Home

Manipuri Hand Weaving Art

(1 vote, average: 4.00 out of 5)

A major industry in Manipur is the Textile industry where silk and cotton cloths are woven on looms and large quantities of cotton cloth are imported as well. Various colors like black, orange, red, pink, green and yellow are used to die cotton yarn. Geometric shaped blocks and stripes are put together to form artistic designs which are arranged in a vertical and horizontal manner and these blocks are full with small workings of similar designs.

Laichamphi is the name by which this craft is recognized and the pace of color is maintained in bands. Loin loom is a particular kind of weaving which fulfills only local demand needs.

Towards the south of Nagaland lies a lonely gorge-shaped region, called Manipur. The tribal traditions form a major part of the culture and this came from the Vaishnav influence in Bengal.

Many kings ruled for many years here resulting in a classy culture that the valley has developed and the force of this culture can be seen in areas near Imphal. The areas round the Nagas have a unique tribal pattern style. There is a shikhara, a pattern of a temple and a motif full of dots printed on the Morangfi sarees which are woven in white and the belief is that the Morangfi Goddess formed this particular pattern.

The people here wear a vast range of shawls and they have modified many old ancient designs for use as tablecloths and bed-covers.

Tripura has its own tradition and it is on the east side of Bangladesh. Rihas, which is a cloth by which women cover their upper body, have complex designs woven on them with generally a black, blue or reddish background. Over this, shapes and designs of floral motifs or stars relating to some meaning are woven.

Young children are told tales regarding weaving that proves how important this craft is in the lives of the Manipuri tribals. The story of Cinderella is often interpreted by how beautifully a girl designed and wove a serpent, which in turn bit her on her neck. A riha woven by a girl is part of the wedding rituals where she is wearing the same Riha, further proving its significance.

Since their childhood, girls are taught this art. Most of the families safeguard their designs by weaving many samples in their unique way with the help of bamboo, which helps in rolling and storing them for centuries.

Comments