Puppets in Karbi attire during the Karbi Anglong Festival in Diphu. File picture

Sept. 18: When tradition meets technology, a revolution is invariably born.

Known to be dextrous weavers, the Karbis are using modern technology to fashion traditional attire with a global appeal. The Karbi Anglong administration recently trained around 300 of the best weavers in these parts to facilitate the transition to fly-shuttle looms and designs in tune with fashion trends.

Production of traditional garments will henceforth not be limited to only clothes for daily use. Karbi weavers are beeing advised and encouraged to expand their horizons with largescale production, experimentation with designs and outstation marketing.

An official said weavers were being trained to select yarn, play with colours and make the best use of natural dyes. “Fly-shuttle looms will replace all old weaving contraptions to ensure better quality and increase production,” he added.

Four traditional garments of the Karbis — the choi hangthor (jacket), poho (turban donned by community members with a certain status), the jarong (bag) and peum (shawl) — are already in demand in the international market.

Jitemai Beypi, the first Karbi woman entrepreneur, is credited with putting Karbi garments on the national map but JB Enterprise, her showroom in the heart of Diphu town, shut down last year because of shortage of funds. JB Enterprise had been in business since 1980 and its products were known to fly off the shelves across the country.

Beypi’s Karbi shawls bagged an award for the best item exhibited at a national fair organised by the ministry of textiles in Kashmir in 1986.

“Our tribe used to weave garments in four basic colours — white, blue, red and black. Leaves of sibu were extracted to get the blue colour while the root of the tamsiri and the bark of la would give black and red dyes. But imported coloured yarn has replaced the traditional dyes and a parallel market for Karbi attire has grown outside Karbi Anglong. If the administration comes forward to assist our weavers, we are hopeful of a renaissance ,” Beypi said.

Apart from a monthly stipend of Rs 800, each of the 300 weavers chosen for the workshop were provided raw materials worth Rs 3,000 along with a fly-shuttle loom at the end of training.