Bhutanese textiles represent a rich and complex repository of a unique art form. They are recognised for their abundunce of colour, sophistication and variation of patterns, and the intricate dyeing and weaving techniques. The weavers, who are mostly women, must not be seen merely as creator of wealth but also as the innovators and owners of artistic skills developed and nurtured over centuries of time.

History

The history of Bhutanese

Bhutanese

Bhutanese may refer to:* Something of, or related to Bhutan* The official national language of Bhutan, Dzongkha * A person from Bhutan, or of Bhutanese descent...

 textiles becomes more evident in the last century. As textile production moved beyond the confines of clothing to artistic expression of individuals and communities, patronage from the royal household was vital.
Athough the founders of the Wangchuk dynasty

House of Wangchuck

The House of Wangchuck has ruled Bhutan since it was reunified in 1907. Prior to reunification, the Wangchuck family had governed the district of Trongsa as descendants of Dungkar Choji. They eventually overpowered other regional lords and earned the favour of the British Empire...

 are from Bumthang

Bumthang

Bumthang may refer to:* Bumthang , officially Jakar* Bumthang District* Bumthang River* Bumthang Kingdom* Bumthang language* Bumthang Province* Bumthang Valley...

, their ancestral home is in Lhuentse district , which was historically recognised as the home of the most celebrated weavers in the country.
The role and influence of royal women in sustaining and furthering the weaving tradition must be acknowledged. Trongsa

Trongsa

Trongsa, previously Tongsa , is a town and capital of Trongsa District in central Bhutan. The name means "new village" in Dzongkha. The first temple was built in 1543 by the Drukpa Kagyu lama, Ngagi Wangchuk, who was the great-grandfather of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, the person who unified...

 penlop Jigme Namgyal built the Wangdichholing palace in 1857 the loom

Loom

A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...

 houses (thagchem) accommodating 30 to 40 weavers, were built around the same time near the palace and existed until the mid 1900s.

The sister of the second king, Ashi Wangmo, is credited to have introduced the horizontal loom from Tibet

Tibet

Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

 in the 1930s.
Her Majesty the Queen Ashi Sangay Choedon Wangchuck

Sangay Choden Wangchuck

Sangay Choden Wangchuck is one of the four wives and queens of Bhutanese king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who ruled in Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in 2006.The other three wives and queens, all Sangay Choden's sisters, are:...

 continuous to extend royal patronage to the textile industry.Her Majesty's interest and intervention have revitalised Bhutanese textiles, given the industry and impetus within the country and brought world attention to Bhutanese textiles.

Today Bhutanese textiles have reached new heights of dynamism and respect; they are valued not only for their economic viability, but also as a symbol of Bhutan's artistic heritage that commands world attention and appreciation .

Women weavers

Oridinary weavers produced fabrics for general use that were of standard quality. The farming wove only when they were free from agricultural work.It was the royal weavers, thama, in the royal loom houses who were the professionals. Some of the aristocratic and landed households also professional weavers.
The all-encompassing use of textiles took it beyond the realm of clothing to ther realms of rituals and symbolism, as a form of wealth and commodoties for trade and taxation. A well-established system of production, use and exchange linked the communities, extented the threads of interdependence, and wove the very fabric of Bhutanese society.

Plain weaves

Plain weave textiles are usually woven in patterns with stripes and plaids.

• Martha: Plaid weave usually with red or maroon as the dominte color.
• Sertha: Plaid weave usually with yellow or orange as the dominate color.
• Thara: Woven only for production of horizontal striped Kira with white as the dominate color.
• Kamtham Jardrima: Striped weave incorporating the colors of the rainbow.

Warp Pattern Weaves

Warp is the yarn that runs lengthwise on the loom. The warp pattern designs are characterized by their spplementry warp floating technique that forms bands of repeated motifs

Motif (textile arts)

In the textile arts, a motif is a smaller element in a much larger work. In knitting and crochet, motifs are made one at a time and joined together to create larger works such as afghan blankets or shawls. A good example of a motif is the granny square.Motifs can be any size, but usually all...

 on ground. The different warp pattern designs are differentiated with their color schemes.The number of legs or cross hatches in each supplementary warp pattern band is one indicator of the superiority of the textile. The textile is even more priced when the weaver includes weft pattern designs.

• Mentsi Martha: Alternate yellow warp bands with plain weave red ground.
• Lungserma: Alternate green red on yellow ground.
• Dromchuchem: Literally means 'with little boxes' pattern bands are woven in threes.
• Mentha: Narrow white warp bands on black ground. It is the one pattern which is worn solely by women.
• Weft: Yarn that is passed back and forth through each shed across the loom and is interwoven with the wrap.

Weft Pattern Weaves

Weft patterns are popularly referred to as Sapma continuous weft patterns and Tigma discontinuous weft patterns in Bhutan.
The continuous weft patterns are very similar to those featured in other textile throughout South and Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

. The weft yarn is inserted between intervals of the warp yarn to create continuous weft patterns.
The discontinuous weft patterns motifs resemble embroidery are indigenous to Bhutan. Colored pattern yarns are knotted individually to the weft yarns to create geometric motifs which are usually combination of multiple pattern motifs.

• Sapma: Continuous weft pattern designs.
• Tingma: Discontinuous weft pattern designs. Textile experts often mistake the supplementary weft pattern designs for embroidery
  Embroidery
  Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
  
   as they say it is impossible to weave the brocade patterning on a common back-strap loom.

The sapma and Tingma weft pattern designs are usually used as pattern designs for :

• Ngoshom: Kira with the dark ground usually blue or black.
• Kushuthara: Kira with a white ground.
• Shilochem: Woven both for Gho
  Gho
  The gho is the traditional and national dress for men in Bhutan. Introduced in the 17th century by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel to give the Bhutanese a more distinctive identity, it is a knee-length robe tied at the waist by a cloth belt known as the kera...
  
  and Kira, usually woven with alternate rows of wrap pattern bands.