THE EXQUISITE CRAFTS AND TEXTILE CULTURE OF SINDH

complied by Rida Mahar, Nabeel Ahmed, Yusra Asad and Ramsha Aftab

Introduction

Sindh is the province of Pakistan that shares a rich textile history, which is an essential part of our cultural identity. However, it can be traced back to 712 AD when Arabs started trade in this region that resulted in forces being settled here. This eventually led to the development of Islamic influence on the arts and crafts for e.g. geometric Islamic patterns, tiles, Ajrak etc.

Moreover, due to the prime location of Sindh near the banks of river Indus, people were able to cultivate cotton and natural dyes that led to the development of exquisite textiles and traditional ways of decorating Apparel and clothing, which has gained attention worldwide.

Sindh is divided in to three parts:

A. Upper — ‘ SIRO’

B. Middle — ‘ VICHOLO’

C. Lower — ‘ LAR’

It shares borders with Kutch on the east side where as Baluchistan on the west. This enabled immense cross-cultural sharing which resulted in many variations in techniques, designs, colors and stitches in terms of the textile and craft culture.

Figure 1.1: Map of Pakistan

Sindh is historically known for various forms of crafts, which are extremely ethnic and true to the culture and surroundings. Thatta, Hyderabad, Nehruot, Nasurpur, Sukkur , Sehwan are the major craft Hubs with each one of them having a distinct and versatile craft which is created with immense hard work and dedication of the artisans.

The central part of the province is best at weaving, printing and dyeing. The Balochi mountain dwellers have also brought their finely embroidered patterns here, the geometric stitches and mirrors (shisha)

The northern plains are known for their gold thread embroideries dhagay Jo Barth (thread embroidery). The pakko and kacho/soof embroideries from the Tharparker desert.

The eastern part covers bold stylized motifs, birds, peacocks, dunes, all drawn from nature. Whatever is part of their surrounding is seen in their embroidery as motifs. Moreover, Thatta is the main hub of textile traditions, weaving, printing, embroidery, quilting etc.

Since the crafts ‘Ghaaro’, ‘jhalposh’, ‘Gujj’, ‘Shawl’ all are from the dessert of Thar. It is essential to know more details about this area because it shares a dense and diverse range of crafts which are a major part of Sindhi's culture.

Tharparker- The Sand Kingdom

Tharparker is a rambling deserted place that lies in lower Sindh stretches over Kutch and Gujarat areas of India. It is one of the least developed areas of Pakistan which is currently under serious water scarcity. With about 83 people per square kilometre, Thar is known to be one of the largest deserts in the world. It Is a Culturally rich area that shares exquisite traditional history which lies in the strong roots of community and socialism. Till date it continues to produce spectacular folk embroideries and textiles that have contributed greatly to the craft cultural of Sindh.

Figure 1.2: Map of Sindh

Climate

Similar to climates of other deserts, the nights are cooler and the days are hot. There is little or no rain in this area which is why lakes have dried resulting in a drought. Moreover, the scorching heat has also contributed to the serious water scarcity in the area. December and January are the coolest months whereas June and July are the hottest months.

Culture

The culture of Thar is a fusion of Gujrati, Sindhi and Rajasthani culture. Tightly knit communal groups of Nomadic farmers and artisans are majority of the inhabitants predominantly belonging to Muslim and Hindu religions. However, the inhabitants that reside in Pakistan are mostly Kolhi and Sindhi.

It also has an elaborate culture of festivities, rituals, folk dances, folk music, wild organic food which is aromatic and colorful. Despite changes in time, People of Thar continue to make houses with straws and mud this is because they strongly believe in staying rooted to their tradition, culture and surroundings. Other than Sindhi, Dhatki and parker are the languages mainly used by people of Thar.

Clothing

The way women of Thar dress up is fine evidence to the fact that these people are proud of their culture and ethnicity. The apparels are elaborately ornamented which have vibrant hues of colors such as green, orange, red and yellow. The lower garment is Called “Gharara” which is a long skirt where as the upper garment is called ‘Guj’ which is usually backless. They cover their faces with dupattas in order to cover themselves from sunlight. Along with this they wear heavy metal jewelry and white bangles.

The woven Shawl- Katho

Figure 1.3: Katho

Since Tharparker is a Cold desert, they weave a lot of woolen shawls to keep themselves warm. This is a shawl called Katho which is mainly worn by men. The warp is made up of kora cotton where as the weft is sheep wool gained from their animals since they are nomadic people. There are many qualities of wool in Sindh, black, brown and white. For this article the white wool is treated with locally produced vegetables dyes to create the intensely vibrant geometric pattern. It’s a masterpieces evidence of the finest craftsmanship of the people of Thar.

Figure 1.4: Illustration of how a Katho can be worn in a modern style

The coverlet — Jhalposh

Figure 1.5: Jhalposh

This piece is a coverlet/Jhalposh from Mithi, Tharparker. It is 26.5 by 21.3 in size. The purpose of a Jhalposh is to cover food items and trays. The reason why they are ornamented with mirror work and embroidery is because they are mainly gifted to daughters for dowry at their weddings. Moreover, the mirror work Shisha (mirror) is an indicator that people living in the desert have very strong beliefs that mirrors are used for protection as they reflect the evil eye away. In this case it can be said that the mirrors are used to reflect the evil eye from the food (Rizq).

Figure 1.6: Illustration of how a Jhalposh is used to cover food on trays (Thals)

Women’s Apparel- Guj

Figure 1.7: Guj

It’s a Guj (shirt) from the Thar Desert. Guj is an essential part of the apparel of Thari women. This particular Guj is for a special occasion like wedding because it is ornamented with embroidery on the horizontal bands is called mukko (Thick embroidery) and topped with zari (Silver thread embroidery)thread and sequins. The red color if further evidence that it is a wedding Guj because this color is symbolic of fertility and sexual energy. It is made with joined pieces of cloth which is evidence that desert people have sustainable textile practices. The circular motifs on the chest area are symbolic of solar symbols that reflect evil eye from bust of the women.

Figure 1.8: Illustration of contour details of stitches in Guj

The Animal Ornamentation- Ghaani

Figure 1.9: Ghaani

The Animal strapping also known as ‘Ghaani’ in Sindhi is a type of ornamentation done on animals. This article is a type of Ghaani which is handmade with the craft of Rilli. Rilli is a craft that requires a lot of effort, and the people of Thar did it out of love and respect for their animals. The concept of labor of love fits right in this scenario where one diligently works on a piece that is used as an expression of affection towards something that is dear to them.This is an antique strap which is used around the neck of the camel and used for controlling it. It is 4 inches wide and 45 inches long. Both the ends of the strap are secured with pure leather pieces which serve the purpose of having grip while controlling the animal.

Figure 1.10: The pure leather ends at both sides of Ghaani

Figure 1.11: Illustration of how a Ghaani is used to control the animal.

Techniques

These crafts are a combination of various crafting techniques each one is distinctly labor intensive and delicate. Weaving, Patchwork and Embroideries are the three main techniques which are used in the articles discussed here.

Figure 1.12: close up of the weaves and colors of Katho

Figure 1.13: Illustration of how a Katho is woven on loom

The shawl is hand woven which is produced on narrow width hand looms Woven in two feet width, two panels in length measuring nine feet each which are then sewn together to create a single piece.

Moreover, the Jhalposh is embroidered on is cotton khaddar. The embroideries done on it are in bright colors like maroon, pink, orange, purple, and blue, black.The motifs are peacocks, sand dunes and flowers done in surface darning stitch (soof/kacho), stem, buttonhole and Romanian stitch.

Color palettes

The color schemes used in each of the craft pieces are very versatile, starting from the Katho shawl and the Jhalposh; both have a similar color palette with cream/white backgrounds with colorful motifs and embroidery. The Katho shawl is in traditional shades of reds, black, orange, and rust which is achieved with natural dyes whereas the Jhalposh has typical Thari colors like pink, orange, red, black etc. Moreover, the Ghaani has a primary color palette with shades of blue, yellow and red which are similarly naturally dyed because the hues are not which can be achieved in chemical dying. On the other hand, the Guj is in silver color with red and orange detailing and the base is in a bright red color. The red color is a symbol of fertility due to which we can say that the Guj can be of a bride. Overall, the Guj is very bright colored and has shiny silver details which help to reflect evil eye of the bride and become a status symbol because of heavy ornamentation.

Stitches

Figure 1.14: Close up of the stitches used in the Jhalposh

Buttonhole stitch

Figure 1.15

Stem Stitch

Figure 1.16

Surface satin stitch/Soof

Figure 1.17

Figure 1.18: Triangular shapes made with surface satin stitch

Figure 1.19: Illustration of Peacock motif

There are borders on three sides of the coverlet with peacocks, sand dunes and flowers and the center has flowers in straight repeat.

The threads used for embroidery are silk floss, base is cotton khaddar and mirrors shisha (mirror) are used. In local Thari terminology, surface satin stitch that is done on this coverlet is called soof (embroidery)

All of this indicates that it is from the desert area, the bright colored embroidery, the motifs used, which have clearly been taken from their surroundings, like the peacock and sand dunes.

Similar to this Jhalposh is the technique of Guj shirt. It is also embroidered however it with different materials such as Zari ( Metal Wire) along with threads. Zari work is also called Kamdani. The type of embroidery done here is called Mukko embroidery. It is also embellished with sequins in the Daman (lower end of the shirt). The stitches used here are Cross, chevron, couching, running, chain, satin stitches.

Figure 1.20: Details of stitches in Guj

Figure 1.21: Couching and beads in a cross form

Figure 1.22: How the flat sequence beads are stitched

Figure 1.24: Couching stitch

Figure 1.25: Herringbone stitch

Figure 1.27: This motifs a solar symbol which is used to reflect evil eye

Figure 1.28:The silver and golden circular motifs are done with Zari thread

Unlike the other articles the Ghaani is made using the Applique Rilli technique which is also known as TUK (Tuk Jo Kaam- work of Tuk). The triangular pieces are torn, folded and then hand stitched on the fabric using the Running stitch which is done using the pure cotton thread which is white in color. These triangular patches are also known as Samosa or Kingri. The only stitch which is used here is running stitch.

Figure 1.29: Details of Running Stitch and Tuk technique in Ghaani

Figure 1.30: Running Stitch

Figure 1.31: Triangular pieces for Applique

The triangular pieces are example of how the cloth is cut in geometric shapes which are then folded and stitched on the fabric in the Tuk technique.The cloth used is mostly recycled from old pieces and rags.

Moreover,The piece comprises of three layers on each side

Figure 1.32: Illustration of details of Tuk work which is done in three layers

Figure 1.34: Layer 1: Red strip of cloth with Tukri on top and bottom

Figure 1.35: Layer 2: strip of blue cloth with Tukri overlapped on the red one

Figure 1.36: Layer 3: both the previously added layers are topped with res strip of cloth

Conclusion:

The people of Thar and the interior of Sindh are known for their honesty, hard work and hospitality. They are also very creative, especially when it comes to arts and crafts, poetry, puppets, embroidery, carpets, block printing, painting, mirror work on clothes, Meenakari, kundan etc. They are highly skilled and known for these beautiful, vibrant hued crafts. They are people who love decorating and celebrating everything small to big, so they have a lot of festivals, where they have cultural music and dances. They not only celebrate religious festivals but also the change in seasons. All of this can be seen in their lifestyle too, from decorated homes to highly decorated, handmade wedding gifts, their bedding, food coverings, clothes all reflect their love for their culture, arts and craft.

Bibliography:

Askari, N., & Crill, R. (1997). Colours of the Indus: Costume and textiles of Pakistan. London: Merrell Holberton in association with the Victoria and Albert museum.

Abbasi, Hina “Contemporary cutwork and appliqué in Sindh” — Dissertation (Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture)

“Crafts Map.” Vceela. Accessed November 5, 2020. https://www.vceela.com/crafts-map.

Interview conducted with an artisan from Thar.

khurho,Pareha “Effects on Rilli patterns of Larkana” — Dissertation (Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture) 2010

Rajar, Sabiha. “FUTURE TRADITIONS — Sustaining Textile Crafts by Mixing Tradition and Technology .” MA textile design, Chelsea Collage of Art and Design , 2011.

“Tharparkar — The Heart of Thar Desert.” History Pakistan, September 12, 2020. https://historypak.com/tharparkar-the-heart-of-thar-desert/.