farmers to earn additional income from their fields to support their families.

As a leguminous plant, the crop is also highly beneficial for soil productivity thanks to its nitrogen fixation qualities. As much of the land in Kumaon is infertile, indigo cultivation helps reclaim this land for productive use. Last year, farmers who grew indigo for Avani reported that the food crops they grew in rotation with indigo plants had higher yields.

Monhai and her family live in Chachared, a village with just five households. On the day of the indigo harvest, Monhai and Kavita have to wake up extremely early and work quickly; the plants must be submerged in water within three hours of harvesting. Failure to do so will cause the indigo pigment to break down.

To begin creating natural dyes, the dye’s raw material is extracted from the plant through a process of drying, boiling, and fermentation. This creates what is known as ‘dye liquor’, which, when mixed with water, will create the dye mixture.

This extraction process is a precise science, requiring constant monitoring of pH levels, the ratio of water to dye material, and temperature. Even the tiniest variations can drastically alter the shade of the resulting dye.

The dyeing process is physically strenuous, as it requires standing over large boiling pots (which may smell quite foul due to fermentation), and dipping heavy hanks of wool, silk, and linen.

Kamla is in charge of ensuring that the colors of each final product match exactly- something she says is the most difficult part of her job. Indigo-dyed products are especially challenging, as they emerge from the vat a green-blue shade, and begin to oxidize to the desired shade of blue over time. Judging when the dyed yarn is ready requires both experience and intuition.

Unlike other handicraft activities, such as weaving, both men and women have traditionally engaged in spinning as a useful means for generating additional household income.

However, waist-looms are, by design, limited in the size of textile they produce by the size of the weaver’s waist. So, the cooperative began introducing new handlooms and training weavers to use them on their Tripuradevi campus. Initially, the looms were intended to be set up in people’s homes, but they were so large that few had space for them.

Weaving centres were thus established in villages across the region. On land donated or bought by local communities, these large, light-filled centres were built as a place where local women could come, train, and weave fabrics.

After training for approximately 6 months, weavers typically earn Rs. 6,000 per month. These centres have rapidly become not only places of work, but also forums for women to gather, relax, and socialise, away from the prying eyes of their husbands, in-laws, and children.

One center, in the small village of Digoli, employs 10 young women, all of whom are unmarried. Through weaving, these women are able to earn an independent source of income, giving them the leverage and stature to postpone marriage until they feel ready. When Avani first started working in Digoli, most girls were getting married at 15 or 16. Today, the average marriage age is closer to 22 or 23.

Once the warp has been attached, weaving can begin. Pedals at the weaver's feet, known as "Treadles" are used to separate the upper and lower threads through which the weft is woven. The pattern of weave can be determined by the sequence of pedaling, and women at Avani's weaving centres can often be heard calling out numbers to remind each other of the treadle sequence for the day.

A simple scarf may require up to 1,800 threads on the warp, so the weaver has to keep track of twice that number of threads. Moreover, warping may vary according to designs, and some designs require a significant concentration and math skills. For example, the ‘Almora’ design works on a 96-thread pattern, so the weaver must keep track of which thread they are working on. Every 97th thread is the beginning of a new series. Getting confused or missing one thread will endanger the whole design.