This is the second blog in a series that explores Bodoland through multiple lenses, including people, governance, economy, quality of life, ecology and culture. Read the first blog in the series. 

Contemporary consumer culture has increasingly disconnected us from the journeys of the things we use and the hands that shape them. Making this journey visible can allow us to better understand their lifecycle and the places, people and material flows that make it possible.

In Bodoland, Eri silk has remained intimately connected with traditional Bodo life and livelihoods over time. It is endemic to the region and popular for its natural sheen and texture, differentiated through its reddish colored cocoon and practice of ahimsa (the non-violent practice of not killing the silkworm but instead letting it escape).

Many households and communities continue this practice — collecting the worm fodder, rearing the larvae, hand pulling prepped yarn and weaving cloth using traditional, non-mechanized handlooms. At a cluster or community level, this allows women to share burdens, hold collective knowledge, and negotiate with government middlemen and retail customers.

Over time, new challenges have emerged for this indigenous craft, leaving the women who often rely on it for their livelihoods to navigate an increasingly uncertain landscape. Given the younger generation’s hesitation to use silk for daily wear or patiently apprentice with elders, it is harder for women to pass down the craft of silk handloom.

With increased climate variability, Bodoland now frequently experiences extreme heat, unseasonal rain and floods, putting this practice at risk. Additionally, the lack of adequate infrastructure, opportunities for upskilling, market linkages and seed capital for artisans means that unpredictable market dynamics directly impact the local rearers and weavers. Eri silk practices need care, attention and institutional support to ensure a resilient and productive future. 

Captured through field visits, interviews and conversations with silk rearers, weavers, designers, daily wage workers at workshops, entrepreneurs and government officials, this photo essay captures the intricate process of rearing, spinning and weaving Eri silk by the women of Bodoland. These panels reveal the intricate process of producing silk, the social and spatial rhythms that give it form, and the changes it is undergoing in the face of a changing climate, automation, market access and evolving demand.
 

Given the critical need to generate livelihoods in Bodoland, local and national government authorities today are looking to boost silk production. Slow but steady innovation at different stages of production and shifts to mechanized implements are cutting production time but also spurring new challenges. Polyester and acrylic yarns are becoming more common, and the younger generation is turning to cheaper, mass-produced cloth rather than learning to weave their own.

Recently, there has been a renewed focus on developing cluster-based schemes for innovation in looms, including providing skills and design guidance to cater to a wider market. These could enable Bodoland’s women weavers to hold on to their local strengths and skills, and shift toward value addition at the source rather than remaining at the bottom of the value chain. But involving women as drivers of this change requires a concerted effort. Through the Thriving Eco City-regions initiative, WRI India aims to spotlight the stories of Eri silk rearers and artisans and support them in preserving their skilled and intricate artform.

The next blog in the series looks at life alongside the rivers of Bodoland and why regional planning must account for them. Read here.