Yathra, the hand-woven wool textile unique to Bumthang, is one of Bhutan’s oldest weaving traditions. It carries a piece of Bhutanese heritage that is not found anywhere else in the world. But the age-old tradition, especially the pangtha method or the traditional backstrap loom technique to weave yathra is gradually fading. A small weaving club at the Wangsel Institute for the Deaf in Paro, is working to preserve the craft and pass on the rare skill.
From a small room inside Wangsel Institute for the Deaf come the steady thuds of loom beaters. Here, members of the weaving club are learning yathra weaving using the pangtha method, or the traditional backstrap loom technique that is now rarely practiced.
The club is a joint initiative between the institute and the Royal Textile Academy, aimed at preserving pangtha weaving of yathra. While yathra itself is still widely woven using the thritha method, the pangtha tradition is slowly disappearing due to its time-intensive nature, often taking months for a single piece.
At the institute, the focus is on reviving this older form of weaving before it is lost. The initiative also hopes to empower students with the skill to support their livelihoods.
Dechen Tshering, Principal of Wangsel Institute for the Deaf said, “Yathra is woven using either thrue tha or pangtha. Today, we feel the pangtha method is disappearing. If we do not make efforts now, there is a risk that it will be forgotten. That is why we started this club.”
Among the four students currently in the club is 20-year-old Choki Wangmo, a first-year Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) student studying tailoring. She joined the club three months ago, hoping the skill would complement her studies and provide an alternative livelihood option.
“I joined the weaving club to learn new skills that can help me in making clothes. In the future, if I do not get a job in tailoring, I want to use weaving skills to earn a living from home. It is difficult to learn, but I am trying my best and hope to improve.”
With yarn supplied by the Royal Textile Academy, students meet for just an hour each week. But progress remains slow, as yathra weaving is a complex craft and many are still at the stage of learning its most basic techniques.
Choki Wangmo said,“The most difficult part is setting the warp. Winding yarn into balls is easier, and weaving becomes smoother once I start.”
Chimi Yuden, a student said, “I have learned how to prepare the warp, wind yarn and weave. It can get confusing with multiple yarns, but the more I practice, the easier it becomes.”
The institute currently relies on teachers trained by the Royal Textile Academy. However, plans are underway to bring in dedicated instructors and strengthen weaving as a structured vocational programme alongside tailoring, wood carving, furniture making, and wood painting.
Principal Dechen Tshering said, “We plan to request trainers from the Royal Textile Academy for longer-term training in pangtha weaving. If possible, we also want students who complete Class 10 to continue weaving for longer so they can build stronger skills and better results.”
For now, in this small room, the rhythmic thud of loom beaters, carefully balled yarn, and patient students come together every week in a quiet effort to revive the practice of pangtha yathra weaving.
Karma Samten Wangda
