Paper making workshop

THF organized a workshop of traditional paper making with the Doritsang community. The Doritsang temple has a large number of wooden printing block collections, many quite old, with various contents such as religious, philosophy, medical and astrology etc. They have offered the printing service on request. In the past they prepared their own paper for printing, today they simply buy paper from the market. In Doritsang only a few old people remember papermaking from their youth. An old man told us that “the paper made with ramarechog, a local plant which contains a natural toxin, is free of insect damage and preserves its colour, slightly brownish, gentle for the eye for long time reading.” THF and Doritsang community developed the idea to revive local paper manufacture. A workshops and trials resulted in a first production. This may become an important income generating tool. For setting up of the paper manufacture, THF and Doritsang community visited the neighboring Rebkong region. They met craftsman Mr. Pende Gyal, 65 years old, who explained the process and methods step by step. Tibetan paper is often made from tree skin or grass as fiber tissue, depending on availability. In Doritsang, we wanted to use the local ramarechog grass. After the lecture, the team returned to Doritsang village and conducted trials. Finally, a workshop of papermaking was conducted. We successfully completed the first batch of paper. The community was excited about the result of the first trial. Even though the quality can still be improved, it was a great step to restart an old tradition.

This project was supported by MISEREOR.
Copyright, Tibet Heritage Fund