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Women Empowerment - GI Pashmina Shawls

December 13th, 2022 | 159 views
Women Empowerment - GI Pashmina Shawls

While Pashmina shawls sell in all parts of the world, it is the GI Pashmina shawls of Kashmir that are the most sought after. What makes these exquisite pieces so powerful and cherished, we will come to know.

In the heart of Srinagar is the downtown area, and in the heart of the downtown area is a two-room house partially made of mud. Rubeena lives here with her two daughters, one 22 years old and the other one just 13. Her husband is a mason and keeps traveling all day for work at different places. Rubeena is one of the finest Cashmere yarn spinners in the downtown area. She has been associated with this art for two decades now. 

For Rubeena, it is just hand-spinning the finest wool in the world that brings her finances. She was taught by her mother to spin the wool when she was just 10. Later, when she got married, she purchased a spinning wheel (Yinder) to take it along. Thereafter, she continued to spin Cashmere to supplement her husband’s income, and together they managed a decent functioning of their household. 

There were hundreds of women like Rubeena, who managed everyday expenses with the help of spinning the Yinder. But with the introduction of machines, which spun Cashmere faster than the manual process, the women lost their livelihood and the independence to earn. Many opted for other jobs and those who could find alternatives lived a life of misery. Machines took away their sustenance, and this was even more severe for the families where the spinning wheel was the only source of income. 

Hand Spinning Cashmere wool

Raw cashmere fibre
Raw cashmere fibre

As soon as Cashmere wool comes from Ladakh, it is full of dirt and dust. It has been newly combed out of the undercoat of the goat producing it and hence is in the shape of lumps and chunks. Hence, the wool needs a thorough cleaning and spinning. Spinning has been done for centuries by the local womenfolk of Kashmir valley, who come from the most underprivileged sections of the community. The women are mostly widowed, divorced, or live an impoverished life. 

When Cashmere was discovered by Shah E Hamdan, a Persian traveler, it was processed to produce a pair of socks for the king. King Zain ul Abideen was highly impressed by the quality of the socks and hence started processing units for the newly discovered wool. To train the locals in the art of spinning, he invited Persian craftsmen who taught the locals a number of crafts, and among them was shawl making. This included spinners, weavers, and embroidery artisans.

Women Artisans

While men took up weaving and embroidery, women took spinning as their main responsibility in the making of Kashmiri shawls. This was because women could do their household chores along with spinning the fine wool. Weaving needed large rooms where handlooms could be placed, and embroidery needed much time. Hence it was spinning which seemed the most suitable job for them. They did the same as a side job, from the comforts of their home. 

In a city with scarce livelihood opportunities, spinning was the best source of income that women could have back in the 90s. Women earned extra money from this, even though all of it would be spent on the general finances of the house or children. Women would hardly spend on themselves, as a luxurious life had fat chances for this section of society. 

Process of Spinning Cashmere

Spinning fine Cashmere for Ladakh is easier said than done. The process takes years of practice and expertise to take place perfectly. Women artisans need to have patience, high skill, and the utmost passion for their work to make it happen. 

There are a number of by-processes in the process of spinning fine Ladakhi Cashmere. Let us have a look at that one by one:

Pre Spinning Processes

Before spinning the wool, there are a number of practices that need to be undertaken. These include the harvesting, sorting, combing, and gluing of the wool, freshly acquired from Ladakh.

Harvesting Cashmere from the Goat

changthangi goat being combed
Changthangi goat being gently combed

Cashmere wool is harvested from the Cashmere goat in the Spring season, which happens to be the moulting season for the goat. During this time the goat naturally sheds most of this wool, till late May from starting March. This process is carried out with the help of specialized combs, which gently pull the hair out, without hurting the animal. The hair thus collected, is full of outer coarse fibre, which needs to be dehaired. 

Manual Deharing/Sorting

Sorting the Cashmere means separating fine pure Cashmere threads from the coarser guard hair that it is mixed with. This process is carried out by the women, who do it manually. 

Combing/Cleaning the fibres

Raw Cashmere contains a large number of impurities with it. Vegetable wastes, dust, dirt, and other sorts of contaminations need to be separated from the fine wool. Combing of the hair is done by a sort of stabbing the wool into an upright comb. This way the chunks of the wool are straightened in the teeth of this comb by moving each tuft through it manually. This process is repeated 3 to 4 times till the desired cleanliness is achieved. 

Mixing with Rice 

The raw fibre is extremely delicate. To strengthen it as well as to add a natural shine to the fibres, it is placed in a container. The container is then filled with pounded/powdered rice and left for 2 or 3 days. This process is called gluing, and it helps provide extra strength and softness to the fibre. Now the fibre is again combed to get rid of the rice particles, and it looks perfect for the spinning process. 

Spinning Processes

The spinning of raw Cashmere means converting the untwisted strand of fibres into the required yarn count and making it perfect for more processing. The women of Kashmir spin Cashmere strands over a wooden spinning wheel called Yinder locally. The tufts of Cashmere are held between the thumb, index finger, and middle finger of the left hand. Simultaneously the right hand is used to spin the wheel in perfect harmony with the (upward and downward) actions of the left hand. This process is utmostly skillful and needs immense practice to perfect.

The yarn, hence produced, is wound around a grass straw which is locally called phumblet. This yarn is doubled on a hand reeler. This double yarn is again mounted over the charkha, to twist the double yarn. These are then made into hanks over a wooden reeler called yarandul, and finally sent to weavers. Weavers have their own few processes to carry out before weaving this yarn. 

The eminency of handspun Cashmere

It takes approximately a month to hand spin 110 grams of Cashmere yarn on a traditional wheel while working 7 hours a day with full efficiency. Hence spinning the wheel is not just a matter of skill and experience, but of love, patience, and passion for the work. Women, who hand spun Cashmere yarn in the days forgone, loved this work. Even during the household chores, they felt something was missing, and hence completed the chores as quickly as possible. They loved to be associated with this skill, and the spinning wheel was their best company with which they spent a good time. 

Spinning Pashmina was more or less a painstaking process. The spun yarn, being just 12 to 16 microns in diameter, was difficult to manage. The superfine yarn would be difficult to differentiate in the surroundings, and it took the powerful noticing power of the women themselves to spin this delicate thread, and then process it further to make it ready for weaving.

The Evils of Power Loom

fake cashmere
Fake vs real cashmere

In the 1990s, the power loom disrupted the normal life of the artisans who handcrafted Pashmina shawls. Power looms could weave shawls in just a few minutes, whereas artisans would weave them in a few days. Hence, a large audience of shawls moved to power loom shawls, which were not made from pure Cashmere. The purest Cashmere threads are delicate, and cannot bear the strain of a machine. Hence, pure Cashmere would be mixed with sheep wool, nylon, or silk threads to produce fake Pashmina shawls. This bastardized the true quality of Cashmere, and the entire art of Pashmina shawl making almost reached a dead end. 

The evils of the power loom spread to the entire chain of its makers. Be it, weavers, embroidery artisans, or spinners, every artisan associated was left with a deep shock. Everyone lost their jobs, and some switched to other employment alternatives. While men could be labourers or helpers in offices, it was the spinners - the womenfolk of the valley - whose incomes ceased entirely. The households became financially unstable, and this brought a bitter end to the hand-spinning of Cashmere. 

GI Pashmina Shawls and the Revival of Women Artisans

To preserve this heritage art from unfortunate extinction, the government of India (Under WTO) established a quality mark for genuine Pashmina. This is called the GI stamp and is found anywhere on an original Pashmina shawl. GI Pashmina shawls are handspun by women artisans, handwoven, and crafted from the purest and finest threads of Ladakhi Cashmere. 

What is GI?

GI indication mark
The GI indication mark

A geographical Indication (GI) is a sign or a stamp, used on several unique products. It corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin. The use of a Geographical Indication (GI Stamp), hence, acts as a certification that the product possesses certain rare features, which are not found elsewhere. It also certifies that the product is made according to traditional methods, and enjoys a certain reputation due to its geographical origin. 

For the Kashmiri Pashmina shawl, therefore, a GI mark means that it is made from the purest Cashmere which is 

  • Handspun by women artisans of the valley using the wooden spinning wheel
  • Handwoven over traditional handloom using age old techniques
  • The fibre of Cashmere used is just 12 to 16 microns in diameter. 

The stamp is patented and one can see 100% Genuine and Registered Pashmina on the mark when placing the shawl under UV light. The registration number on the stamp can be tracked online. 

GI Pashmina and Women Empowerment

cashmere Pashmina
Stories handwoven in the weaves of Rawaan tell us about the glory and reverence Pashmina shawls enjoyed in the past

With the reintroduction of pure, handmade Pashmina shawls, the spinning processes were revived. Hence, women, who had long quit the practice started doing it again. And it was the introduction of GI Pashmina shawls that assisted in women's empowerment once again after many decades. Women again retrieved their long-forgotten charkhas from where they had buried them. The processes started again, and households were again busy with the hustle and bustle of women spinning yarn. Finances started pouring in, and women started supporting their families once again.

The patrons of Pashmina shawls, who had long left every hope of owning a pure Kashmiri Pashmina shawl, were thrilled to know about GI Pashmina shawls. Instantly the sales picked and orders came from across the globe. The patrons who knew the value of a handmade Pashmina couldn't stop themselves but started a quest for the same. The new GI Pashmina shawls aren't just plain ones, but hand embroidered in every pattern the admirers look for. The shawls are super light, fine, and breathtakingly graceful.

Also read: TURNING THE WAYS FOR THE PLEDGE OF FINEST CASHMERE

Spinning GI Shawls Today

The scenario today is different. While women, besides enjoying the spinning of Pashmina shawls, earned enough in the past, the present isn't much favourable. Often women complain that the wages they got two decades back are still the same today, which fetches absolutely nothing. The wages aren't decent enough to save their own selves for a rainy day, let alone support their family. Hence taking care of these exceptionally skilled and experienced women falls upon us, the admirers of this heritage art. Abandoning the shawls which claim to be Pashmina, but aren’t even there at all, is the first step to be taken to support women artisans of the valley. Even Though, using the machine for spinning Pashmina strips any product of being the original art form, there are sellers selling them in the name of the original Pashmina. 

Checking for the GI tag, and asking the sellers for certification reports are some of the ways one can only invest in the original Pashmina. Purchasing GI Pashmina shawls is the best way to promote sustainable fashion. These shawls empower women artisans, and that is the main reason why we offer assortments of GI shawls separately. You can check these masterpieces here. 

Also read: 5 KASHMIRI SHAWLS TO PICK THIS WINTER

We, Pashmina.com, are the largest curators of pure and handcrafted Pashmina products in the online space. We are on a mission to revive this dying art by spreading our wings throughout the world by way of our online platform. Our website serves as a window to our range of products that are luxurious and have the highest quality. We offer the widest range, certified quality, luxurious packaging and free shipping to over 150 countries.

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