In the Dzongu valley in North Sikkim, Girardinia diversifolia, the giant Himalayan nettle grows prolifically, up to three metres tall – and in centuries past it provided the indigenous Lepcha people with warm, durable fabric to protect themselves against the cold mountain air.

The Dzongu Reserve is a steep area of hillside that rises up from the Teesta River. It was set aside by the Chogyal (king) of Sikkim in the 1950s for the Lepchas, to safeguard their culture from dilution by other tribes and faiths. For well over a thousand years the Lepchas inhabited and cultivated the wider Sikkim region, which also encompassed the districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, stretching from the Tibetan border right down to Siliguri on the Bengal plains, long before Buddhism arrived in the region, and before Nepal, Bhutan and the British colonial powers seized control of parts of the region. They worshipped and lived from nature, with deep expertise in bamboo craft, from buildings and weaponry, to musical instruments and even ceremonial hats.

Today, the brightly coloured patterns of their cotton ‘Lepcha weave’ fabric – influenced by Nordic Viking patterns brought by Finnish missionaries to north Sikkim in the late 1800s – is synonymous with the region. Yet the Lepcha’s own ancient tradition of weaving cloth from the fibres of nettles had faded away long ago. At least it had until 2021, when Dzongu’s community-based organisation Mutanchi Lom Aal Shezum (MLAS) teamed up with LA Echostream, a Gangtok-based design studio, and master weaver Ongit Lepcha, to restore the long-lost craft. A small workshop was opened in Lingdem village, on the reserve, with four shaft handlooms, and a variety of spinning machines, some centred on repurposed bicycle wheels.

The process is labour-intensive. The nettle stems are harvested, and split open to separate the woody outer layer from the inner fibres. The fibres are then boiled to soften them, and repeatedly washed, pounded and dried to loosen impurities. The material is then treated with white clay to whiten and further soften it, before being ‘carded’ (or combed) to separate the fibres, before being spun into a fine thread. The spinning process has recently switched from manual to mechanised, generating a softer, finer thread, as well as significantly increasing the rate of production. The team also produce threads that blend nettle fibres with wool and cotton.

In the Lingdem workshop the thread is loom-woven exclusively by women; weaving has traditionally been a role for Lepcha women, leaving the men to focus on bamboo craft. The resulting ‘Mutanchi’ nettleweave fabric is tailored into traditional Lepcha attire such as the dumvun, an elegant dress for women, shawls, bags and pouches. It is also sold by the length to boutique fashion designers.

Further information on the wide6r work of Mutanchi Lom Aal Shezum can be found at https://mlasngo.org/