Manipuri Textile from Bangladesh and Myanmar
- Production of textile -
- Part 8 -

By: Mutua Bahadur *

Production of textile

The handloom products of chadar, sari, bed sheet and pillow cover etc., with designs produced by Bangladeshi Manipuri women, arc very popular in Bangladesh and abroad. Since Bangladesh's independence in 1971, the products of Manipuri women started arriving in markets and there were shops to sell them.

Initially they were produced for home consumption and only the surplus are sold outside. The textile products of different districts have different textures and designs. Manipuri women of Sylhet district use khwang-iyong (loin-loom), while women of other districts use pan-iyong (throw shuttle loom).

Before the formation of Bangladesh, Manipuri women of Sylhet district used back-strap leno weaving. Along with leno weaving, they produced cloths for household use. From 1981 onwards they started to weave chadar using uncoiled woolen thread out of imported woolen clothes. As they started to produce chadar, they gradually abandoned the practice of leno weaving. Starting from 1997, they started using imported two-ply woolen thread instead of the uncoiled woolen thread.

After the arrival of the two-ply woolen thread, every Manipuri household women started producing many beautiful chadars and sold them in the market. Such occupations helped the Manipuri households economically. They produced chadar using khwang-iyong (loin-loom) but they produced lashing-phi also. Earlier, lashing-phi was made out of cotton rolled horizontally. Now-a-days, instead of using rolling cotton, they are using four-ply woolen threads.

To make initial preparations for weaving poles, on any free space of the house, are erected. Increase in family size and scarcity of space allowed one technique called phirubok (ped warping) to be invented in 1990 where six poles are fixed on a piece of wood which can be transported easily from one place to another.

After the use of phirubak (ped warping) weaving can be done at any free area without covering much space. However, phirubak is not used for weaving lashing-phi (cloth). To weave lashing-phi, warping is done at the same place where the weaving takes place.

While making arrangements for the warp of a loin-lpom, the woman-weaver places the tpu kanaibi (breast-bar) on her lap while she is in a sitting position, and the sanam (back-strap) is on her back side where it is fixed to the yetpu kanaibi (breast-bar).

Then, sunachei (heald bar), utong (bamboo) and yetpu (front bar) will be placed in order. The bobbins must be placed just on the right side of the weaver d the weaver takes the yarn from the bobbins and then passes it to the second woman. The second woman passes it again to the weaver after hooking the yarn on the yetpu (front bar).

Today, there is no fixed place for weaving a chadar: once it was done particularly on a manggol (verandah) of a house. Scarcity of space may force the weaving to be done either in a kitchen room or even on a bed (it being used as a bed during night and then used as a weaving space during other times).

Women in Sylhet district are usually engaged in producing cloth based on loin-loom. Manipuri women in other districts produce inaphi, peech, sari etc. by using pan-iyong (throw-shuttle loom). The production is aimed at household use and the market.

See a gallery photo of this Textile here.

To be continued ....

Mutua Bahadur

* Mutua Bahadur contributes to e-pao.net regularly. This article was webcasted on November 01, 2010.