18/09/2026
๐
๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ค: ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐, ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ค ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐๐
From 30th August to 10th September 2026, the herding communities of Merak opened their homes and their knowledge to a shared act of revival. Seven seasoned weavers from three pastoralist chiwogs of Merak, worked alongside RADA under the Bhutan Youth Development Fund and designers from 7Weaves Foundation (Assam) to breathe new life into a tradition that has clothed and sustained highland life for generations.
๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
This was not a workshop that came to teach Merak something new. It came to learn โ to sit with the community's weavers, observe their techniques, and honour the depth of knowledge already held in their hands: how yak down, coarse yak hair, and sheep wool are read, sorted, and transformed into yarn and cloth through methods uniquely adapted by the people of Merak to their own high-altitude way of life.
Together, the community and its partners began the careful work of documenting this knowledge ,grading and sorting fibres, standardising processes, and developing swatch samples that capture the richness and variation of Merak's traditional weave structures. This foundation now stands as:
1. ๐จ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐ - a living record of Merak's traditional weave structures and material variations, built by and for the community
2. ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐-๐ฏ๐๐ โ refined technical groundwork rooted in the weavers' own expertise, ensuring consistency without displacing tradition
3. ๐จ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐ โ connecting Merak's high-altitude herding families to ethical markets on their own terms, so their craft can sustain their future
At the heart of this work is ๐๐ข-๐๐จ๐ข: ๐ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐งโ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐, ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐, ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ - a shared commitment to walk alongside Merak and Sakteng's yak-herding communities as they protect their textile heritage and shape climate-resilient livelihoods around premium, ethically rooted fibre products.
Because the real measure of this initiative's success is simple: that the youth of Merak's yak-herding families see a future worth staying for โ one where herding, weaving, and the stewardship of their highland environment remain a source of pride, identity, and livelihood for generations to come.
We extend our deep gratitude to the ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐โ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ง ๐
๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง and the ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ณ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง and ๐๐๐ค๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ก๐๐ for their invaluable partnership and support. Implemented jointly by ๐๐๐๐ under the ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐
๐ฎ๐ง๐ and ๐๐๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐
๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง (๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ), this project stands as heritage in motion: culture, craft, and community woven into a sustainable future that honors our past.
India-Bhutan Foundation, Thimphu Secretariat
Trashigang Dzongkhag Administration
Sakteng Dungkhag
7WEAVES
