Identification Of Apparel, Textile, Print, Embroidery, Fabric, Accessory & Craft

Arunachal Pradesh

IntroductionThe state of Arunachal Pradesh is an exotic collection of socio-cultural life that blends many types of cultures, and traditions.Arunachal consists of different tribes, each have their own way of presenting their garments. Tribes such as:• Apatani• Adi• Nyishi• Galo• Monpa• Sherdukpen While most tribes are ethnically similar, having derived from the same ancestors, their geographical separation has brought in the different customs in dressing styles.

ApparelThe Monpas are famous for their skullcap, which is decorated with laces and fringes. The women wear long jacket in combination with full sleeve chemise.  A long and narrow strip of cloth keeps chemise tied to their waist and in place.

Caps decorated with beautiful peacock feathers are another common part of dressing of this region.

The dressing style is specifically known as “Crinoline of Cane Rings”, which covers the upper part of their body and is a replacement for blouse.

Also, one cannot fail to notice how the females there tie their hair in knot just above the forehead.

• The common traditional attire of Sherdukpen males is sleeveless silk material, having its two edges pinned at the shoulder region.  This costume is normally knee length.  The important part of their dressing is a gurdam skullcap which is decorated with yak’s hair.

The females of this sect, adorn themselves with knee length garments which are collarless and sleeveless.  They also wear waist cloth and embroidered full-sleeves jacket commonly known as Mushaiks. 

TextileThe traditional garments of Arunachal doesn’t require much fabric as there is almost no external influence on the textile of Arunachal. Nevertheless, Arunachal is still rich in Wool, cotton, silk, cane and warp. Usage of these fabrics

Print• The textile patterns and prints found among the

tribes of Arunachal Pradesh such as Adi, Mishmi and Apatani are invariably of geometric pattern. Most popular motives are Zig-Zag lines and angular designs.

• Contrasts and combination of colours are quite different. The highly disciplined Adi and Apatani concentrate on simple straight line, while the strongly individualistic Mishmis go in for great celebration of pattern. 

• The Apatani

concentrate on simple designs and simple straight lines. The ordinary Apatani cloth gets in effect from a use of broad bands alternating with narrow lines, nearly always horizontal.

In the Mishmi tribe, the most characteristic shawls generally have an essential deign of stripes and bands of contrasting blacks, reds and blues.

Diamond designs have been brought to the highest degree of elaboration. It has been arranged in every possible combination.

Some designs are interpreted as a frog, the human figure with head, the head of a Dao, an eye, scales of fish, clouds trailed across the sky, a river and the rainbow.

In Mishmi bags and skirts, a grid pattern is so coloured to form crosses composed of five squares.

AccessoryBody modification is nothing new in among the tribals of Arunachal.The women of the Apatani tribe have been using massive nose plugs since ancient times. In the middle of the 20th century, this tradition began to die. In fact, no Apatani woman born after 1970 practices the nose plug custom.

Belts are an important part of costumes for Adi women, as it is a symbolic representation of the social and marital status of girl.Unmarried and married Adi women wear different types of belts around their waist.

married unmarried

Craft

Traditional ornamental products like grass beads necklace are also crafted and worn by the people.

Arunachal Pradesh has a rich tradition of Bamboo and Cane Handicrafts and also wood Carving and Carpet Weaving.

The carpet making are one of the most important occupation in the districts of Tawang.Tangkha painting is one of the most artistic craft, it is prevalent mainly in Buddhist dominatedThe utility of the painting is mostly religious subject along with traditional value.