The group presently includes a total of 10 members. In India, it is grown in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradeshand some small cities in other states. They have also explored with different threads on different fabrics; Eri threads on Eri shawls, Eri threads on cotton shawls, cotton thread on Eri shawls, thinner wool in Eri and cotton shawls. The Eri silk worm however is either taken out by breaking open the cocoon, or the worm is allowed to eat its way out through the cocoon to emerge as a moth and continue the cycle. Meghalaya produces three out of the four varieties of silk available in the world. Anna-Louise Meynell is a designer of woven textiles from Scotland who has been living and working in Asia for 12 years. I am happy to say that there is a deep and meaningful history of Eri silk textiles in Meghalaya, closely linked to the social history of the communities. My inner disturbance was predictably reflected in what we... Over the last few years I suffered a series of accidents that severely affected my cervical vertebrae. Her consultancy work in handwoven textiles takes her to inspiring communities in India, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. The Ri –Bhoi District is one of the main regions of Meghalaya where Eri-culture and Handloom Weaving is still practiced. Some may know of the fine and compact Phanek embroidery and the Wangkhei Phee textiles of Manipur (using the same technique of jamdani from West Bengal and Bangladesh), while textiles from Meghalaya are barely given a mention. The Eri fabrics are not locally woven in the village but are bought from another district in Meghalaya, mainly from Ri-Bhoi District which is approximately 134 km from Mustoh village. Learn how your comment data is processed. Cocoons are washed, hand-spun and the yarn is dyed with natural dyes. Eri silk in Meghalaya has always been cultivated domestically, and still is today. Each person I meet reminds me that Meghalaya was affectionately named ‘Scotland of the East’ by the British. Nutritional Manual for School MDM Programs, 6. In Umden, the ‘model village’ of eri silk production, weaving has become a thriving commercial business. North East Slow Food & Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS) began work on preservation of Eri-silk weaving in early 2014 with the visit of Carol Cassidy of Lao Textiles, who is an expert in the field of regeneration of weaving techniques in South East Asia. It is the combination of the traditional loom and the handspun yarn is what gives Eri fabric its distinctive aesthetic. It is cooling in the summer and warming in the winter. With the widespread conversion to Christianity many of the traditional celebrations died out, and with it the need for dancers, or indeed their stunning waistbands! 120 year old dancers waistband from the Khasi Bhoi communities, Eri silk, exquisite supplementary weft designs. NESFAS is currently working with weavers with the support of Craft Preservation experts to produce high quality silk products that will be showcased during the Indigenous Terra Madre 2015 (or as it locally known as – the International Mei-Ramew). Khneng embroidery alone would not be a viable livelihood activity at present. The colours they create depend on the season, the availability of these wild natural resources and even how old the plant is. Ultimately the worm is not harmed in production of the silk, but being a great source of protein, it is not wasted. The distinctive Eri silk fabric comes from the Ri-Bhoi district and Khneng embroidery, traditionally done on Eri silk, is an art form unique to Mustoh and the Shella region, Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya. powered by IMAP Systems Looking down on the flooding Bangladeshi plains while being pummelled with torrential rain (over several days) gave me real experience of the forces of nature that impact the lives of so many people. Knowing that they have a reputation of practicing black magic, they do not offer guests tea to avoid an awkward situation. The yarn is made by hand and dyed with natural, plant-based ingredients. Eri silk from Meghalaya is a tangible reflection of the rural communities it is produced in. We took it on her insistence but as Vianney, my assistant, rightly said: “the food was given with such love, straight from the heart, it can only be received with warmth and gratitude.”. The eri silk worm is mostly found in tribal areas of Assam. Amongst many other plants, they are now experimenting with hibiscus (china rose), ananto fruit, marigold flowers, guava leaves and teak leaves. The visit of NESFAS craft preservation consultants confirmed that there was an urgent need to initiate the program, and a proposal was drawn up for the implementation of the work. I have been undertaking an ethnographic documentation of the socio-cultural context of Eri silk production in the Ri Bhoi District, and a technical analysis of the weaving process, recording their skills as new technology is introduced to their current practices. Eri silk. Though Khneng embroidery is in danger of disappearing due to the lack of demand and the consequent lack of knowledge and skills transfer, Eri silk is more popular and is slowly coming into the mainstream thanks to the efforts of some local fashion designers from the North East, who have taken it upon themselves to contemporize the use of the fabric for a broader market. Thanks for your comment Sahar, it is great to receive such encouraging feedback! thanks for reading Sahar, and for leaving this comment - every writer's delight to have a reader like you. While Eri silk is best known for its production in Assam, it also has a long history with the people of Meghalaya. The main hub of Eri silk weaving in Meghalaya is the Ri Bhoi District, an area on the border of Assam, halfway between Guwahati and Shillong. Eri silk’s natural color is white to very light cream and always carries some difference between yarns. The only known village for Khneng embroidery, Mustoh village, is located near the Bangladesh border in Shella Bholaganj Block of East Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya, India. The cocoons cannot be reeled into raw filament yarn, but are spun like wool. Unlike other parts of India, where much of the spinning and weaving is in the hands of men, in Meghalaya it is the exclusivity of women and her family. However, the artisans expressed that cotton threads are more suitable to use on Eri fabric, both coarse and fine quality. After receiving a very encouraging response, the project has now developed to look into various aspects of quality control, training, supply chain, product design & branding. Khneng embroidery, traditionally done on eri silk, is an art form unique to Mustoh and the Shella region, Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya. The soft handle, the rustic and slubby texture of the yarn, the matt sheen of this unusual silk, the weight and drape of the cloth and the subtle shades of natural dyes drew me in and found a place in my mind. It has a long tradition and is part of the culture and heritage of the community. STORIES FROM THIS BLOG HAVE ALSO BEEN RECORDED ON YOU TUBE. These textiles were once used by traditional dancers as a waistband with long sashes. One family we visited in Umkon, (the Ri Bhoi District) did not offer us any tea at all, which is very unusual in Meghalaya. Traditionally, black wool is used on the checked Eri fabric because it balances the thickness of the fabric and the spaces of the checks. Showcasing the lesser known Eri silk of Meghalaya, that along with Khneng embroidery tells the stories of the communities that create these pieces. You can often see large bamboo trays of these worms being sold in the market, and in fact they can fetch as high a price as the silk cocoon itself. The tiger often appears in Khasi folklore and such stories are common even today. NESFAS aims to enhance local livelihood activities, thus the artisans need a proper platform to showcase and market to sell their products. ABD and Priority Food Plants for School MDM Programs, 7. Bold tribal textiles of Nagaland, Eri and Muga silk with figurative motifs of tribal Assam are well established on the textile map. Driven by the fraternity, TFOD is the single largest professional networking platform by TFOD Lifestyles Pvt. Though I cannot understand Khasi, watching her narrate the stories of her grandfather with such animation I could almost sense the tiger in her. The cocoon is spun of short fibres, making it impossible to reel the silk from the cocoon. The quality of the silk depends on the quality of the leaves the worm feeds on, the texture of the thread is dictated by the hand of the spinner, the natural dyes come from the wild produce of the land, and finally the weaver working with a floor loom made of local bamboo brings her own creativity to the design and construction of the cloth. Eri-culture and weaving are also important activities for generating supplementary income and providing a much needed opportunity for women to contribute further to the family, especially for the elderly and the young mothers who are not able to go out to the fields. It has been grown in 28 provinces of Thailand since 1974. and The heavy rainfall and humid atmosphere of the region suits the eri culture. The techniques that are used in the art of Khneng embroidery are needles and threads with basic running stitches and with attentive application of the mind, eyes, and hands. One particularly poignant moment for me was in Mustoh, a village in the hills bordering Bangladesh.

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