Rebirth of Kunbi

Goa is known for its beaches and heritage all over the world. The small state has given birth to craftsmen and Artists from all spheres of Life. The kunbi tribe is oldest tribe of  Goa. It was somewhere around 19th century,the time when the Portuguese left India,That the sari made  a modest reappearance. Goa used to be a  hub for handloom weaving. When one speaks about textiles which comes to one mind is the GODHARA making skill and KUNBI sari. The term kunbi is derived from kun and bi meaning ” People ” and ” seeds”respectively fused together,the two terms means “those who germinate more seeds from one seeds”. The fabric meant for farmland laborers mainly is their identity . Kunbi sari was originally worn by Kunbi and ganda tribe women who were basically paddy field worker. Kunbi is made of organic cotton yarn, coloured in natural dyes and woven on a handloom. The Kunbi is a Cotton checkered saree in red and white. Originally the Kunbi sari was dyed in red and black and woven in small and large checks. The dye was obtained from the recipe of iron ore , kanji (starch) and Vinegar. The Kunbi ladies had a special way of wrapping their sari in order to work in the mud filled paddy field in the rain. The Kunbi sari is draped by tying in the fabric below the shoulder and strip of cloth is crossed over the left shoulder and fastened on the back. This ethnic sari was initially worn without choli and after some time it was started to worn with simple blouse having puffed sleeves. These Kunbi women used to beautify herself by adorning simple glass red and green bangles. Today this Goa’s kunbi sari is a priced collectors item among handloom lover’s. The credit for the Kunbi sari revival goes largely to history professor Rohit Phalgaonkar who is also a part of Goa government conservation committee for Archaeology and museum.  Thanks for our famous fashion designer Mr. Wendell Rodricks has revived the Kunbi sare and given it the modern touch and put back on the WORLD MAP. Mr. Wendell Rodricks has designed the Kunbi sari keeping the modern. Rodricks has reworked on the fabric to make it suitable for the modern sensibilities. While the lines, checks and the IKAT weave continues to appear on the new sari design, ha has removed the jacquard border to make it lighter.  Kunbi sari has ethnic geometric pattern uet minimalist graphics, usually on a white field fabric.He unveiled the collection called ‘ Kunbi Tribe’ in 2010 and now it has become a part of wardrobes of many noted personalities is face of the kumbi sari. The sari was showcased at the 2011 Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.