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Sounds from Kutch - Leather & Metal Bell

Sounds from Kutch - Leather & Metal Bell

€42.00 Regular Price
€21.00Sale Price
Coming from the lands of Kutch in Gujarat (india) these bells will bring the music of nature into your home spaces. 
Handcrafted by artisans of Kutch to ornament their ruminants, the beautiful sound and their earthy presence will remind you of being close to their villages and their roots.
 
Ethnic styles express lifestyle. They are practiced by individuals whose heritage is rooted in community rather than land, and considered cultural property.

  • CRAFT TECHNIQUE: Metal Work + Leather Work (in Kutch, Guajrat)

     

    THE LOHAR: In earlier times, before the division of India and Pakistan,  the Lohar community (copper Bell Makers), brought their craft from Sindh (now Pakistan) to the region of Kutch (Gujarat, India). They used to sell their items to the local pastoral communities - the herdsman described the sound their cattle would recognize and the Bell Makers set that tone out on their copper; the bells are customized with different sounds, or notes, to differentiate different cattles' owners.

     

    A SUSTAINABLE CRAFT: the main metal used is mainly tin and iron waste; the natural resources are mud, wood of Prosophis Julifera and water; and the only use of energy is in the furnace for preparing them. Unlike other crafts, the copper Bells Work still sustains a local economy, once these items are still used by communities in the region.

     

    LEATHER WORK IN KUTCH (Gujarat, India) was earlier on a partnership between the Maldharis (nomadic pastoralist) experts in tanning, and the Dalit Meghwals (leather, stitching and embroidery craftsmen) migrants from Rajasthan. This craft was traditionally used to make harnesses for camels and horses, musical instruments, storage containers and footwear, once the local leather was very good, durable and even resistant to water. In our days, Kutch Leather Work is a means of business and livelihood for many villages in the region.

     

    MANO ETNA TRAVEL STORY

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