Tibet Artisan Initiative

Norbu Tsering - Painter Norbu Tsering was born in Lhokha prefecture. Because of hearing problems, he did not continue his education past 14 years old, so he spent three years herding animals and helping on the family farm. After that, he started learning carpentry and eventually started his own workshop, from which he sold old wooden products. Unfortunately, others tricked him into losing a great deal of money. Afterwards, he again started another workshop and now sells directly from his own workshop. Dropenling Product Development Staff have worked continuously with Norbu to improve product quality and design, help source better materials, and now purchases regularly from Norbu and his brother who work together.. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Choedron – Weaving & Dyeing Choedron is the oldest child and the only daughter of four children. When she was young, she was trained in carpet weaving. Now she is well-known in her area for weaving high quality wool fabric called shema, which is used for clothing, and for colorful striped pangden cloth that is used to make traditional aprons. She dyes the yarn for this fabric herself using natural dyes including indigo, walnut, and madder. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Dhagui – Drumtse Carpet Weaver Dhagui is one of the few remaining weavers of traditional Drumtse carpets. At the age of 34, he taught himself how to weave carpets and do some natural dyeing. Dhagui helps support his large 16-member through his weaving practive. Previously he would travel regularly with his loom to other villages to weave carpets for families who invited him there, but now has enough orders from Dropenling to have hired 2 villagers as apprentices and helpers to work full time in his own workshop. All of the women in Dhagui's family, including his 87-year-old mother, card and spin wool for his carpets and other household textiles. _________________________________________________________________________________________
Nagchu - Nomad A small Nomad village in northern Tibet has 52 households and over 300 people who make traditional nomadic products for Dropenling. Almost every house hold makes different kind of handicraft products such as slingshots, leg ties for milking Dri (female Yaks), rope for tying Yaks & Dri, horse blankets, horse collars, belts, and Tsampa bags. Their skills have been handed down from generation to generation. All materials are obtained from their own sheep and yak they herd throughout the year. Dropenling allows the villagers to sell their handicrafts directly to the tourist market in the Lhasa emporium. Dropenling Product Development Staff visit them regularly to work on product quality, designs, and adding traditional products for sale. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Jigme – metal worker Jigme is a Master Artisan and has studied as a goldsmith in China and as a metal worker in Tibet. Because he had to care for his ailing mother, Jigme was unable to attend school as a child. At the age of 23, he began to study metal working with a Master Artisan in Lhasa. He also studied as a goldsmith in mainland China for 10 years, before returning to work in Tibet. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Jitrung Genba – Guitar Maker Jitrung has been making guitars for over 30 years. At the age of 25, after living as a monk for 8 years, he began to teach himself woodworking by copying the designs of traditional Tibetan guitars called damnyen. Over 30 years later, he is still carving these beautiful instruments, both full-size and in miniature. Jitrung has become well known as a Master Artisan for carving these guitars, as well as for making traditional Tibetan furniture and altars. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Keldrap Gyatso - Thangka Painter The youngest child from a farming family, Keldrap Gyatso has been studying Thangka painting and Buddhism since the age of 16. He started his training as a monk and after 18 years of study and training, Keldrap is now a Master Artisan and has over 30 apprentices. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Lhakpa Dolma - Sewing & Shoe Making Lhakpa has been making traditional Tibetan boots and clothing since the age of 13. Lhakpa initially learned her craft from her mother and has been making traditional Tibetan boots and clothing for over 30 years. The local market for these high-quality goods has diminished greatly over the last 10 years, so Lhakpa and her co-workers have been working with Dropenling's Product Development Specialists to develop new products for the tourist market. In addition to her sewing skills, Lhakpa also does accounting for her sewing group to support herself and her three children. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Dorjee – Wood Painter Dorjee was born and raised in a village in southern Tibet. At the age of fifteen he started learning painting in Mindroling monastery, where he had the opportunity to study under a very famous Kham artist, Lama Tsekyab. He spent about twelve years involved in monastry renovation and then at the age of twenty-six he started his own business specializing in wood painting and Thangka paintings. From 2004 Dorjee started selling his products through Dropenling. He has trained at least 20 other people to paint, and recently has started his own small workshop. _______________________________________________________________________________________________

Mingmar Dorje - Drumtse Weaver Although he has been deaf and mute since the age of five, he helps to support his 13-member extended family by selling his woven blankets, carpets, and handmade shoes. Mingmar Dorje has the reputation of being able to make anything. Mingmar taught himself how to weave, sew, and make leather shoes just by observing other artisans or by copying existing products. He has never attended school, but his relatives and neighbours are constantly amazed by his cleverness and creativity. _______________________________________________________________________________________________

Nima - Stone Carver Nima has worked for many years to create a successful business. He attended school until the age of 16, when his family could no longer afford to send him to school. For 6 years, he studied with a master stone carver, until the master passed away and Nima took over his business. Over the past 16 years, Nima has individually trained 6 stone carvers, some of whom are also local farmers. Nima has greatly improved the quality of his products and introduced new products and designs, which are very popular in both the local and tourist markets. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Pasang Tsering - Sewing Pasang is committed to helping unemployed youth in his community and passing on the skills he has developed over the last 40 years. Pasang has overcome many obstacles to become the successful artisan and businessman he is today. Born in 1949, and unable to walk or attend school due an illness at the age of 7, Pasang began to learn tailoring from his father at the age of 13. His skills developed quickly and at age 24, he began teaching new students at a local sewing workshop. After teaching for 10 years, Pasang saved enough money to rent a small house and set up his own sewing workshop. He set about hiring and training unemployed youth and women from poor families in his community. Some of Pasang’s students have moved on to start their own successful businesses and one has become a sewing teacher in his own village. Including himself, there are currently 19 artisans in his workshop. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Phuchung - Drum Maker Phuchung’s work helps support 6 of his family members and allows him to send 2 of his children to the village school. Born in a small village in western Tibet, he is a farmer as well as a talented painter whose skills were passed down to him from his father. Phuchung’s father was famous throughout Tibet for his detailed Thangkas and beautiful painted drums, which Phuchung now also makes in his free time. In addition to farming and working on his own painting, Phuchung has trained over 20 students in Thangka painting and wood painting for the interior of traditional Tibetan houses. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Phurbu - Wood Painter Phurbu, a wood painter, studied painting and Tibetan language from an early age. Phurbu began painting in his childhood. His painting teacher was impressed with his paintings and always encouraged him to learn more about painting and its skills to become a good painter in the future. At the age of 14 he was employed by a person called Notsela, who owned an art gallery, just below the Potala palace. After 5 years working with him, Phurbu received a lot of experience and initiated his own workshop and started a small art gallery besides the Potala palace for 2 years. He then opened a different small workshop, where he sells small furniture products. Dropenling Product Development Staff have helped him to improve his products' quality and worked with him on new designs. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sonam Dolma – Weaver Sonam trains women from her village in traditional weaving and dyeing. She spins, dyes and weaves high quality wool yarn into very fine belts and aprons for the local market. She has also started working with Dropenling to creating a line of table linens for the tourist market to help support her extended family. In addition to her own 3 children and 5 grandchildren, she helps to care for her widowed sister and her 3 children. She has trained over 50 local women to improve their weaving skills.Choedon employs 8 women full-time from her village and many more part-time each winter. Choedon continues to develop beautiful, high-quality textiles. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Gaga - Toy Maker Although Gaga never had a good opportunity to attend school, during her childhood she worked on the family farm. Later she learned toy making skills from visiting Germans and eventually opened her own enterprise making and selling stuffed animals and other toys. Gaga now works with her sister. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Lhawang - Sewing Lhawang never had the opportunity to go to school, so he learned tailoring instead at age 12. He has produced many handicraft products which sell through Dropenling. He learnt tailoring skills when he was 12 years old. Currently he is producing products such as Apron pillows, fabric cushions, cosmetic cases and door curtains. _______________________________________________________________________________________________

Tsering Wangdu - Wool Products Tsering is 81 and has been weaving since the age of 11. He learned to weave after the death of his mother. He has studied dyeing, tailoring, and architecture. He worked as a weaver for a private family until 1959, when he joined a Wool Factory. Two years later, he became the director of the workshop and continues to oversee all aspects of the wool processing. Currently, over 100 people work in the Wool Factory, mostly cleaning, carding, and spinning wool for a local carpet factory. As carpet sales have slowed both internationally and locally, Tsering has been working with Dropenling Product Development Specialists to develop new dyeing techniques and new products to broaden their business opportunities. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Wanglu – Stone Carver Wanglu was born in Chamdo region and his family couldn't effort to send him to school like other village children but his father recommended him to learn carpenter and he worked on carpenter since he was 12 years old. When he was 18 years old he started take journey to Lhasa and learnt stone carving skills. Before he produce stone products and sell it on local market. Since Dropenling recognized him; he received a lot of orders from Dropenling and from Dropenling he understood that, good quality and also new products that useful in modern world but traditional Tibetan patterns and design. _______________________________________________________________________________________________

top of page