embroidered panel

hen

kuwuri kura

Beloved animal

EMB0055

When asked what project they want to work on, the CMC female artisans suggested embroidering domestic animals. In Myanmar, the women rarely left their houses and kept chickens, pigeons, cows and goats as pets. Each family had about 60-70 chickens, 30-50 cows and a separate house for pigeons, but now they are not allowed to have pets in the camp. They never had to buy meat back home, but when they go to buy meat at the camp they are reminded of the animals they left behind. “I cried when I had to leave my pet cows behind. I often think about them and wonder if they are still alive or if someone took them away,” says Shomsida a female embroidery artisan. This project is a way for the women to portray and document their beloved pets left behind in Myanmar, so that the future generation can see them. Fatema used to raise many kuwuri kura in her house. She sold hens and eggs in the market and earned a lot. She raises one hen in her shelter now. But she cannot raise a hen in the camp the way she could in a separate space. She misses her kuwuri kura so much.