Traditional Use of Animal and Plant Fiber
Description
When we went to pasture chiragah, we picked wool from the sheep for carpets (pulos) and cleaned it. We also made coats and beddings of sheep wool and wore them because we did not have other clothes at that time when we all wore sandals. We even wore sandals for our weddings, which is a very old habit. None of these things [our resources] should be spoiled.
However, nowadays, nobody even looks at it if we collect wool from sheep, cows or goats. All my children are wealthier than me although they never collected wool from our animals since I have stopped working.
We also used to make hats out of wool for our husbands and we did them as finely as we could as we knew that our husbands would wear them well. Also, our grandfathers used to make coats and hats for us. But who teaches you to do such things now? Today coats, shoes and hats, all come from [Pakistan's] lowlands. At the old times we also used fibre's from trees, and cleaned it properly with very thin sticks.
I don't think anyone will make [such traditional items] at home these days. Myself, I still clean wool, make carpets and other things, but as far as I know I am the only one [in Shimshal] to continue doing this. People scold me that I should stop these activities. But I say no, leave me alone, I have to do this work. This is how it is.
not here
2.1.7.3
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