All those red, white and black striped shawls that look same if not similar to the uninitiated have their own story to tell of tribes and their lifestyles and heroes. Weaving can begin as China bottling machine soon as the first fruit of the new rice have been eaten. These clothes in the olden days were not allowed to be woven by the commoners.Although a small state, Meghalaya’s of the three ancient hill communities: the Khasi, Jaintias and Garos. The texture and durability of the endi silk produced in Meghalaya is famous. It is an entire language in itself. It is interesting that these phanek designs are peculiar to each tribe and they wear specific designs only. Puans, somewhat like lungis, are woven in numerous designs on the traditional loin looms. The hands of man who takes part if dying are strained with the blue dye, and the smell of the dye hangs about them. Animals are terrified of blood, and consequently are very afraid of the women due to menstrual cycles. The souls of the wild animals scent this at once, and when such a man approaches, they associate him in their minds with women, become very frightened, and refuse to allow him to approach them.

They were called by different names like Thangang, Saipi-khup, Ponmongvom, and Khamtang. Similarly, there is a taboo on women in basket making: it is believed that if any woman weaves a basket, the male will be idle and timid and, as a result, he will not be successful in hunting.Even in the middle ages, the ancient Ahom (present day Assam) kings, like the nobilities of Japan, patronised silk rearing and silk weaving. The Khakloo are a small, little known tribe who claim direct relationship with the Purum Tipra — a dominant community that ruled Tripura for centuries.com. Handloom weaving is concentrated in the sub-divisions of Sadar, Soonamura, Khowai, Kailasahar and Belonia with motifs peculiar to the Chakma, Kuki, Lussai and Reang tribes. An ancient king named Trilochan (alias Subrai) was a great patron and he married many girls only to honour their skills. The main feature of Tripura handlooms is vertical and horizontal stripes with scattered embroidery in different colours, and designs are tribe peculiar. It is so ironical that so many of them wouldn’t even have chance to wear some of the fabulous textiles they helped create. In the women’s market in Imphal, Manipur, which is in full swing at the crack of dawn, women from many parts of the hills and, of course, the valley have reserved spaces where they bring the vibrant phaneks (lungi-like apparel worn by women) woven by them and further embellished by intricate embroidery on them to sell.

There were some with neutral "temple" designs that could be sported by anyone. In Arunachal Pradesh too, there has not been much external influence on the designs of the textiles although there has been some borrowing of motifs from neighbouring areas.It is handloom week and, for a diehard handloom fan like me, it gives me greatest pleasure to see the lead taken by the textile minister, Smriti Irani, to take forward the struggle to make handlooms the first choice for apparel especially among the younger people. Women do spinning and weaving only. I have myself given a shot at weaving with a local girl and it is more difficult than it looks! When cloth is being dyed, a whole lot of restrictions of food including not eating strong smelling foods and purity and cleanliness of body are observed. Hence, a man who helps his wife to dye cloth is always unlucky in the chase. The important centre for weaving endi silk is Sonidan, a village of about hundred bamboo huts. Besides Sonidan, women in other villages carry out endi silk weaving. Till date, I regret not buying an exquisite silk phanek in emerald green with brick red temples and matching chador that a woman weaver was selling in that market.

In Mizoram too, there are a number of craftspeople and skilled artisans as weaving is an internal part of the Mizo culture and the women learn how to weave at an early age. Naga tribes weave their specific sashes, shawls and other textiles, with designs peculiar to each tribe. Moreover, the production of jainsen (typical Meghalaya women’s wear) with local mulberry silk has also been introduced. It was feared that the cloth might attract snakes to the weavers. Only the chief’s and the official’s families were allowed to weave these clothes. Mulberry silk was exclusively reserved for royalty, the muga for nobleman and the eri for commons – possibly because of the textures, purity of silk and lifestyles. Incidentally, similar is the case in Manipur and other parts of the Northeast where the loin loom is in use. The reason why participation in dyeing results in bad luck in the chase is rather complicated. Cotton would be abundantly produced in the Jhoom fields in the hills. And the initiative to turn the spotlight on the role played by women in the entire weaving process is really noteworthy. The Tripura women and even the princesses excelled in weaving coloured and richly embroidered cotton clothes.

It was obligatory on the part of certain castes of rear silkworms, reel the yarns and practice weaving almost as a household activity. The colour and texture of the fabric is still vivid in my memory even after two decades! In subsequent visits I made it a point to visit the market but never found anything as breathtaking! In Nagaland almost exclusively wool and cotton is woven in small portable looms and since only narrow pieces can be woven on it, they are joined together. In Tripura, till as late as the 19th century, every family had a loom, irrespective of caste or community. The cotton is grown in the jhoom. I was warned by my local travel companions to never speak about it in jest. It is forbidden for men to take any part in the operation, as it is feared that any man who participates in spinning or weaving will be struck by lightning. I put all this information to great use by creating panels covered with sitlapati mats from Tripura, phaneks from Manipur, bamboo baskets from Mizoram, miniature swords and spears from Nagaland and art from the entire Northeast to stunning effect — perhaps one of my most creative exhibition designs so far. Weaving is the traditional occupation and the exclusive monopoly of Garo women and pursued by almost every family. Perhaps least known in other parts of the country are the vibrant and exquisite textile traditions of the Northeast.

I have shared some really joyful moments in my extensive travels in the interiors of Northeast especially Assam with women weavers who went about creating saris, mekhla chadors as they sat under almost ramshackle thatched roofs with their rather basic looms weaving the most intricate dreams so joyfully, laughing, singing and cracking jokes. The most popularly woven textile is the dakmanda, worn from the waist to a little below the knee. All dyeing is done by women, and it is ana, or forbidden, for men to take part in the operation, as it is believed that any man who touches dye or a cloth that is being dyed will be unable to shoot any game, and will be especially liable to suffer from consumption.Dr Alka Raghuvanshi is an art writer, curator and artist and can be contacted on Specific designs and styles of weaving set apart the tribes with a complex hierarchy firmly in place even till date, especially at the grass-root level. After all, women play a pivotal role in the process of weaving and spinning and in some areas like the Northeast and many other places it is women who do most of the weaving and keep the tradition alive. It is in interesting that now it is muga that is considered to be the veritable king of silks from the region, followed by pat and eri.A few years ago, the Lalit Kala Akademi was holding the Octave festivals of all the north-eastern states and I was curating and designing an art show for them. The motifs, designs and patterns, however, are quite complex and their symbolic meaning and usages are rather significant.The clothes the Kuki-Chin tribe women from Tripura wove in the past had designs that were copied from the skins of snakes. Many of these beliefs might seem quaint, but this is a living reality with the weaving communities there and taken rather seriously. It was also forbidden to put on these clothes while crossing a big river