Village Leather Training Association (VLTA)
We left Kathmandu before dawn to visit one of the Sarki leather working villages. The road took us through old temples and plunging valleys, often bounded by a sheer drop on one side. Any sense of vertigo I had, however was overcome by a stunning sunrise over the Kathmandu Valley. Furthermore, as driving in Nepal requires running a gauntlet of cows, chickens and children along narrow roads, I was very glad when we arrived at the Sarki village.
The Sarki people are traditional leather workers, making shoes, bags, and carrying thongs for fellow Nepali’s. They make the leather from cows which have died from natural causes and are therefore tainted with the stigma of working with the carcass of a holy animal. Hence Sarkis are an ‘untouchable’ caste, barred from many walks of life. Since the advent of modern textiles, native demand for leather has plummeted and many Sarkis lost their livelihoods. They were trapped making leather goods by the caste system, even though the demand was non-existent.
The Village Leather Trading Association (VLTA) works with these communities to retrain them in leather working and to teach them new designs for the western market. This provides a valuable source of extra income for the family away from the harvest season.
Because of Sarki’s caste status, it was not permissible for our guides (who were of higher caste) to eat or drink in the village and so they had brought food from Kathmandu. They insisted that we left the village to eat, lest our food became sullied. Although I felt rude leaving the village to eat, I was eventually persuaded.
This is a question often facing westerners in Nepal; how much should you push against tradition and custom centuries old? I felt rude leaving, but I am sure that everyone (Sarki and not) would have felt awkward had I insisted on staying. In Nepal, hospitality is often overwhelming, so it was noticeable that we were not offered anything in the Sarki village, though their welcome was extremely warm. I think they would have considered it discourteous of our status to even offer.
During our visit, the villagers showed us the traditional leather tanning process. This complicated and labour intensive process requires around 3-4 months. First the villager must forage for dead cows, since it is illegal to kill a cow in Nepal. During the collecting trips he hopes to collect 4-5 good cow hides. These are then pegged out to dry, soaked in lime pits, worked with his feet for suppleness, and carefully scraped and oiled. Finally he has sheets of high strength, but rough leather.
The villagers had a simply way of life and certainly they were some of the poorest people I have met, with an adult lucky to make 80 pounds a year, but like so many communities in Nepal, they were rich in heritage and family.
Daniel Burrows
daniel@wmt.org.uk
Read more about the VLTA's work here.