Tribal weavers from across the country came together to unfold the legacy and significance of the rich skill and craft of tribal weaving techniques at a five-day-long residency which concluded at the Tribal Cultural Society on Thursday evening.

As many as 37 weavers from six states including Jharkhand, Odisha, Ladakh, and Tamil Nadu, gathered for the event organized by Tata Steel Foundation. The event was aimed at the preservation and revival of weaving traditions and handloom.

The weavers hailing from 10 tribal communities collaborated to create unique pieces of fabric that reflect 13 prevalent weaving techniques in India for years.

The weavers having an established body of work and a practice that reflects and incorporates the meaning and outreach of weaving techniques used to develop complex narratives came up with innovative identity patterns -- Skyethak (Ladakh), Sambalpuri (Odisha) and Toda embroidery (Tamil Nadu), in their fabrics.

A curated piece of fabric, woven together by all different weavers from across India, was one of the notable outcomes of the residency. A number of interesting workshops on Toda embroidery, Dongria and Durua weaves, Santhal and Bonda weaves were conducted. A workshop on co-creating with nature, natural dye and weaving engaged the weavers in an intriguing session.

An immersive experience interwoven with cross-learning among the weavers and an attempt to map cultural identities through the act of weaving marked the residency.

"Tribal Identity forms an integral pillar of engagement for the Foundation and one of the major elements that weave into this is Samvaad, an ecosystem to bring together tribal communities from across the world to discuss and develop solutions to their development challenges. The residency was a part of the year-long narrative planned for Samvaad 2022," a Tata Steel Foundation official said.

In November, 2021, an eight-day tribal artisans’ residency was also hosted where artisans from across the country participated to create canvases that were one-of-its-kind. During the residency, canvases consisting of 11 tribal art forms were made by 21 tribal artists from 9 tribes who participated from 7 states. Each canvas drew inspiration from within the confines of nature and brought onto the canvas during the Art Residency organized by the Tata Steel Foundation.