Contents
- Traditional Dress of Arunachal Pradesh
- Weaving/Handloom of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is known for its colourful costumes and accessories and its own unique style of dressing which stands out distinctly in the midst of all other states.
Traditional Dresses of Arunachal Pradesh
The traditional dresses of the state of Arunachal Pradesh are vibrant and very colorful, owing to the fact that each of the 26 different tribes of the state has its distinctive style of dressing. The primary features are as follows:
o Monpas- The traditional women’s attire is a sleeveless chemise, along with a jacket. The women of the Sherdukpen tribe wear waist clothes known as Mushaiks and skull caps known as Gurdams, which are made of Yak hair.
o Adi Tribe- Galae is worn by both the genders of this tribe and particularly men wear helmets carved out of deer and bear skins and canes. The unmarried women wear a unique jewelry known as Beyop. The traditional dress of the tribal women is crinoline that resembles a blouse.
o Naga or Tangsa- The men usually wear green colored Lungis, with white, yellow or red sleeveless shirts. The women usually wear attractive linen blouse.
o Accessories- Accessories are very significant for the tribal women and are unique to each and every tribe. The most common accessories are earrings and silver rings. They are intricately designed with bamboo bits and are embellished with beads and turquoises.
Weaving/Handlooms of Arunachal Pradesh
Even in this modern contemporary period, the tribal people of Arunachal Pradesh still prefer indigenous organic products. This preference has led to a thriving weaving and handloom industry in Arunachal Pradesh. Even the handloom instruments used are pretty basic and simple. The raw materials used are goat hair, human hair, tree barks etc. This wide adaptation of ethnic wears and accessories, makes the state a unique ground for diverse indigenous weaving crafts. The design patterns and mechanisms are unique to the particular tribes and therefore there is the existence of numerous design elements in the tribal craft of the state. The colors preferred by the local craftsmen are dark blue, scarlet, yellow, emerald, black etc.
Natural dyes, extracted from trees, barks, flowers and seeds, are extensively used. However, owing to the time factor, synthetic dyes are steadily replacing the natural dyes. Lungis, handbags, skirts and various other clothes are produced using these dyes. Nowadays, even cotton and other yarn varieties are being preferred instead of wool.