Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. I ( I ), October 2002, pp. 40-46

Indigenous knowledge of wool dyeing: A Bhotiya practice on its way out in the higher Kumaun Himalaya

Babul Roy, Nehal A Farooquee*, S Sharma and L M S Palni

Indigenous Knowledge Systems Division, G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Deve lopment, Kosi- Katarmal , Almora 263 643, Uttaranchal. India

Fax: 09 1 5962 3 1360; E-mail : nafarooquee@gbpihed.nic. in

Received f January 2002

The indigenous knowledge of making natural dye fro m nati ve plant spec ies had developed in the hi gh altitude regions of Kumaun over a long period of time. This practice of using natural dyes for colouring wool was very common in the high altitude di stri cts of Pithoragarh in Ku ­maun , and Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts in Garh wal. The inhabitants had perfected their knowledge to such a level, that they could get most of the bright shades of colours requ ired in their woollen products. However, over a period of time, due to the expansion of road network and market forces in these reg ions, the avail ability of sy nthetic dyes slowly brought down the production and use of natural dyes. Later, the supply of factory-made wool in a multiple range of colours and shades at a price lower than that of their own-produced wool fin ally brought thi s knowledge system on the verge of its ex tincti on. This paper highli ghts the ro le of va rious eco­nomi c fac tors and linkages in volved in the marginali sation of thi s practice and eco- fri endl y knowledge systems of a remote Himalayan region.

Keywords: Bhotiya, Munsyari , Kumaun Himalaya, Wool colouring, Natural dyes, Berberis asiatica . .Il1g/allS regia. RheulIl elllodi. Rheum sp. . RlIlIlex nepaiensis. Sapille/lls IIlllkorossi. Synthetic colours. Margi nali sation of traditional prac tices.

Wool and woollen products are an inte­gral part of the human society especially in the colder regions, where these are re­quired throughout the year by the inhabi­tants. Various indigenous practices have been associated with the wooll en-based products, and one of the important prac­tices is the colouring and dyeing of wool using natural vegetations obtained from the nature. Higher reaches of the Himala­yan regions have been the homeland for

*Correspondent author.

various types of people adapted to the extreme cold climatic conditions, and hence, they have to depend on heavy woollen garments.

The Bhotiyas are one such traditional community predominant in this hilly area. They are Hindu-Buddhi st tribal people having Mongolian features. The Bho ti yas of Munsyari and Dharchul a from the bor­der regions of Kumaun Himalaya are well known for their traditional experti se in making a range of woollen garments and

ROY el al.: WOOL DYEING: A BHOTIY A PR ACTICE 4 1

material s, bes ides processing and col­ouring of wool '·

4• Till 1962, these people

were involved in trans-border trade be­tween India and erstwhil e Tibet, and im­port of wool from Tibet was the backbone for their woollen-based traditional cottage industr/ ·7 . After the Indo-China conflict of 1962, the import of wool fro m Tibet has been stopped, and their traditional woollen industry got severe set back. Presently it is based on local wool pro­duction, some purchase from Nepal, and supply from markets mostly located in the pl ain regions of India e.g., Panipat, Am­ritsar, Jallandhar, e tc.8.

12 Use of natural vegetation for colouring of wool is in practice in the Bhoti ya society. Thi s study explores the indigenous methods of dye­ing and colouring in the woollen-based traditional cottage industry in the higher Himalayan reg ion, and analyses the cur­rent trends.

Methods of Survey Based on the qualitative information

collected during the surveys in 1992-94 regardi ng the natural resource patterns and dependence o f Bhotiya soci ety on their immediate environment in the high alt itude regions of Dharchula and Mun­syari , vill ages with traditional mode of production and knowledge sys tems were identi fied. Extensive surveys were made in the traditional high altitude vill ages of M unsyari in 1999 and beginning of 2000 to identify and explore the indigenous methods of various wool dyeing and col­ouring. The information on the indige­nous knowledge of natural dye making was acquired through participatory fi e ld research methods such as semi-structured

interviews, field inspec tions, field obser­vations, participation in the ir social li fe and events. Market surveys were also done in various shops of Munsyari , to understand the consumpti on patterns of synthetic dyes, quanti fy the trends of transacti ons of synthetic dyes, and project the future prospects of such know ledge systems.

Indigenous knowledge of dye making and wool colouring

Plants have provided an important source of pigments and tannins for mil ­lennia. While tannins have been used in preserving animal skins, plant pi gments have been used in dyeing tex tiles, wool and fibres in different societi es across the world ' 3. Useful pl ant pigments have been isolated fro m many diffe rent pl ant fami­lies, and from almost a ll plant parts such as roots, stems, bark , leaves, fruits, and seeds, to y ield a wide range of colour from yellow through to crimson and pur­ple to black. For example, throughout Ghana, useful pi gments have been iso­lated from more than 100 pl ants spec ies 1-1.

However, in thi s region onl y few selec ted plant species were used to make dye fo r the woollen products. The indigenous method involves use of vari ous pl ant parts of di fferent plant species ranging from herbs to large trees (Table I) to make base colours, viz. three different shades of yell ow, akhroti-rong (light brown) and pink, apart from the natural wh ite color of the wool. A number of in­termedi ate colours and their shades are produced by mixing of these base colour dyes into di fferent combinations. Fo r ex­ample, the colours obtai ned from tatori,

42 INDI AN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE. VOL I, No. l. OCTOBER 2002

Table I- Pl ant s used in wool processing and fo r dyei ng

Plalll

Tree

Shrub

Herb

Loca l

Ree/ha

Akhrol

Ki/l/ lOra

DO/II Suyalll{/

Talori

Name BOlanical

Sapill(/IIS IIIl1kol'Ossi Gaerln . Jllg/WiS reg ia Linn.

Saberis asiat ica Roxb. ex DC.

Rhelllll elllodi Wall. ex Meissn. Rill/ii'.\' lI epo/ellsis Spreng. Rhelllll sp .

ak/irol. and doltl plants are used together to produce a bright red pi gment. In thi s way a whole range of different co lours is produced to suit the aes theti c require­ments. The other co mmonl y used plants in the making of dye by thi s community are soywllo and killl/ora.

Indigenous knowledge al so ex tends to identi fication of the appropriate ti me to collect the required pl ant part for making dye. For example, in the case of walnut it is beli eved that following the flowering stage of plant is best ti me to collect re­quired plant parts fo r making quality dye. During the flowering stage it is believed that plants absorb more water so all the qualitative contents remain in a conditi on of dilution. Scientific rati onale may be linked as : (i) Identification of proper time and season to suit temperature re­quirement in the cold climate of high al­titudes; developing isotherms on phenol­ogy- based events was past practice in Europe, and (ii) To maintain resources: ­Flowering in walnut (w inter dec iduous tree) occurs during March-April ; an early harvesting will cause heavy loss of nutri -

Purpose / Pari used

Washing - Fruit Dyeing - Bark Dyeing - Fruit Dyeing - Root

Dye ing -RoO!

Dyeing -Root Dye ing -Root Dyeing -Root

Co lour

Li ght Violet IllIerlllediate shade Dark Violet

Ye ll ow

Yellow Ye ll ow Pink

ents by the same amount of pl ant part to make dye than harvested after flowering: thi s loss of nutri ent may damage the tree and subsequent regenerati on through seeds. Required plant parts are collected accordingly and after sun drying, stored for future or off-season use.

The work relating to the producti on of woollen products is shared by both the genders. however, women have greater share of work di stributi on in thi s activity. The womcn folks in the Munsyari region are the real custodians of the ri ch repos i­tory of knowledge regarding th e making of natu ral dyes. The elder women gencr­ally collect the plant material s for the making of natural dyes, and either they themselves prepare the dyes. or the younger women of the fami Iy prepare the dyes on the advise of the elder women. Similarly , the knowledge to make differ­ent proportions of colours to make eli ffer­ent shades is al so held by the Bhotiya women. Right ('rom the shearillg or wool to the marketing of fini shed products. work i ~ divided into different sequentia l stages based on the internal adjust l11eill of

ROY et al.: WOOL DYEING: A BHOTIYA PRACTICE 43

Table 2---Gender wise work distribution in the making of woollen products

Acti vity Decision M aking

Wool Shearing Men Carding of wool Women Washing of wool Women Dry ing of wool Women Brushing of wool Women Spinning of wool Both Making of dyes Women Dyeing of wool Women Designing Women Weav ing Women Knitting Either Marketing Either

the family (Table 2). Dyeing of wool is done either before spinning it into threads or after threading it. Usually woollen threads are preferred for dyeing rather than un-spinned raw wool. Raw wool is nonnally either black or white in colour, and for the purpose of dyeing only white wool is used to give different shades of colours. Before dyeing the woollen mate­rial IS washed and dusted thoroughly for proper dyeing. The popular indigenous method of washing the woollen threads by the fruits of reelha is used extensively .

Collected or s tored plant parts are processed to make dye. The method for makin g dye from various parts (root/ bark/ fruit shell) of walnut is executed in di ffcrent s tages . Collected fresh material is first pounded into a soft mass or paste , which is then mixed with water to make the dye solution ; this solution is later heJted in a boiling bath until it ri ses to its boiling point. In the case of using root portion, for dyeing of one kg of wool, around 6 litre of water is boiled along with approximately 50-60 gm of fresh

Performed By Time Taken

Men 30 Minutes per sheep Both 1-2 Hours per kg Both 2-3 Hours Women 6 Hours Women 3-4 Hours per kg. Both 5-6 Hours daily Women 5-8 Hours Women 2-3 Hours Women 5-6 Hours Women 6-8 Hours daily Both 4-5 Hours dai ly Both As required

root. Thi s quantity of plant materi al be­comes half when the same part is used in dry form. When the solution rises to its boiling point, the woollen material to be dyed is slowly put into this so lution , and is stirred thoroughly for a longer time so that the solution reaches to the entire material. StilTing is usually done with the help of a wooden stick (stirre r) for about half an hour or until the des ired colour is attained . In case of difficulti es in colour fix ation due to the presence of impuriti es in the woollen materials, little amount of common salt is added to the so lution for the des ired colour and perfect fini shing . Once the desired dyeing has been achieved the woollen material is removed from the boilillg bath and is allowed [0

cool and dry by itself in shade. Direct sun light is avoided during drying to retain the brightness of the colour. The method of making dye from other plants is not much different from that of walnut. ex ­cept that the appropriate vegetative part and their quantity used differ from plant to plant.

44 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL I. No. I, OCTOBER 2002

Substitute to the traditional natural dyeing in the region

Construction of road networks in this region began after 1962, and this in­creased the communication channel, and gave boost to the supply systems and ex­panded the markets in the region. As a seq uel to this , the availability and use of synthetic dyes increased, and the syn­thetic dyes slowly became the substitute for the traditional natural dyes. The easy availability, and the choice of multiple colours and shades, made the synthetic dyes more popular and preferable over natural dyes.

In Munsyari market (a major service and supply center in the high altitudes of Kumaun), synthetic colours are available at six different shops, of which four shops are existing since 1960, and they claim to have introduced the synthetic colours in the region. In a survey on sale of syn­thetic colours conducted in thi s market, it has been found that red and black colours are in great demand for wool dyeing. There were other minor colours like tur­quoise, blue, green, yellow, dark blue, pink, etc. The total sale of synthetic col­ours varied from 8 to 48 kg per shop in 1999, of which red colour alone contrib­uted 18.2% to 38.5% of sale between various shops. However, the range for various colours in these shops varied from 3.8% to 38.5% of the total annual sale of a shop. The average total sale of synthetic colours in a single shop of Munsyari accounted for about Rs. 62,000 (1442 US $); a similar sale was also re­ported in other five shops of Munsyari. However, there are three more markets (Didihat, Dharchula and Jauljibi) also in

the region selling synthetic colours. The number of households using syn­

thetic dyes has increased from about 750 in 1960 to almost about 2000 in the year 2000. Similarly, the sale of synthetic dyes increased from 120 kg to almost I RO kg in the shops of Munsyari; this increase was about 1.4 times over a period of twenty years, from 1960 to 1980, in the region, but, thereafter it has decli ned gradually to 155 kg in the year 2000.

The regular supply of raw wool from the markets of Ti bet ti II 1962, and from the markets of Nepal thereafter incre.ased the sale of synthetic dyes, and the use of synthetic dyes over natural dyes domi­nated the Munsyari region for about twenty years (between 1960 and 1980). The advantage of synthetic dyes over natural dyes was more, because it saved time of preparation, and synthetic dyes also offered a wide range of choice in colours and shades.

The availability of ready-made col­oured wool in the Munsyari market changed the total scenario after 1980. Though, the use of synthetic colours con­tinued in the region, but simultaneously, began the use of ready-made wool avail­able in multiple colours. The market forces identified the requirement of col­oured wool in this region, and after 1980 there began regular supply from market located in the plain regions (Panipat, Jal­landhar, etc.) where wool industry is lo­cated. In due course of time, it was real­ized that the locally dyed wool took more time and energy, and was available only in a few limited colours, and hence, slowly lost the credibility and demand in the market. Moreover, the locally dyed

ROY el 01 .: WOOL DYEING : A BHOTI YA PRACTICE 45

wool became more costly due to the ex­tensive labour involved. Thus, it has been gradually repl aced by ready-made wool. However, it is still in use but on a very small scale .

Conclusion The relati onship between indigenous

knowledge of natural dye making and import o f raw wool from outside at a low price, and value addition to thi s in the fo rm of coloured woollen products to earn profit and revenue out of it is an es­tabli shed fact, and an example of sustain­able development th rough traditional know ledge. The emergence of thi s knowledge system was due to the practi­cal interaction and keen observati on of their environment , and a realizati on that their system was capable of meeting most of their requirements fo r their sustenance. The way thi s society carved a niche in the making and selling of woollen garments showed their ingenuity and adaptation to the emerg ing circumstances in the region. However, the collapse of thi s practice was due to the strong intervention of eco­nomic and scientific fo rces, which have damaged such self - sustaining systems in the name of development. As in the case of Munsyari , linking of roads and com­munication in the name o f development hrought changes, such as the expansion of market systems, which made a number of synthetic dyes in a wide range of colours and shades avail able in these remote local markets. In view of the wider avail ability of colour cho ices through syntheti c dyes, the traditi onal natural dyes, which could offe r only a limited range, suffe red a se­vere setback. As a consequence, the arti-

sans slowly switched over to the use of synthetic dyes , resulting into their grow­ing faith on outside products over their own. The availability of factory-made wool in a wide range of colours and shades, at a much lower pri ce. further di scouraged the traditional woollen in­dustry of the region, and gave final bl ow for its ex tinction .

Acknowledgement The authors are thank ful to Dr. S .S.

Samant in the identi fication of plants, and to Mr. Jagat Singh Martoliya fo r hi s as­sistance in the field survey .

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