MONISHA AHMED SHARES HER EXPERIENCE OF SHAPING THE LADAKH ARTS AND MEDIA ORGANISATION IN LEH.

Travel, diversity, cultural practices and textiles have always fascinated me, especially fabrics that embody a layered history.

- 

In 1990, my doctoral fieldwork in anthropology took me to the pastoral nomads of eastern Ladakh in Changthang. They herd sheep, pashmina goats and yaks. Both men and women weave, on different looms—women working with sheep and yak wool, and men with goat and yak hair. I was interested in understanding both how nomadic cultures live and represent themselves through their textiles; I realised this actually begins with how they manage their livestock. As I gradually gained the nomads' confidence, they told me their origin stories associated with textiles that reflected notions around birth, gender and family ties. I also learnt about their historic trade routes and the fact that they produce the world's finest pashmina. And I started collecting nomadic textiles—blankets and floor coverings to saddlebags, containers, clothing and footwear. Over the years, I've expanded this collection, adding textiles from various parts of Ladakh and those traded into Ladakh from neighbouring regions of Kashmir, Tibet and Sinkiang.