The Tribal Art having Vibes of Desert - The Rabari Shawl

The Rabari shawl is a century-old tradition of handwoven Hand tied-dyed and hand embroidery named after the community that generally lived in the area of Gujarat and Rajasthan. This Rabari community is of Hindu Cattle breeders and shepherds spread over the western plains of India. Family activity such as embroidery, weaving, and tie-dye is the liveliness of the community. The work they do is extremely intricate.

 Rabari art has a variety of motives and stitches. Every community has its particular pattern and you can even identify the village they belong to. there is a story behind every pattern and cut of dress the colors, motifs, and style of embroidery on the garment are all related to the age of wearers, group affiliation, and marriage status. Rabari shawl decorated with mirror work embroidery and color bring liveliness to the wardrobe.

Creating a Rabari shawl

The weavers family Spun wool, mostly women or the community for who the shawl is ultimately made.

The traditional pit loom is used to weave the shawl. But, only one half of the shawl is created at once as the pit loom is only wide enough of it. Therefore, two-piece was woven then sewn together using the decorative fish stitch. 

The woven Clothes, then dyed by khatrics- the dyers.As per the preferred design the tie and dye process is carried out. Once the dying was completed the shawl was embellished with dense and elaborate bright colored embroidery.

Types

 A special Rabari shawl called Ludhi is wearied by bride. The color of this shawl is red and yellow dots with heavy embroidery boarder with mirror work.

The black shawl with yellow and orange dots embroidered and the legend for the shawl goes as there is a relationship of brother and sister between Rabari's head wife and the Muslim king. When the king died, she declared the mourning term for the tribe would continue until an offering of a feast was held at which 2000kg of salt would be used in the cooking. Since such a feast was beyond the preparation potential and the eating ability of the tribe, the end of the mourning period never came and this practice continues today also.

A shawl style of cloth called bokani, an embroidered decorative item placed on the shoulders of the Rabari groom.

Present condition

 The local desi wool is very thick and this is the reason the shawl services the harsh weather of desert. The shawl had the belief that the ritual for purity should be done by local people.

The vankers now use imported wool such as Merino from New Zealand, as well as cotton and silk for scarves, stoles, and shawls. The practice of natural tie and dye reduced and chemical dye replace the natural dye or the readily dyed yarns demand has increased. The shawl needs revival over the past few decades after its decline.

Nowadays, the traditional making of the Rabari shawl is not in practice as the processing time is lengthy and the cost is high. Though the textile collectors have marketed the shawl, originals are getting harder to get, while modernized versions are taking place instead of a traditional shawl.

SEWA an organisation providing rural women with greater work opportunities had work for the Rabari shawl and gradually,

the demand for the shawl is increasing not only in India but also in the international market. Hope will give a new life to this tribal art.

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