Tradition of producing nettle yarn alive in Lauri Gewog of Bhutan
Mar 28, 2023
Thimphu [Bhutan], March 28 : The tradition of the production of yarns from nettle plants is still kept alive by the people of Lauri Gewog of Bhutan. Moreover, they are also getting a good income out of it, Bhutan Live reported.
Despite the fact that the practice has been abandoned in many regions of the nation, the residents of Lauri Gewog claim that their capacity to produce nettle yarns was hampered by the accessibility of imported clothing.
Nettle plant has traditionally been used to make ropes, jackets, bags and blankets among others. The practice of making yarns from nettle plants lost its popularity in many parts of the country after cotton became readily available.
With the help and support of the Agency for the Promotion of Indigenous Crafts in 2016, the practice was revived.
A villager who makes nettle yarn is Lhazom from the Lauri chiwog. She claims that the majority of the villagers engage in direct nettle yarn sales and only produce textiles in response to orders.
Lhazom collects nettle plants which are easily available in the forest. The plants are cut to extract fibre from its stem. It is then dried before undergoing a series of processes to make yarn, according to Bhutan Live.
"From clothes to blankets, our parents used to make everything from nettle yarns. The tradition nearly disappeared until the government intervened. The practice was revived and we were trained by the government to produce yarn and started producing it again. Although I cannot spin the nettle yarn daily, I can earn Nu 5,000 to 6,000 from whatever I can produce during my spare time. We will earn more income if we are able to spin more yarns," Bhutan Live quoted Lhazom as saying.
Nowadays, Lauri Gewog is home to 20 households that produce nettle yarn, most of which are exported to Thimphu.
"Previously, we didn't offer nettle yarn for sale. We have only recently begun selling them. I am not able to collect nettle plants from the forest like others. So, I do not earn much compared to others," said Mindu Chenzom, a resident."
In a separate statement, Gyeltshen, another resident said, "Currently, a kilogram of nettle yarn costs Nu 1,800. We didn't sell nettle yarns before," Bhutan Live reported.
