Homes on the Move – The Woven Houses of Fakhirani Jats in Kutch.
Fakhirani Jats are one of the four the Jat communities of Kutch, traditional camel-herders, who once seasonally migrated till Iran through Afghanistan and Sindh. A very strong belief that the community holds even today is that if they live at one place for more than a year, the world for them as it is will end. So even though their migration routes have now more or less collapsed or remain in a significantly reduced degree due to various reasons, they still practice shifting of their houses every year. This has kept a unique timber building practice that is typical to this community still alive. These structures are largely woven around a timber frame by the women of the community. This project focuses on these dwelling systems of the Fakhirani Jats who have lately been settling down. Students will explore the making of dwellings and the ecologies of resources and labour, notions of dwelling through practices and interactions, phenomenological study of notions of dwelling and settlement, resilience in the face to adverse environmental conditions, or historical and contemporary changes. The final thesis will produce documentation on the little-known dwelling practices of such communities.
