Nepalese Textiles

Susi Dunsmore has travelled into the farthest reaches of Nepal in search of its rich and varied textiles. In the lowland valleys and the Himalayan middle mountains she has recorded traditional techniques, photographed weavers at work, and collected outstanding examples of their craft. Until the 1950s the kingdom of Nepal had little contact with the outside world. As a result, techniques continued in use for over a thousand years and the cloth retained a distinctly Nepalese character. The author has examined manuscripts and stone carvings for the earliest evidence of textiles, and shows, for example, that nettle cloth still made today is praised for its beauty and fineness in the ancient epic of Ramayana. The author illustrates looms and spindles of all types, describes the subtle natural dyes, and surveys the raw materials used. While some of the techniques she has recorded may vanish with fresh influences upon Nepal, new traditions are already developing and she shows the impact which a wider range of colours and yarns, including silk and fibres of the Himalayan Giant Nettle, has made among some weavers as recently as 1993. With 100 colour and 80 black-and-white illustrations.