Traditional Indian Shawl Weavers Turning to Carpet

Nagaland, India, March 4, 2008-- Naga women are traditional shawl-makers but now their skills are being into the carpet industry, where demand is heavy.

''Weaving a shawl takes us about eight days and we make about ($35). Our hope is we can at least earn about ($75-$100) by learning to weave carpets,'' said a resident of Nagaland.

Government jobs are hard to come by. Self-employment is the only way out for the over 50,000 educated unemployed here.

Those who are learning carpet weaving now will train others later. By this year-end, 20,000 women will have mastered the art.

The demand for traditional Naga shawls is limited and has not provided a platform to women to market their skills. With carpet weaving not only will they be sharing their skills with the world but they can look forward to a better income.