A Lotha Naga woman stretching yarns on their loin looms at Longsa village, Wokha District...The first step in weaving in general is to stretch the warp, or longitudinal, yarns, which must be very strong. Nagas still practice the primitive weaving by using primitive tools made out of bamboo or woods and of course, the hands alone, as in making rush mats and baskets.

The Naga shawl and sarongs play a very important for the Naga people as it identifies there true identity, a tradition brought down by their ancestors and forefathers . Each tribe has its own patterns with simple clean lines, stripes, squares and bands being the most traditional design motifs. Naga fabrics retain their original attractive patterns, yet external influences on colour and design are also evident.

The looms used for weaving either shawls, scarves or sarongs are mostly narrow loin looms. To be precise, Naga loom consists of a simple back-strap with a continuous horizontal warp consisting of six sticks serving as the warp beam, lease rod, healed stick, beating sword and extra warp beam. Loin loom products mainly shawls are woven with a rayon weft. The Naga shawl weaving is done mostly with cotton, the staple fibre though some wool is used. The centre of the shawl is woven over with figures of elephants, tigers, mithun, cocks and circles, representing human heads. The fabrics are dyed in indigenous colours.

The Lotha Naga people is the name of a major Naga tribe inhabiting the Wokha district of Nagaland, India. Renowned for their colourful dances and folk songs, the male members of the Lotha tribe of Nagaland wear shawls indicating their social status. The prestigious social shawl for women is Opvuram and Longpensu for men. The main festivals of the Lothas are Tokhu Emong and Pikhuchak which are celebrated amidst much pomp and splendor. Before the arrival of Christianity, like many Nagas, the Lothas practiced headhunting in the older days. But they have given up this practice.

Scholars have proposed several theories about the migration of the Lothas and the other Naga tribes, based on vocal explanations passed on from one generation to another. They are of the opinion that Lothas either migrated from eastern China or from Manchuria.

Women from the Naga tribes of Assam, Mizoram and Manipur weave cotton on a simple narrow loom. Women in Dacca used to spin thread onto a small spindle called the tuku'a which was then used by men to weave into muslin and bleached in the sun. In contrast, the Toda tribe from southern India has no tradition of weaving. They seem to have always bought the white cloth for their putkali dress from others.

Courtesy: wikipedia & http://www.indianetzone.com/1/shawl.htm

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