Dyes & Detergents: Traditional Himalayan Technology

Lalit Tiwari

The Central Himalayan region is one of the richest regions for studying the indigenous technologies. This region has its own traditional medicine system with more than a thousand medicinal plants and many traditional therapies for quite a few incurable diseases. These Central Himalayan hills have  many other traditional technologies like earthquake-proof architecture, watermills, mining and metallurgical activities. One of the most important traditional techniques is wool and clothes dyeing and washing, which many tribes and old people of the Central Himalayan region practice. They use plants and plant products for dyeing and washing of their clothes and wool. These techniques are very ancient and the tradition is preserved only orally.

Basically these techniques are eco-friendly and beneficial for society. But with modernization, these techniques are vanishing rapidly. Now a days people use chemical products, which are very harmful both to humans and also environment. 

• Traditional Dyeing Techniques:

In Central Himalayan region various ethnic communities make a range of woollen garments and materials, besides processing and colouring of wool and clothe.

 Originally the indigenous knowledge of making natural dyes from native plant species had developed in the high altitude regions of Kumaun over a long period of time. This practice of using natural dyes for colouring wool was very common in the high altitude districts of Pithoragarh in Kumaun and Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts of Garhwal. They had perfected their knowledge to such a level that they could get most of the   bright shades of colours required in their woollen products.

 Before the 1962-China War, there was trans-border trade between India and the former Tibet, and the import of wool for the woollens-based traditional cottage industry was the major source of income for the Bhotiya tribe of Central Himalayas.

 Plant and plant products used in dyeing:

Generally the plant pigments have been used for dyeing textiles, wool and fibres. The pigment may be derived from the root, bark, flower, stem, leaf, fruit, etc of the plant.

C. P. Kala describes eight plants of the Himalayan region, which are used in traditional practice of dyeing by the Bhotiya tribe. These are:

 Table 1. Himalayan* plants used for dyeing.

*Source:  C.P.Kala (2002), Current Science, 83(7): 815.

 By mixing these base colour dyes into different combinations, a number of intermediate colours and shades are produced, for example: Juglans regia and Rheum australe are mixed together to produce a red colour.

 Process of Dyeing:

Kala describes the wool dyeing methods of the Bhotiyas of the Himalayan region in his article. According to him, raw wool has basically two colours, black and white. Only white coloured wool is used for dyeing purpose to give different shades of colours. The wool is first washed with the help of Reetha (Sapindus mukorosii) seeds and dried in the sun.

 The dyeing material like root, fruit shell, seeds, etc are washed thoroughly with tap water and then sun dried. The dried plant material is powdered and mixed with water to prepare solution. The solution is heated in a vessel until it begins to boil. The wool or clothees are then immersed in the solution for dyeing. The wool and clothees are stirred thoroughly for a long time to ensure thorough and uniform soaking. Sometimes a bit of ash is also poured in the prepared solution for better colouring. After the dyeing is complete, the wool or clothees are taken out from the boiling cauldron and dried under the shade. Direct sunlight for drying is avoided for retaining brightness of the colours.  

 The main source of wool is sheep. The sheep of high altitude areas are white, and therefore produce more white wool. But the black wool is in greater demand. The Bhotiyas of the Himalayan region generally weave more then 10 woollen items such as Gudma, Thulma, Pankhi, Pattu, sweater, cap, muffler, scarf, carpet, Ashan and Pakhi. Among these only four items, i.e. carpet, Ashan, sweater and Pakhi are generally dyed. The Bhotiya women weave these woollen items in winter season. The prepared items are then sold in regional markets or nearby areas. People also go to remote villages for selling the woollen material.   

 Other plants used for dyeing  clothes and painting:

 Joshi and Pande describe many other natural colours, which are traditionally used for dyeing clothes and also for making paintings in Central Himalayan region. Some important colours are:

 Table 2. Other plants* used for dyeing clothe and for making paintings (After Joshi and Pande 1999).

*Source:  Joshi & Pande (1999), Ethnobotany of Kumaon Himalaya. Pp.439-449.

 These traditional natural colours are totally harmless and eco-friendly in comparison to the modern chemical based colours. But now for the past 25 years, the Himalayan people have been using the synthetic dyes purchased from the market. The main reason for purchasing synthetic dyes is that these are available in many colours but traditional natural colours have a limited choice. Kala compares the synthetic and natural dyes.

 Table 3. Comparison of natural and chemical dyes* (after Kala 2002)

*Source:  C.P.Kala (2002), Current Science, 83(7): 817.

• Traditional Washing Techniques:

Besides the dyeing methods, the Himalayan people also use traditional methods for washing their clothe. Pande and Pokhariya describe some plants and plant products, which are used by the Himalayan people in washing clothes:

Table 4. Plant detergents* (After Pokharia and Pande 1999)

*Source:  Pande & Pokhariya (1999), Ethnobotany of Kumaon Himalaya. P.485.

 Process of Washing:

For washing clothees,  parts of the plant are ground and mixed with water. The clothees are immersed in it and left for one to two hours. These are then beaten with a wooden hammer and washed in clean water. In the case of plant-ash, it is first mixed in water used for boiling the clothees for about one or two hours. After that, the same process is continued with clean water. Like the traditional dyeing method this technique is also eco-friendly and safe for humans.

 Conclusion:

The woollen cottage industry is the backbone of the Himalayan people and one of the most remarkable features of this industry is the use of natural dyes, which are eco-friendly, have long life and never lose colour in comparison to the evanescent synthetic dyes. But after modernization of society the synthetic colours, which are harmful and pollute the environment, are replacing the traditional colours. It is our duty to preserve these traditional techniques and we hope that the Uttaranchal Government would also take some action for preserving these techniques.

 Further Readings:

Kala, C. P. 2002. Indigenous knowledge of Bhotiya tribal community on wool dyeing and its present status in the Garhwal Himalaya, India. Current Science, 83(7): 814-817.

 Manandhar, N. P. 2001. Traditional use of plants for bathing and washing clothees in Nepal. Honey Bee, 11(4), 12(1): 32.

 Joshi, S. C. & P. C. Pande. 1999. Kumaoni kala evem sanskriti mein prakartic rang (in Hindi). In: Ethnobotany of Kumaon Himalayas (Eds) P. C. Pande, D. S. Pokhariya and

J. S. Bhatt. Jodhpur: Scientific Publishers. Pp: 439-449.

 P. C. Pande & D. S. Pokhariya. 1999. Kumaon Himalaya ki paramparic prodhyogika-paddhati: ek vihamgavalokan (in Hindi). In: Ethnobotany of Kumaon Himalayas (Eds) P. C. Pande, D. S. Pokhariya and J. S. Bahtt. Jodhpur: Scientific Publishers. Pp: 471-493.