The Craft Diaries - Remote embroidery community
Remote Embroidery Community
We headed to the North past the bird reserves to grasslands where we spotted flamingos, a monitor lizard and red sand boa snake whose head looks like a tail to trick predators.
The remote embroidery community were shy of visitors and would only meet me as I was female and agreed not to take pictures. Thirteen women stood around me in the most incredible handmade clothes. Ric rac trimmed bright floral prints with contrasting bandhani veils decorated with wonderfully chunky, tribal jewellery. I saw an incredible array of different techniques including mirror work, fine metal thread, cotton thread and applique embroideries in their turret house made of mud and straw.
Next we were welcomed by the necklace wearing buffaloes who were blissfully bathing in swampy water as we entered the second village. We sat in a house joyfully decorated in metal kitchen utensils and were shown the embroideries by elderly sisters.
The glittering densely embroidered metal and mirror work ignited feelings of joy, freedom and aliveness. We were shown the beaded veil for the groom to wear at his wedding, a beaded fringed and heavily embroidered gift bag and matching dresses for special festivals.
The women are still keen to learn embroidery after leaving school and do it for their personal and economic interests. One son in the house is the first to leave for the city and study chemical engineering at university.
While observing the grasslands opening up to the world through the new road, it struck me how deeply personal and sacred this craft is to these communities.
Often, when transitioning to production, there's a risk of losing the essence of this art form and alienating it from its roots. Finding that delicate balance between preserving the craft's sacredness and making it accessible on a larger scale becomes paramount. It's about honouring the craft's heart and soul while navigating the demands of commercial production.
