CRAFT TECHNIQUE: Metal Work + Kutch Embroidery
THE LOHAR: In earlier times, before the division of India and Pakistan, the Lohar community (copper Bell Makers), brought their craft from Sindh (now Pakistan) to the region of Kutch (Gujarat, India). They used to sell their items to the local pastoral communities - the herdsman described the sound their cattle would recognize and the Bell Makers set that tone out on their copper; the bells are customized with different sounds, or notes, to differentiate different cattles' owners.
A SUSTAINABLE CRAFT: the main metal used is mainly tin and iron waste; the natural resources are mud, wood of Prosophis Julifera and water; and the only use of energy is in the furnace for preparing them. Unlike other crafts, the copper Bells Work still sustains a local economy, once these items are still used by communities in the region.
KUTCH EMBROIDERY: the Kutch region is renowned for its fine folk, colourful and mirrored embroideries. Traditionally stitched by village women, for themselves and their families, to create festivity, honor deities, or generate wealth, this craft has passed on for generations from mother to daughter.
MANO ETNA TRAVEL STORY
