Lotha Naga yarn spinning in Wokha, Nagaland
This My India
2019-04-25
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A Lotha Naga woman stretching yarns on a spin wheel at Longsa village, Wokha District...
The technique of Spinning in Nagaland is known to every woman in the state and they are real experts at it. The art of spinning textile in Nagaland is an integral part of the north-eastern state's culture and tradition. The spindle is also handmade and primitive in nature. From the spindle, the yarn is rolled on a stick, which is double T- shaped. Then the thread is unwound and soaked in hot rice-water. Due to this, the yarn hardens as it dries. After it has completely dried, it is coiled onto a frame of light bamboo. Finally, the thread is encircled into a ball and the yarn is all ready for dyeing and weaving. This is the original and handmade process of yarn spinning in Nagaland. Now-a-days, spinning machines are also introduced in the state to increase the speed of the work, as the method of hand-spun yarn is time consuming.
The first step of 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.
Traditionally, Manipuri tribal weavers used to weave traditional dress on loin loom to cater to the local demands and requirements only. Today, products woven on this loom have good demand. The traditional dresses, bags and dresses of various designs are exquisite and are always visitor's delight.
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
This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM 1080i High Definition, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at wfi @ vsnl.com and [email protected]
The technique of Spinning in Nagaland is known to every woman in the state and they are real experts at it. The art of spinning textile in Nagaland is an integral part of the north-eastern state's culture and tradition. The spindle is also handmade and primitive in nature. From the spindle, the yarn is rolled on a stick, which is double T- shaped. Then the thread is unwound and soaked in hot rice-water. Due to this, the yarn hardens as it dries. After it has completely dried, it is coiled onto a frame of light bamboo. Finally, the thread is encircled into a ball and the yarn is all ready for dyeing and weaving. This is the original and handmade process of yarn spinning in Nagaland. Now-a-days, spinning machines are also introduced in the state to increase the speed of the work, as the method of hand-spun yarn is time consuming.
The first step of 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.
Traditionally, Manipuri tribal weavers used to weave traditional dress on loin loom to cater to the local demands and requirements only. Today, products woven on this loom have good demand. The traditional dresses, bags and dresses of various designs are exquisite and are always visitor's delight.
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
This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM 1080i High Definition, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at wfi @ vsnl.com and [email protected]
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