Efforts initialized to sustain Tibetan “Zetie” craft

13 Feb '10

2 min read

A professional hand-knitting cooperative in Nedong County in Shannan territory of south-eastern Tibet has inherited and promoted the customary art of making "Zetie," a type of woolen fabric which is Tibet's intangible ethnic legacy.

“Ze” is the abbreviation for Zetang County in Shannan and “tie” means "Tiema," a kind of woolen fabric. In Tibetan language, "Zetie" signifies an exclusive handmade delicate woolen fabric solely manufactured in Zetang County.

"Zetie" characterizes the most arduous and complex craftsmanship along with the most exquisite materials, amid all kinds of pulu. Indigenous admire it on account of its qualities like softness, durability, electricity resistance and better air permeability.

Tibet has a history of 1000 years in art of making “Zetie". After demise of Songtsen Gampo, a ruler of Tumbo province in the 6th century, his spouse Princess Wencheng, shifted to Shannan, a place where Tibetan pulu was produced and developed and with the advancement of the craft the art of making “Zetie”, a more exquisite pulu, came in to existence.

It was noticed that Ngawang Tsomo, the last successor of the “Zetie” art was aging and the art was on the brink of extermination. As the cooperative realized this, it called on Ngawang Tsomo to teach the unique art to 34 craftsmen at the cooperative, thereby aiding sustenance of the art.

During the previous year, the art was voted as Tibet's intangible cultural heritage and an application has been put forth to declare it national intangible cultural heritage.

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