It is said that Nepalese Handicrafts could have started way back in the stone age. But still with no solid evidence in existence, it is still hard to be more precise in the commencement history of these handicrafts.
The reputation of the Nepalese handicrafts is indeed impressive in the world. With its unique and authentic blend of culture and craftsmanship, they are taken as the cultural identity of the country. Nepal is in fact well renowned for its arts, heritage and traditions that can be found nowhere else in the world.
The skill of handicrafts making has been passed down from generation to generation.They are regarded as the family occupation in the past. There are even separate professions according to the caste system, although after the evolution of modern thinking and the caste system is abolished, they are now not strictly limited to particular castes or surnames.
As for the status of Nepalese handicrafts, it's hard to say whether they were better in the past or in the present days. In the past, due to problems like exploitation from the middlemen or traders, lack of knowledge of the outside world and infrastructures, artisans were hugely disadvantaged. Whereas, in today's time, the facilities are more than enough with the access to the internet for communicating with the customers. But where exactly does the problem lie? With the rapid industrialization and globalization, handmade products are in vulnerable condition.
People blindly buy the industrial products rather than the handmade ones. Youngsters are also not very fond of inheriting these family professions from their older generation, rather they prefer to be involved in various other occupations that they think suit their needs and style. On the other hand, the status of the handicrafts artisan is sadly not encouraging, due to lack of enough national level acts to preserve these ancient craftsmanship. There are no formal teaching centers or advanced training , although today the Council of Technical Education and Vocational Training(CTEVT) is working on this matter, it still has a very long way to go.
In midst of this dull phase for our Nepalese handicrafts, we can say there is light of hope to evolve them from the pit to the higher grounds. With the involvement of Nepal in different international level cultural events and seminars, we have managed to draw the attention of foreigners to our rich arts and cultures, and Nepalese handicrafts have particularly been the center of attraction.
In consideration to this, the Government of Nepal has also started to give support and encouragement to these handicrafts industries, focusing mainly for the hardworking artisan themselves. Advanced training with fairly paid employment opportunities have encouraged the continuation of these handicrafts making professions. There are numerous of manufacturing and exporting companies, as a part of handicrafts association Nepal, which work for delivering the authentic handicrafts from the artisan to the customers in and out the country through local and ecommerce markets by adopting the fair trade designed by the association itself. This has been showing good impacts in the evolution of the Nepalese Handicrafts. Hence, we are hopeful for the continued improvement in its status.