Tribal hand woven fabrics of Manipur
- Part 15 -

By: Mutua Bahadur *

Tarao

The Tarao use at least eight kinds of cloths. They include men’s cloth, Leijing (Fig. 159); Punthelona and women’s cloth, Lukphaivum (Fig. 134); Punsil, Phurekthing; Punshiljee, Lungakkhu and Leingamshun (Fig. 133). The whole body of the Leijing is decorated using extra weft to have the Durpi (python) patterns. The cloth is reserved for the elders. Punthelona is a combination of red, black and white stripes.

The end border area has extra weft designs of white colour. Punthelona shawl can be used by both men and women. Women’s shawl, Lukphaivum, is a black cloth having orange colour side margin and extra weft design in red, white, yellow in the end border. Punsil and Punshiljee are fanek striped in black, red and blue. Punsil (Fig. 150) is decorated with extra weft but Punshiljee is simple and has no designs.

While the latter can be worn at any time, the former is taboo during the defiled period of the menses. Phurekthing (Fig. 135) is a black fanek with the border decorated with extra weft designs. Lungakkhu (Fig. 136) is white and has wide bands of black and red in the border. On the white portion, there are patterns of an insect living on the leave of a tree. It is the fanek of unmarried ladies. Extra weft designs made in red, yellow and black are distributed throughout the white body of a married women’s shawl called Leingamshun.

Thadou

The Thadou have at least six different kinds of traditional cloths. They are men’s cloth, Saipikhup, Mongvom (Fig. 139) and women’s cloth, Saipikhup, Nineljem, Thangnang, Khamtang, (Fig. 137, 138), etc.

The Saipikhup used by both men and women are made of interlacing designs on the black base of the cloth. But the designs on the cloth used by each of the sex, are different. Saipikhup (Fig. 141) worn by men has designs of Saipikhup (elephant’s knee), Changmaimu (cucumber seed), Sumtung (pestle), etc. The cloth under the same title but used by the other sex comprises of the designs of Saipikhup and Changmaimu only.

Mongvom is a white cloth reserved as men’s wear which has extra weft designs on the border. The characteristic designs of this cloth are a vessel made of gourd and a musical instrument made of bamboo called Gosemjamg. Nineljem (Fig. 164) is for women’s use, which is black in colour and has extra weft designs. Thangnang (Fig. 140) is a shawl. It has patterns of cucumber seed and Thaknang (an insect on tree).

Between these two patterns there is a blank gap which is regarded as the space for python. Khamtang, a fanek of the Thadou, is black and side borders are decorated with extra warp designs of yellow, red and white. But the cloth is longitudinally bordered with extra weft design of Linglukhuhjem (spike).

See a gallery photo of Tribal hand woven fabrics of Manipur here.

To be continued ....

Mutua Bahadur

* Mutua Bahadur contributes to e-pao.net regularly. This article was webcasted on March 18, 2013.