| Description |
After four decades, women in Ney village in Gangzur Gewog (block) in Lhuentse revived a tradition of weaving fabrics from nettle yarn that was about to disappear. With the assistance of Tarayana Foundation, local women’s group secretary Yangchen Tshomo led the group to revive and promote kui tha the nettle yarn tradition. According to them, it has been more than 40 years since they saw their grandparents’ weaving fabrics from nettles. Earlier people used to make Thakpa (rope), Khorga (bag), Shingka (ancient female dress), Phatsa (sacks), and Bra-ger (ancient male dress). It is still being used for traditional bowstring in other parts of Bhutan. The foundation also supports the women’s work by marketing the product and they weave tablecloths and scarves, which help them in generating income for their families.
Types of Nettles: Zea Kuley - further distinguished in two categories:
1. Ngoi Kuley (Green)- harvested in July and August
2. Ser Juley (Yellow)- harvested in November
An elderly resident from Ney, Tenzin Wangmo, remembers how they used nettle to weave. According to her, in the past they used a different process of degumming. First, they would dig a hole to fit the nettle bark and built a hard wood fire to heat stones. After that, ash mixed with water was applied to nettle bark and it was placed in hole. The ash was applied to the bark in thick layers to protect it as the hot stones were placed alongside the bark. The ash prevented burns from destroying the fibers, and this was kept for two to three nights. Finally, the thread was washed in running river water and beating continuously until it was white. |
