The journey of a master dyer

Ever since I was little, I was fascinated by the process of dyeing. In Bhutan, I used to watch my father and wonder how simple plants could become such beautiful colours. I learned the skill of dying from my father and his staff.

I have always felt that no amount of machinery and technology can replace the beauty of organic dyeing. I’ve undertaken extensive research into different plants, going to the jungle to find new ones and searching for sustainable methods of harvesting.  

This passion has turned me into the human being that I am today, a passionate and determined worker trying to preserve the beautiful heritage of traditional dyeing in Bhutan.

I’m the only person in Bhutan dedicated full-time to organic dyeing. The tradition of Bhutanese organic dyeing is gradually disappearing. This is due to many factors, including people wanting brighter colours, the accessibility of cheap imported synthetic dyes and low economic returns for organic dyed yarns.

With sustainability and hand-making enjoying a resurgence over recent decades, there has been a movement to revive these skills and find a niche for hand-dyed textiles within the growing tourist market.

Arts & Culture

Conserving our cultural record is more important than ever

Currently, there are few incentives for farmers to cultivate the raw products (like indigo, lac, madder and many other plants) used in organic dyeing.  With only a handful of farmers cultivating the plants for dyeing in Eastern Bhutan, supported by my small dyeing centre, these processes are in great danger of disappearing. 

The methods of dyeing and cultivation are mostly transmitted orally between generations, which only adds to the vulnerability of this endangered knowledge. I realised that I needed not only to preserve these skills but also to record this knowledge in writing, so it could be transmitted beyond my lifetime.  And I’m sharing this knowledge beyond my country, Bhutan.

Beginning in 2018, I began giving online classes about organic dyeing to Master of Cultural Materials Conservation students at the invitation of Professor Robyn Sloggett, Director of the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation. In 2022, I arrived in Melbourne for a Miegunyah Fellowship, teaching a masterclass in plant dyeing and introducing students to Bhutanese traditional hand-dyed textiles.

These textiles hold deep cultural significance, carrying stories and traditions passed down through generations. It’s an intricate process to produce nettle yarn, silk yarn and yak wool, which are then transformed into woven textiles used for ceremonies or everyday life.

I started to write down the traditional methods of dyeing I’d inherited, developing them further.  Through other opportunities back in Bhutan following my work with the Grimwade Centre, I was able to explore many other secrets of dyeing and to find new plant combinations.

One of the most remarkable pieces I shared on a second visit to the Grimwade Centre in 2024 was a rare woollen skirt, once commonly worn by mountain communities to keep warm, but now largely replaced by modern synthetic garments. This trip was supported by the Russell and Mab Grimwade Miegunyah Fund.

Arts & Culture

Rebuilding cultural heritage after disaster

I also brought with me a simple wooden spinning tool, polished smooth by years of use, to demonstrate the belt-weaving loom’s limitations in fabric width and how wider pieces are created by stitching smaller sections together.

For me, selecting plants for dyeing is my natural calling as I can walk through a garden and immediately see the colours hidden within the leaves, a skill honed through years of practice. With or without mordants (the chemical ‘glue’ that helps dyes bind to fibres), the same plant can yield different shades, making each experiment a discovery.

Natural dyeing is a material skill that can only be truly learned through hands-on experience.  While the dyeing process is time-consuming, with yarns sometimes needing to soak for two hours, all steps require precise and swift movements. 

A workshop becomes a giant colour factory; jars of vibrant dyes and rows of freshly dyed threads line the space, while piles of leaves cover the tables. Labelling is one of the most crucial steps to accurately document each colour, its plant source and the mordant used.

I’m working to translate my knowledge into research. With the help of Dr Sabine Cotte from the Grimwade Centre, I’ve published several academic papers – one on traditional lac dyeing and another on safeguarding traditional dyeing methods in Bhutan – to ensure this endangered tradition is preserved.

My time at the Grimwade Centre has reinforced my passion for natural dyeing and the importance of sharing this knowledge.  It’s taught me how thoroughly I need to record my knowledge, identifying the plants, documenting all stages of cultivation and dyeing process, and rigorously setting experiments with natural resins.

Arts & Culture

Conserving Australia’s cultural record

I’m proud that my work was recognised by the Royal Textile Academy and Oita University in Japan, who interviewed me for their joint research project on Bhutan's natural dyes and dyeing methods. This gave me an opportunity to share my practical experience of Indigenous dyeing culture and traditional techniques of natural dyeing conservation. 

I hope to contribute to the Bhutanese cultural record for both present and future, and generate enough demand to provide an income to the farmers-producers, preserving a sustainable knowledge ecosystem in Bhutan.

Conservation plays an important role in the preservation of traditional cultural knowledge, to ensure that the vibrant colours and stories embedded in the Bhutanese textiles continue to evolve for generations to come.

Kencho Dekar would like to thank Virginia McNally, curator of the System Garden at the University of Melbourne, for allowing both him and his students to gather leaves as part of a dyeing workshop.

-       As told to Dr Sabine Cotte