Dumbara weaving is an ancient craft that dates back centuries in Sri Lanka, and is recognised on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. It takes its name from the Uda Dumbara valley in the central highlands, near Kandy and Matale.
Artisans work on a simple floor-fixed loom, using wooden laths or thin sticks to twist and insert threads to form intricate patterns. Only a handful of Dumbara weaving families remain, and Barefoot has worked with the Somawansa family for more than four decades. The Barefoot team has at times offered design guidance, and makes sure the family has the dyed yarn they need to keep weaving.
The relationship began by chance. On a rain-soaked day forty years ago, Dominic Sansoni travelled to the Uda Dumbara region at Barbara Sansoni’s request. He stopped at the roadside to ask after a weaving family, and the man he spoke to was Mr. Somawansa himself.
From that day on Barefoot has since worked with Mr. Somawansa, his son Upul, and now with his grandson, Pramodya. Pramodya continues the family’s tradition and is on his way to becoming a Master Weaver himself.
