Bhujodi Weaving
‘Bhujodi’ weaving is a craft that takes its name from ‘Bhujodi’, a small village in ‘Kutch’ where this craft is practiced. This village of weavers is famous for its exquisitely woven traditional textiles of ‘Kutchi’ shawls, traditional blankets and stoles.
Bhujodi weaving is a craft practiced by almost 200 weavers of the village. The nomadic tribes that were on the move needed warm clothing to bear the harsh winters. Traditionally, weavers would use hand spun yarn provided by the ‘Rabaris’, a nomadic community of sheep and goat herders. Among them ‘Meghwals’ and ‘Marwadas’ developed a unique style of weaving, that provided the Kutchi community with blankets, cloth and traditional dress fabric. They came to be known as the ‘Vankars‘ or the weaver community. The ‘Vankars’ slowly developed designs that suited the requirements of the ‘Rabari’ community, and so the designs became characteristic of this clan. This helped in distinguishing the work of communities separately, even though they worked interdependently as the craft grew.
Bhujodi weaving is a craft that requires high levels of concentration and expertise. It is a physically strenuous craft that requires the craftsman to hunch over his loom for days together. This causes health concerns like sore arms, poor eyesight and stomach problems. This is a big cause of worry for the weavers.
The craft is time consuming as it takes more than a fortnight of hand weaving at a stretch, all the warp put around the drum at once. The weaver has to handpick the warp and weft from memory and any error will mean starting the entire process all over again.