GANG president Judy Mill recently gave one of the beautiful Afghan blankets created by members and friends of GANG to a family who arrived in Edmonton in October as refugees from Afghanistan. She has been helping the family with their settlement in Edmonton. Judy says:
“When I brought the Afghan to the family, I asked Sadaf, one of the teenage daughters, why these colorful blankets were called Afghans. How were the blankets connected to Afghanistan? Sadaf spoke with her father and here is her response: “One of the peoples of Afghanistan is called Kuchis. The Kuchi population of Afghanistan is about 3 million people, about ten percent of the total population of the country. The Kuchis are among the citizens of Afghanistan who do not have a specific place to live and immigrate from one province to another in different seasons of the year. Sheeps, goats, camels and donkeys are their four main livestock. They like to make their clothes, blankets, and pillows from pieces and they prefer bright colors, especially red and green. That’s why blankets are called Afghan blankets.” I also learned that Kuchi means ‘nomad’. “
Thanks to the many GANG members who knit the beautiful Afghans. This family was very excited to see the beautiful blanket that had a connection to their home country.
