Fabrics of North East PDF

Fabrics of North East

Tribes of North East

•The 7 north Indian States are popularly known as seven sisters,

comprising of – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram,

Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya.

•Textile weaving is done by women in each state. There are more than

38 tribes in North east of India, and each may have its own distinctive

design, colour combination and a different design for some special

occasion.

•The design and colour, which varies not only between the tribes but

also sometimes between clans of the same tribe and between different

villages, records the wearer’s position in society.

• The most prominent Weaving tribes are

• Nagaland - Ao, Angami, Konyak, Chang.

• Arunachal Pradesh- Apatani, Sherdukpen and

Monpas.

• Assam-Bodo,Mishin, Miri

• Manipur- Meitei

•Every woman learns to weave

to clothe herself and her family

on the simple back-strap loom.

The warp beam is usually securely fixed to the wall of the

house. Weaving can begin as soon as the first fruit of the

new rice have been eaten.

The back strap loom is also

known as Indonesian tension

loom or loin loom.

The strap supports the small of

their back and enables her to

maintain the tension of the warp.

RAW MATERIAL USED

Shawls were originally made of cotton and

the use of wool came much later.

COLORS USED

The colors used was mainly simple,

•Black

•Dark blue

•Red

•yellow

These shawls are mantles of bravery

and were worn only by warriors who

have won human heads in war and

have offered ritual sacrifices.

Manipur Textiles-Innaphi Moirangphee, Laisangphee

Phanek

Muga silk mekhala chador and Gamosha

Assamese Textiles

• The weavers from Assam weave beautiful designs on the borders of their mekhlas, chaddars, rihas (traditional garments used by the women) and gamosas (towels).

• Designs are inspired from the carvings of Kamakhya temple and Madan Gopal temple.

• The patterns generally involve animals, human figures, flowers, birds and diamonds. The designs in Assam are symbolic of the different tribes and ethnic groups of the area.

• The weavers of Sualkuchi weave beautiful Mekhala Chador in Muga silk.

Muga silk mekhala chador and Gamosha

• The weavers from Assam weave beautiful designs on the borders of their mekhlas, chaddars, rihas (traditional garments used by the women) and gamosas (towels).

• The patterns generally involve animals, human figures, flowers, birds and diamonds. The designs in Assam are symbolic of the different tribes and ethnic groups of the area.

Gamocha

• As per custom, the young woman in Assamese society

has to present a self-woven bihuan (gamosa or towel) to

her beloved as a token of love, and to elders as a

symbol of respect on Bohag Bihu (New Year's Eve).

• These towels are white with patterns at both ends with

stylised forms of birds, animals, humans, flowers, foliage

and geometric motifs.