Handwoven Cloth Made Into Purses

A colorful, pastel-toned cotton and metallic thread  little purse or wallet, made of Hungma’s patterned cloth on her floor loom at home. She weaves in the bright sunlight there.  Note how far her small creations here are from the standardized textiles the forced migrants once wove in the craft workhouses in the refugee camps in Nepal. The colors Hungma uses here were her choices; the motifs were variations on the traditional ones. Hungma is directing this cloth object toward American buying publics in a most creative way. She maintains high standards of weaving and design excellence.

Older Nepali-speaking Bhutanese women in Worcester often wear cheerful colors and bright jewelry; these lavish costumes broadcast their specific ethnic identity. Younger women mix this style with simpler sarongs or Western-style fashion. Ceremonies, however, call for the ethnic garb and jewelry. All of this ‘brightness’ comes despite the extreme suffering many Nepali-speaking Bhutanese older artisans have experienced along their refugee journey.

Hungma prefers thick cotton threads, making for a relatively heavy cloth. She is pleased to be able to choose her own threads thanks to RAW.