Women and Weaving in Ladakh: Missionary Interventions and the Making of a Craft Tradition

Weaving is practiced throughout Ladakh; men in settled communities work on foot looms and nomadic pastoralists on fixed-heddle looms. Nomadic women use backstrap looms. Amongst the nomads weaving is mandatory, especially for women; in contrast there are prohibitions on women working on foot looms. Furthermore, the act of weaving is sacrosanct and has associations with life; these representations of the craft have implications on its continuity. Moravian missionaries, a Protestant denomination from Central Europe, came to Ladakh towards the end of the 19th century. Apart from proselytising, they also attached importance to the spiritual value of productive work and economic selfsufficiency; many of the missionaries were craftsmen. Consequently, much of the work they did here concentrated on building livelihood schemes, some centred around handicrafts, especially textiles, focusing on weaving, knitting and sewing. This essay looks at weaving traditions in Ladakh, exploring their symbolic representations and interpretations in Ladakhi life. The intervention of the Moravian missionaries and their work in this area, which has had far-reaching impact on the textile crafts of Ladakh, continue to be felt today.