Zorig Chusum
(Bhutan's 13 Traditional Arts)
Skilled artists who practice all of Bhutan's Thirteen Traditional Arts (or zorig chusum) presented their skills on the National Mall during the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival's Bhutan program—a rare opportunity outside of Bhutan to see all of these traditional arts and to meet their finest practitioners presented all together in one place.
The identification of Bhutan's zorig chusum dates from the 17th century, and includes woodworking, stone-carving, sculpture, painting, working in clay, casting and metalwork, wood-turning, metal-forging, jewelry making, bamboo basketry, paper-making, embroidery and weaving.
Because most objects are still created for their symbolic and functional value rather than for purely aesthetic reasons, the arts of zorig chusum also are closely tied to the traditional rhythms of life in Bhutan and the special relationship Bhutanese still cultivate with the land and other natural resources upon which they depend. Taken together, zorig chusum reflects the great Bhutanese wealth of traditional knowledge of artistic skills that have been passed from generation to generation for hundreds of years.
Featured at the Festival
Zorig Chusum
(Thirteen Traditional Arts)
Chimi Pelmo, Thimphu District, incense maker
Dawa Gyeltshen, Mongar District, wood carver
Dawa Penjor, Wangdue Phodrang District, incense maker
Debu Zangmo, Mongar District, bamboo weaver
Deki, Trashi Yangtse District, weaver
Dung Dorji, Bumthang District, calligrapher
Karma Sonam Yuden, Mongar District, wood carver
Kinzang Wangdi, Trashigang District, painter
Kinzang Wangmo, Bumthang District, potter
Kumbu, Wangdue Phodrang District, painter
Namgyel Dema, Trashigang District, weaver
Nim Dorji, Paro District, clay sculptor
Pelden Dorji, Trashi Yangtse District, wood turner
Phajo, Paro District, blacksmith
Ponyala, Mongar District, bamboo weaver
Rada, Wangdue Phodrang District, embroiderer
Rinchen, Punakha District, gold- and silversmith
Rinzin Wangmo, Bumthang District, weaver
Sangay Tenzin, Wangdue Phodrang District, painter
Seldon, Lhuntse District, weaver
Singay Karmo, Punakha District, embroiderer
Tashi, Thimphu District, silversmith
Tenzin Thinley, Trashi Yangtse District, wood carver
Thinley, Paro District, painter
Thinley Dorji, Haa District, slate carver
Tshering Dorji, Trashi Yangtse District, wood turner
Further Reading:
Zorig Chusum
A program sign (in pdf format)
