THE MYSTERY OF K A S H M I R

Chiru’s sacrifice  becomes a  shawl to die for…

Mention Kashmir and its mystery and intrigue capture undivided interest.  Deep in history of wars and struggle, the valley of Kashmir is full of mighty mountains reducing everything else to miniscule size.  The enormity of the Himalaya range, with its twists and turns, voices echo between boulders of rock way above sea level, yet in the meadows, are spangled with daisies, hyacinths, and daffodils and almonds, cherry, apples and strawberries are in abundance.  Kashmir is considered as the “heaven brought on earth.” 

Fast forward within the enclaves of New York high society where ladies lunch, spring has sprung, still with a little nip in the air.  Too cold for a summer dress, not cold enough for a heavy coat, the Kashmiri Shatoosh shawl elegantly covers the shoulders of these sophisticated elite ladies.  Their last names could easily be a Rockefeller, Trump, Buckley or Santo Domingo with a few Shatoosh Pashimina shawls likely to be hanging off their nonchalant shoulders.

Back deep in the canyons of the Himalaya range, these Chiru goats roam from Tibet across the mountainous range to as far as Kashmir. The chiru antelope lives in one of the harshest environments on earth, at an altitude of over 5,000 meters. Their special type of down fur, which is both very light and warm, allows them to survive in the freezing conditions of the plateau where they gather at one point of the year.

 

The chin hairs of wild goats or Chirus have been claimed to shed onto bushes, trees and rocks and then painstakingly collected tuft by tuft by Tibetan nomads.   In actuality, they are made from the wool of the Tibetan antelope, a rare and endangered species found only on the desolate high plains of the Tibetan plateau in China.   Wildlife experts confirm that these antelopes are being slaughtered by poachers to keep up the demand for shawls in the Western world.   The Moghul emperors also sought after these ultra soft, ultra thin, ultra warm shawls.  Only Royals of yester-years were allowed to wear them for they were very expensive, it took skilled artisan to weave the delicate hair, measuring between 9 and 11 micrometer.  It extracts the lives of three Chiru to make one 2ms x 1ms lady’s shawl and double the lives of Chirus to produce a man’s shawl.  These shawls are so fine; they can be passed through a wedding ring, leading them to be known as “ring shawls.”

Giddily sipping Proséco, at a New York brasserie, these ladies who lunch or perhaps finished a gym session with their personal trainer, or ready to catch their chartered jets to the Paris fashion week got subpoenaed by Newark’s US Marshall  for illegally possessing these wonderful exquisite shawls that have now been deemed  “endangered species.”  They were subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury sitting in Newark and to bring with them “any and all shahtoosh shawls, other shahtoosh items, and items made from the Tibetan antelope, chiru or ibex,” to be confiscated.

The list of the multi-rich owners ranging from Begum Aga Khan to the Italian designer, Valentino, who’s personal collection boasts as many as 200.  Nan Kempner, New York City socialite says, “ Valentino has one in every known color, he’s got one to match every sweater and every coat and every suit.”  Saint Moritz society talks of Susan Gutfreund, wife of the Chairman of Soloman Brothers, had made a bed-throw for the late Greek shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos.

Pray, tell – did voluntarily giving up those shawls to US Marshalls happen or did they go into hiding?   Pat Buckley, wife of the conservative columnist, William F. Buckley Jr, said, “I haven’t heard of anything so ridiculous in a long time.  Some of our friends will have to call a moving van.”

International trade in Tibetan-antelope wool has been prohibited since 1975. The United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and, unfortunately for the buyers of shahtooshes, conservation activists at the World Wildlife Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Tibetan Plateau Project have prodded governments to crack down on the largely unregulated shahtoosh trade. In the US, knowing violation of the law with intent to sell is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for individuals or $500,000 for companies. Like ivory and tortoiseshell, shahtooshes are subject to confiscation by the U.S. Customs Service, a fact that has not been widely publicized until recently.

So with huge excitement and anticipation I finally had the opportunity last week, outside of the US, and inside the well guarded house of a S.E. Asian tycoon,  to touch and drape myself around several shatoosh shawls.  In the secret enclave of a well-known collector, shawls upon shawls were scattered before me.  It is indeed every bit an exclusive luxury, the softness, the lightness and although the expert was describing the difference, with the local Indian community bringing these pieces in, I could easily be duped into paying many thousands of dollars in order to feel special.

Undoubtedly these embroidered pieces are indeed exquisite.  Shahtoosh looks like an ordinary shawl until you feel it.   It has a smoothness of silk.  Once touched and handled, it’s like caressing cloud.  Difficult to control, the weavers in Kashmir are so deft and skilled that they can even embroider over these shawls.

The Indian Government has banned the killing of a Chiru..   Banning has not vanished its demands either. Suffice to say Shatoosh has re-emerged in mega rich homes of South East Asia, where I am luxuriating in now, sipping iced tea and delighting in the beauty.   As a New York socialite once said, “it’s a craving, if you have one, then you want another, and another.”  There are no alternatives to this King of Wool.

In this particular Chinese home, where I had my first encounter with Shatoosh, I wondered out aloud if they ate Shark’s Fin, yet another endangered species. There was an uncomfortable shifting of positions with suspicion of my intent, their body language expressed uneasiness.  Apparently dissention within the family through their daughter’s opposing such collection of heirlooms, as she is campaigning against endangered species; Shark’s fin normally eaten is banned from the house and supporting Shatoosh was not spoken about in her presence.   Turning around I caught a glimpse of elephant tusks in the next room.   Pray, they are plastic?  I never knew.

I came away with an awkward thought.  Exploitation of animals, so that pocket-power, taste and exclusivity puts one above the ranks of others undeniably leaves a bad taste in the mouth.  Or perhaps the teenager daughter need to be made aware that  the art and craftsmanship in weaving and embroidering employs about 80,000 people in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The State has its own laws regarding endangered species.  Twelve established families in Srinagar control the Shahtoosh business.

Belinda Wright film-maker and photographer of The Wildlife Protection Society of India says, “the people with most to lose from a successful choking off of the shahtoosh trade are about a dozen wealthy businessmen.”  She added, “The artisans who spin and weave it would continue with their customary trade in cashmere, which is produced from a domestic goat.”   

So we have an alternative.  

Could I convince my newly found friend with an extreme passion for collecting Shatoosh that there is a new wool called Shahmina, a wool developed recently in India, with virtually the same weight, texture and warmth as shahtoosh, produced from pure strains of high-altitude goats. With no bloodshed involved.

He nods, but unconvinced.  Banned goods, illegal, hard to get, almost at extinction never tasted so good.

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