Tibetan Boot Making

Traditional Tibetan boots—typically warm, colorful, and knee-high—are no longer the daily footwear for ordinary Tibetan nomads or farmers due to the prevalence of sneakers and other mass-produced shoes. However, Tibetan boots—made of cowhide, pigskin, corduroy, and pulu, a traditional woolen fabric—are still commonly worn during celebratory occasions like New Year’s, weddings, and housewarming parties. Much like Tibetan robes, Tibetan boots are worn more as cultural representations than as practical common clothes. As a result, there is still a need for small businesses that specialize in making traditional Tibetan boots. One of these is in Gyang Kya village in Rebgong County, Qinghai Province.

In this video, Shawu Nashen from Gyang Kya discusses the importance of maintaining the traditions of boot making on the Tibetan Plateau. He and his father have been training younger people to ensure that the traditions are not lost in the future.

Learn more about Tibetan boot making: https://s.si.edu/2Kba2M5

Producer: Dawa Drolma

[Catalog No. CFV11254; © 2017 Smithsonian Institution]