Nepali women recycle maize to create corn husk dolls

Jun 15, 2023

Lalitpur (Nepal), June 15 (ANI): In a rented apartment in the alleyways of the ancient city of Patan, Nepalese resident Laxmi Nakarmi and her staff are busy turning less-regarded corn husks into art. This project, which started as a pilot project some three decades ago, has transformed into a lucrative business with demand surging. Nakarmi was in her 20s when she read an article in a magazine about using corn husks to make decorations for Christmas in the United States. Lured by the idea, Laxmi, along with three of her sisters, started making corn husk art as a hobby. Mainly used in North America, the corn husk has since become the inspiration for the four sisters living in the ancient city of Patan in Lalitpur, who started transforming less regarded agricultural products into art. Maize is one of the cash crops of Nepal, which suits the typography as well as the weather conditions in the hilly and plain areas of the Himalayan nation. As per the statistical information from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, in the year 2020/21 a total of 2,997,733 metric tons of maize was produced across Nepal which was cultivated in an area covering 979,776-hectare land mass. Apart from the produces, the remains of the maize are either burnt or left to rot in the dump yard by the farmers. Work of transforming the less regarded agricultural wastage has now taken over the people as the by-products captivates the people in general. Laxmi recalled her by-gone days when she started advertising her products in the market. People had less regard for the art after they learned about the materials used to make it. Initially, she made dolls only in a small portion which mainly used to be supplied to handicraft stores around Kathmandu but with the time Laxmi included the diversity in her art. The diverse ethnicities across Nepal is now found in her art pieces, whether it is Newari, Khas-Pahadi, Raute (the last remaining nomads of Nepal), Kirat, Sherpa, Jhakri- the dolls have intricate designs in their facial appearance, color and attire. The team involved in making of these art pieces which ranges from dolls, key-rings, souvenir piece, boxes, animals all made using corn-husk and bio-degradable itinerates work throughout the day to complete the orders. Depending on the quantity and the size of dolls, the group of about 5 women majority of them who can’t listen or speak work throughout the day without resting their hand. Females with different abilities working here at the workshop of Laxmi are being provided with incentive to work—by employing them, and teaching a craft that requires less labor. Along with encouraging the use of corn husks in Nepali craftwork and employing women, these dolls are also important for the preservation of Nepali culture. The young generation is unaware of these traditional crafts, and its importance to Nepal.