FIWNA Successfully Conducts 6th Virtual Interaction on Gurung Women's Wool Weaving Skills and Cultural Significance

The organization held its sixth virtual session focused on traditional wool-making practices among Gurung women. The discussion traced the complete process "from sheep rearing to thread preparation and the crafting of final woolen products," emphasizing their significance within Tamu culture.

Speaker

Anita Gurung – Indigenous activist, journalist, and researcher specializing in Indigenous women's issues.

Key Discussion Points

Gurung highlighted the cultural and economic importance of traditional wool production, including items like radi and pakhi. She expressed concerns about the practice's decline, attributing it to globalization and climate change, which have reduced sheep populations and threaten this heritage skill with extinction.

The session underscored how the loss of these traditional crafts represents not only an economic challenge for Gurung women but a profound erosion of cultural identity and community cohesion.