Textiles from Bangladesh

The history of Bangladesh testify that urbanisation and civilisation in this region date back to 3^rd century B.C. and also reveals that its culture in the past came in contact with multifarious spectrum of many oriental and other occidental cultures and traditions. But despite various admixture, unification and diffusion of Bangladesh’s cultural identity are deeply rooted in the indigenous art and craftsmanship. Bangladesh has rich tradition of this art and craftsmanship in Terracotta, Pottery, Wood Carving, Ivory Work, Metal Work, Stone Carving and most importantly in Textiles. The artisans used to manufacture various materials of daily life in which cultural values, regional cultural tradition, technical knowledge and skills have been  achieved through generations.

In this Bangladesh Cultural Week in St. Gallen, we make a special focus on three distinct styles of Textiles, which range from traditional to modern day craftsmanship.

Textiles from Chittagong Hill Tracts

 The indigenous people of Bangladesh, residing largely in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, produce their clothes and dresses themselves. They use a special mountain cultivation known as “Joom” to produce cotton, from which they produce their own traditional textile using their own weaving technology. This is an ancient practice among the indigenous people in Bangladesh. Although in the past they produced textiles only for their own use, now-a-days this industry has spread its dimension, and textiles produced in Chittagong Hill Tracts are also being exported abroad.

Each of the 20 or more indigenous communities in Bangladesh has its own design and technique for textiles. The variation in colour, design and weaving makes each style different from others. Similar to the recent trend of “vegetable dye”, the threads used for the textiles are coloured with leaves, bark and roots of trees. 

The indigenous people produce all types of clothes – dresses, towels, bed sheets and bed covers – from this textile. There is also a very interesting cloth called “ALAM”. This is one large piece of textile, woven on one weaving machine by the same person and showing 150 different designs. Girls start using the weaving machines at a very early age, but only the best of them are able to produce the ALAM.

Nakshi Kantha: Folk textiles art exclusively from Bangladesh

From time immemorial the Bangladeshi women have the tradition of recycling wornout saris by converting them into usable and durable quilts, bags, bookcovers, mirrorcases and others. These nakshikanthas are made during their leisure times particularly during the rainy season or before the bitter winter invades the villages of the Ganges delta.

The motifs of the Nakshikanta depict often hindu festivals, folk festivals, marraige ceremonies, lotus, Lord Buddha´s footprint, different fishes, snakes, boats, flowers, elephants, umbrellas, Rathajatra (Procession of Chariots), Swastika ( symbolizing the early Indus valley civilization), trees, wheels as universal order, etc. The Muslim women especially concentrate on the geometrical motifs. Still in the remote villages of Bangladesh the expectant mothers own their last trimester of the pregnancy by making Nakshikantha for the new-born baby believing that wrapping the newborn baby by Nakshikantha heralds fortune to the family and protects the baby from inflicting disease.

Kanthas serve primarily as bed pallets and as light wraps. Small kanthas are used as swaddling clothes for babies. Depending on their size and use, kanthas range from lep kanthas (winter quilts) and sujni kanthas (spreads and coverlets) to one-foot square rumal (handkerchief) kanthas. Other kantha articles include the asan (a spread for sitting), the bastani or gatri (a wrapper for clothes and other valuables), the arshilata (a wrap for mirrors or toilet articles), the dastarkhan (a spread laid out on the floor for placing food items and plates for dining purposes), the gilaf (an envelope-shaped kantha to cover the quran), and the jainamaz (prayer rug).