Traditional wicker handicraft by the <i>Shaakhsaazi</i> communities of rural Kashmir

Abstract

350-355Wicker handicraft, the technique of basket and furniture weaving, is a well-known forest based cottage industry of Shaakhsaazi communities, playing an eminent role in the socio-economy and cultural heritage of Kashmir. The study is an attempt to document the indigenous knowledge pertaining to wicker handicraft practices. Multi-stage random sampling was employed to select one hundred Shaakhsaazi households from twenty sample villages in district Pulwama of Kashmir. The data were collected using ethnographic research methods, interviews, observations and discussions. In all, the historical and socio-religious aspects of Shaakhsaazi communities, collection of wicker species, processing practices, tools used in weaving, weaving techniques, livelihood mainstay, problems and prospects and gender analysis in wicker handicraft are discussed