Woven in Exile is a nonprofit organisation based in Kent, Ohio, that preserves traditional Bhutanese backstrap-loom weaving among refugee women resettled in the Akron metropolitan area. Founded in 2010 by Liz and Terry Kuhn, the initiative evolved from a small craft group into a social enterprise producing handwoven bags sold internationally, providing both economic opportunity and psychosocial support to Bhutanese women in the diaspora.
Woven in Exile is a nonprofit organisation based in Kent, Ohio, that preserves traditional Bhutanese backstrap-loom weaving among refugee women resettled in the Akron metropolitan area. Founded in 2010 by Liz and Terry Kuhn, the initiative evolved from a small craft group into a social enterprise producing handwoven bags sold nationally and internationally. The organisation provides economic opportunity, creative purpose, and community connection to Lhotshampa women who spent years in refugee camps in Nepal before resettlement in the United States.
Origins
Liz Kuhn, who holds a master's degree in weaving, first encountered the Bhutanese refugee community through her local garden club in Akron, Ohio. Learning that newly arrived refugee children lacked winter coats, she began collecting donations. When community members discovered she was a weaver, a deeper relationship developed between the Kuhns and the refugee families that, as Kuhn later described, "would go far beyond keeping children warm."[1]
The Kuhns learned that the international charity Oxfam had distributed backstrap looms in the Nepali refugee camps, and many Bhutanese women had practised weaving during their years of displacement. However, the women had been unable to bring their looms when resettled in the United States due to luggage restrictions. When Terry Kuhn showed images of different loom types during a presentation at the couple's Kent home, the room "came alive" when a backstrap loom appeared on screen, with the women pointing and making excited noises of recognition. More than 50 women, along with drivers and interpreters, had arrived for the gathering. Liz subsequently researched how to build backstrap looms — simple devices that hook around the weaver's back and attach to a fixed point such as a tree — and constructed looms for the group.[2]
Development
Woven in Exile began modestly, with the women producing small purses for sale at local craft fairs and farmers' markets. Three women formed the core team: Mongali Rai, Mon Maya Rai, and Ash Maya Subba, the latter a 64-year-old mother of six who had woven on backstrap looms in the camps and whose participation in the group helped her overcome depression and isolation in her new country. As one account noted, before joining Woven in Exile, Subba "was on the verge of depression every day… every night she used to cry."[3]
Over time, the weavers graduated to more complex products. Their flagship creation became the Nilam bag, a high-end weekender bag combining handwoven Bhutanese cloth with leather accents, priced at $269. In 2017, all 21 Nilam bags produced sold within 24 hours of being listed, with weavers receiving $100 per bag created.[4]
Partnership with Girl Set Free
A pivotal development came through a partnership with Girl Set Free, a nonprofit founded by Amy Kratzer that sells clothing and accessories created by vulnerable women, including survivors of trafficking. Kratzer discovered Woven in Exile and began marketing the weavers' products to wider audiences. The partnership expanded the reach of the Akron weavers from local craft fairs to national and international customers. Kratzer's long-term vision was for the three core weavers to become leaders and directors of the enterprise, training additional community members in the weaving tradition.[5]
Cultural Significance
Weaving holds deep cultural significance in Bhutanese textile traditions. The backstrap loom is one of the oldest weaving technologies in the Himalayan region, and textiles carry social, spiritual, and economic meaning in both Bhutanese and Nepali cultures. For the women of Woven in Exile, the act of weaving connects them to skills and identities that predate their displacement, providing continuity across the rupture of the refugee experience.
The Akron area became home to a substantial Lhotshampa community following the beginning of third-country resettlement in 2007. The Bhutanese Community Association of Akron, a separate 501(c)(3) organisation, serves the broader community, while Woven in Exile addresses the specific needs of women through craft-based economic and social programming.[6]
See Also
References
- Kent Patch. "Kent Woman Shines Through 'Woven in Exile'." https://patch.com/ohio/kent/bp--kent-woman-husband-found-woven-in-exile
- Kent Patch. "Kent Woman Shines Through 'Woven in Exile'." https://patch.com/ohio/kent/bp--kent-woman-husband-found-woven-in-exile
- Ideastream Public Media. "Akron's Refugees Find an International Market for their Weaving." October 2017. https://www.ideastream.org/news/community/2017-10-04/akrons-refugees-find-an-international-market-for-their-weaving
- Ideastream Public Media. "Akron's Refugees Find an International Market for their Weaving." October 2017. https://www.ideastream.org/news/community/2017-10-04/akrons-refugees-find-an-international-market-for-their-weaving
- Ideastream Public Media. "Akron's Refugees Find an International Market for their Weaving." October 2017. https://www.ideastream.org/news/community/2017-10-04/akrons-refugees-find-an-international-market-for-their-weaving
- HuffPost. "Bhutanese Refugees Are Finding Their Place In Ohio." October 2017. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/akron-ohio-bhutanese-refugees_n_59ca88cfe4b0cdc773353640
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