States » EastPosted at: Oct 11 2026 6:49PM


Traditional weaving offers fresh livelihoods to Odisha’s tribal women

Bhubaneswar, Oct 11 (UNI) Traditional textile-making is emerging as a source of livelihood for tribal women in Odisha’s Koraput region, where an initiative is training artisans and targeting a network of 1,000 people by linking indigenous weaving skills with sustainable livelihoods and wider markets.
Folkweave, founded in 2023 and registered as a startup in June 2024, trains tribal women in traditional weaving, natural dyeing and indigenous designs while adapting age-old techniques to contemporary preferences.
Gangei Chalan of Boipariguda, who trained under Folkweave director Dr K. Anuradha, is now teaching these skills to other tribal girls. Another woman who moved to Malkangiri after marriage has continued weaving, helping sustain the craft beyond its place of origin.
Inaugurating the first exhibition of textiles from tribal communities of the greater Koraput region, Anuradha said the craft embodied generations of knowledge about forest-based materials, natural dyes and weaving fabrics for everyday use and rituals.
Plants and trees such as aal, manjistha, karanja and tek leaves were traditionally used to produce natural colours, each carrying cultural significance, she said.
Folkweave combines traditional techniques with contemporary designs to produce saris, stoles, shirts, jackets, kurtis, bags and accessories. Leftover fabric is reused to minimise waste, while dyeing residue is returned to the soil.
The initiative aims to make tribal textiles economically viable through fair remuneration, community ownership and better market access, rather than preserve them merely as cultural artefacts, Anuradha said.UNI MK AAB
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