Craft Expo Final

THE MAGIC FIBER

CRAFT DOCUMENT ON NATURAL FIBER “NETTLE”

VIDHI SHARMA,PG’09, IICD CRAFT EXPOSURE: : NETTLE

CRAFT DOCUMENTATION ON “HIMALAYAN NETTLE”

Prepared By:- VIDHI SHARMA PG’09 IICD,JAIPUR Course Guide:- Shri. Shirsendu Ghosh PG Dean,IICD

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF CRAFTS AND DESIGN,JAIPUR


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am grateful to the following individuals and organisations for making me feel at home in the new place and for supporting me in making my craft exposure a wonderful learning experience:

Shri. Shirsendu Ghosh,PG Dean,IICD Uttarakhand bamboo and Fiber Development Board(UBFDB),DehradunAlaknanda Ghaati Shilpi Federation(AAGAAS), Pipalkoti, UttarakhandMr. S.T.S. Lepcha(CEO,UBFDB), Mr. Vimal Kumar Dhiman(Technical Coordinator,UBFDB)Mr. J.P. Maithani (Chairperson & Founder,AAGAAS federation)Mr. Jaswant Singh Negi, Mr. Nitin semwal, Mr. Darshan Singh Chauhan, Mr. Pradeep Kumar,Mr. Firtu RamAll the members of AAGAAS FEDERATIONMy family and friends who encouraged me to go through this craft exposure.


CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION1.1 About uttarakhand1.2 UBFDB and AAGAAS FEDERATION1.3 Nettle

2. NETTLE FIBER2.1 Harvesting2.2Fiber extraction process

3. FIELD SURVEY3.1 Weaving cluster:MANGROLI3.2 Mangroli and Tefna Villages3.3 Bhotia community

4. FPRODUCT STAGE4.1 Final products


INTRODUCTIONUTTARAKHAND Uttarakhand is a state located in the northern part of India. Known for its natural beauty, it was carved out of Himalayan and adjoining districts of Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000, becoming the 27th state of the Republic of India.[2] It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region on the north, Nepal on the east and the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the south, Haryana to the west and Himachal Pradesh to the north west.

The region is traditionally referred to as Uttarakhand in Hindu scriptures and old literature, a term which derives from Sanskrit uttara meaning north, and khand meaning country or part of a country. It has an area of 20,682 sq mi (53,566 km²).

There are 13 districts in Uttarakhand which are grouped into two divisions. Kumaon division and Garhwal divisionThe Kumaon division includes six districts.Almora,Bageshwar,Champawat,Nainital,Pithoragarh,Udham Singh Nagar

The Garhwal division includes seven districts.Dehradun,Haridwar,Tehri Garhwal,Uttarkashi.Chamoli,Pauri Garhwal (commonly known as Garhwal),Rudraprayag.


UTTARAKHAND BAMBOO AND FIBER DEVELOPMENT BOARD (UBFDB)

Understanding the tremendous potential of Bamboo and Natural Fibers in creating livelihood opportuni-ties, Uttarakhand Bamboo and Fiber Development Board (UBFDB) has been created on 7th July, 2003 under societies registration act 21 of 1860 by Uttarakhand Forest Department, Government of Uttarakhand.

The Board works towards resource generation for plantation and other activities; facilitate product inno-vation and design development through design centers and Common facility Centers, Capacity Building and information dissemination and market research along with marketing of products so that community members adopt these practices and gain from it.

UBFDB’s activities focuses on all round development of the two sectors and the integrated fields of employ-ment generation and ecological rebuilding.


ALAKHNANDA GHAATI SHILPI FEDERATION (AAGAAS FEDERATION)

ALAKHNANDA GHAATI SHILPI FEDERATION (AAGAAS FEDERATION) is a voluntary orgnisation working in the central hiamlayan region of India since 2004,this is registered orgnisation by state govt.under societies registration act.

The meaning of AAGAAS - is to call or announce , and by this they are associating the youth,women,marginalised basket weavers community,craft persons,marginalised farmers for sustainable development and green clean Hiamalya.

Their MAIN OBJCTIVE is to promote local resource based employment generation keeping in view the thought of biodiversity conservation and climate change related issues.

Their MAIN ACTIVITIES are -promotion of Ecotourism,Local craft,organic farming and emplyment gen-eration in the Hills of Uttarakhand.

HEADQUARTERS: Village and post-PipalkotiDistrict-Chamoli,Uttarakhand,IndiaPipalkoti/Dehradun 246472


NETTLE: Urtica dioica (common stinging nettle) GIRARDINIA DIVERSIFOLIA (Nettle)- The longest-staple fiber known in nature.- The Plant has been generally found in broad leaf forest.- The plant has simple, opposite, sharply toothed leaves (5-10cm long).

INTRODUCTION:Himalayan Nettle is a grass species, the plant is found in the upper reaches of Himalayas, the plant can attain a height of up to 12 to 18 feet in height.

Different pockets of Uttarakhand has traditionally used the plant fiber for making domestic products like ropes and other rope based products such as slippers used by, Locally the products like Chappel, Ghana, Natesh, Jotan. Over the years these raw material for these prod-ucts has been replaced by plastic. Nettle fiber was widely used for thousands of years as a source of fiber for bowstrings, fishing nets and lines, snares, and cordage.

Annual/Perennial growing to 3m. Nettle fiber is very similar to Nettle or flax and was used for fine textiles, sail cloth, and rope for centuries.The perennial stinging nettle was cultivated during the 19th century until the Second World War and has a long history as a fiber plant.


The hairs covering the stems and leaves are filled with fluid and break off when touched, leaving a sharp point like a small hypodermic needle that allows the fluid to enter the skin and cause blistering.

Nettle fiber has remarkable :--High tensile strength-Fineness,-Low specific weight and -Average length of 3m; This allows production of fine fabrics. Although the plants produce good fiber commercial extraction of fiber fine enough for high quality fiber has not yet been achieved. Various parts of the fiber nettle plant can be used as food, fodder and as raw material for different purposes in cosmetics, medicine, industry and biodynamic agriculture

PLANTATION & SEED Himalayan nettle has been observed to grow naturally around human habitats also, however the plant can also be see raised, the ideal time for seed based planting of Himalayan nettle is during the month of march. The ideal time for seed collection is between the months of September and October, during this period the seed of the plant ripens up and can be easily collected. The flowers are dioecious(Individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant, so both male and female plant need to be grown if seed is required. .


IDENTIFICATION OF HIMALAYAN NETTLE

Himalayan Nettle can be easily identified by observing the following 1. The plant has tender needles all over 2. The leaves of the plant have a human palm like shape with sharp edges.3. The shrub can attain a height of up to 8-12 feet in height

4. If touched by bare hand the needle of the plant gives an itching feeling, the stinging structure of the net tle is very similar to hypodermic needle. Each sting is actually a hollow hair stiffened by silica with a swollen base that contains the venom. The tip of the hair is very brittle and when brushed against, no matter how lightly, it breaks of exposing a sharp point that penetrates the skin and delivers a sting. Research shows that the sting is caused by chemicals such as histamine, acetylcholine, and 5 hydroxtryptamine5. The stem portion of the plant from which the fiber is extracted turns brown when the plant is ready for harvesting.


THE NETTLE FIBER

The stem portion of the plant yields the valuable fiber,which has been traditionally used by the ethnic com-munity for making rope based products. Traditionally the fiber was also used for weaving sacks for packing grains and for making sacks to load upon sheep for transportation purpose. After extracting the fiber portion from the stem the bark portion left has been used by the community as fuel wood. It has been reported from Nepal (Dharchulla) that cloth made out of nettle has been traditionally used by the rural communities as a band-age material, the bandage made out of nettle is said to heal up the wound faster, and also helps in setting of broken bones.


HARVESTING

Nettle is ready to harvest once every year and the best time is november to december.when harvesting net-tle for making cloth care shuold be taken not to harvest green plants,as it adversely affects the derived fiber strength and qualitythe stem portion turns brown when the plant is ready to be harvested.

HARVESTED NETTLE STALKS undergo following processes:-The harvested nettle’s outer bark is peeled of to extract inner fiber.The fiber is left to dry and is bundled and then stored in well ventilated room.


FIBER EXTRACTION PROCESS-Harvesting and peeling-Boiling the bark with ash-Beating & washing-Softening & bleaching-Washing,cleaning & drying-Separation of fibers-Spinning-Weaving

1.The bundled fiber is boiled with wood ash or caustic soda. Wood ash is believed to make boilin and washing easy,and to make fiber soft, to some extent.2.After boiling the fibers are washed in running water,usually in a stream.and at the same time ist is beaten with a wodden hammer.3.After beating the fibers are bleached using a solution of white clay,maize flour and rice chaff.then the fiber is washed cleaned and dried.This is done to make fibers soft,white and lustrous.the fibers are separated before spinning and sent for weaving.this fiiber can be dyed using natural dyes.


BEATING PROCESS

BOILING OF NETTLE FIBER


The stages of development of fiber to product form include:1.Raw fiber stage2.Degummed fiber stage3.Yarn stage4.Weaving stage5.Product stage

Raw fiber degummed fiber yarned fiber

weaved fiber


FIELD VISIT

OBJECTIVE: The field visit was aimed to study and understand various stages involved in the processing of the nettle fiber.

For field study, I visited mangroli and tefna villages,near Nandprayag, Uttarakhand. The whole research was based on observation, short films and photographs.

The Bhotia community women are major participants in the fiber extraction and weaving activity. Master Weaver (Mr. Firtu Ram) trains local people the new weaving techniques.Here the dried fiber is cut into similar length and carded on carding machine. Carded fiber is sent for spin-ning. Spinning is done on Bageshwari charkha.Later, the weaving activity is done by Bhotia women on traditional frame looms. After this the weaved fabric is ready to use for productdevelopment.

A bhotia woman spinning fiber on bageshwari charkha


weaving process at Tefna


PRODUCT STAGE

ropes made out of fiber chappal from ropes and pleated fiber

crochet knitting nettle intelacing with ringaal(bamboo)


FINAL PRODUCTS

NETTLE SLIPPERS

VIDHI SHARMA,PG’09, IICD CRAFT EXPOSURE: : NETTLE VIDHI SHARMA,PG’09, IICD CRAFT EXPOSURE: : NETTLE

Craft Expo Final

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