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| ART & CRAFT | NAGALAND
|
"I am anxious that they
should advance ,but I have been moreanxious
that theyb
should not lose
their artistry and joy in life and the
culture that distinguish them in many
ways"-Elwin
British administration and contemporary
anthropologist also made profuse reference
about rich artistic accomplishment
of the people of Nagaland.
Even to a layman artistic designs
of the colorful dresses, the accomplished
wood curving the varied types of materials
made of the canes and the bamboos
the unique cane bridges on the turbulent
rivers the handmade painted potteries
their wooden and bamboo made homesteads
as well as the varied types of agricultural
implements used particularly for shifting
cultivation all create an impressible
impression about the artistic people
of North East.
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| Spinning,
Weaving and textile: |
The Naga clothes which are so varied
and rich in design not only serve the
b are
necessities of life  but
also reflect the socio political status
and ritual significance from very design
of the bearers. The textile weaving
varies from tribes to tribes. Cotton
is grown in plenty in Nagaland and Naga
clothes are made of local materials.
The motifs, designs, and pattern however
are quite complex and their symbolic
meanings and usages are rather significant.
They use natural dye made of tree roots
and leaves for colouring threads.
The Nagas are famous for their shawls.
Different tribes of Nagas have different
types of shawls off their own designs
and within the same tribe everybody
is not allowed to wear any type of shawls
by their choice as they signifies the
social standing own by the person.
Naga shawls are not mere wrap against
cold they are highly symbolic. Each
tribe has its own special patterns and
motifs and even
certain ceremonies are indicated in
the weaving of these beautiful wraps.
The traditional Nagas haveinnumerable
varities of shawls skirts and other
clothes with varied lengths and breadth,
the designs and colors and their combination.
Among Angami tribals, the most common
pattern in these social shawls is Lohe,
red and yellow bands on black cloth.
The lotha tribal shawls are woven into
graded pattern- a series of shawls indicating
the gennas he has performed. A naga
who has performed the stone dragging
ceremony wears the Lungpensu - five
stripes of light blue on dark blue cloth.
The Ao warrior shawl is embellished
with the deeply symbolic Mithun tiger
or elephant motif.
Weaving is one of the most colorfull
and dynamic traditions of the Nagas.
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| Wood
carving : |
A great deal of wood carving of Nagas
is associated with religious
beliefs and practices.Some of the excellent
wood carving in the territory is to
be found among the Wanchoo, Konyok and
Phom tribes living close to the Burma
border. These wood carving finds expression
mainly under three categories.
• with head hunting.
• with decorating the morungs
• the funerary images erected
for warriors or other important persons.
• the carvings are mainly
of Mithun heads, carved tigers and elephants,
warriors with guns,monkey, dogs and
dancing couples etc.
|
| Cane
and Bamboo : |
Basketry among the Nagas are highly
developed. The Angamis are expert in
producing several
 verities
of bamboo and cane works. There are
no professional basket makers. Every
man produces basket for their own domestic
use. Among the nagas the bamboo and
cane work have given way to the preparation
of furniture.
They now prepare different kind of armchairs,
sophas, tables and jhulas for babies.In
general it has been rightly said that
Naga and most of the other important
tribes of North East India "Start
life in a cradle of bamboo and ends
in a coffin of bamboo".
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| Pottery
: |
The Nagas continue to practice to make
earthen pots by hands alone without
wheel. Unlike the bamboo works pots
are produce by only few persons in few
villages. Pottery among the Nagas is
exclusively the art of woman. The woman
makes different types of functional
pots with patience with locally available
sticky plastic light brown clay.
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Wild Life & Crafts of
Assam
