Much of Arunachal Pradesh is covered by the Himalayas. Arunachal Pradesh means 'Land of the dawn-lit mountains' – in reference to its position as the easternmost state of India. It is located on the northeastern tip of India with its borders touching China, Bhutan and Myanmar.
“ Arunachal, the land of the rising sun, with its snow-clad peaks, towering mountains, roaring rivers, high altitude meadows and vast unspoiled sub-tropical forests is aptly known as the ’Last Shangri La on Earth’. Its thundering peaks, untamed rivers, gurgling waterfalls and wild forests, teeming with a dazzling array of flora and fauna, are a testament to the genius of mother nature. Few other places in the world come close to the raw, rugged beauty of Arunachal Pradesh.”
In Tirap District of Arunachal, the main tribes are the Nokteys who have no tradition of weaving. But their neighbors, the Wanchoos, who were head-hunters until about four decades ago, carry their memories of head-hunting in their woven artifacts. The wives and daughters of the Chieftains use a miniature loin-loom on which they weave ‘lengtis’ (loin-cloths) for the men and shoulder bags. On a warp of coarse cotton like fiber, designs in vivid red, orange, yellow, outlined with black are woven in. Stylized human figures stand out while there are also geometrical patterns. These designs are also replicated in the beadwork of this tribe, which is quite outstanding.
Besides the Wanchoos, the Singphos, a Buddhist tribe who migrated into Tirap from the northern parts of Burma, are also skilled weavers who continue their traditions of weaving and design, which they had brought with them. This is corroborated by comparing specimens made across the border by the ‘Chingphos’ of Burma.
Quite different in character is the style of weaving practiced by the Apatanis of the Ziro plateau in Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. While the women folk wear coarse skirts in a natural colored fiber with borders in blue, the jackets for the men are quite fashionable. On a white cotton warp, black designs are woven in wool. After a few inches, an orange thread runs horizontally through the pattern, which is quite striking. The jacket is woven in a straight piece divided into two halves on the loin-loom itself to make the two fronts. The sides are joined together leaving an opening on either side for the armholes. Incidentally, the Mishmi men also have very smart jackets woven in black with the same designs as the women’s shawls and bags-that is diamond patterns in red, pink and silver. Among the Adis, the men wear ‘galuks’ (short coats generally in green cotton or even in blue).
In Kameng district, neighboring Subansiri, the Monpas and Sherdukpens who live on a higher altitude used horses to traverse from one village to another. Now, with the advent of motor transport the horses are mostly found on the deep rose colored shawls woven in endi silk. The Monpas and Sherdukpens are Buddhists and their entire gamut of handicrafts such as the tankha paintings, the wood carvings and wooden artifacts are reminiscent of the repertoire of the Bhutanese, who follow the same techniques and use the same patterns and colors. In fact, Bhutan’s eastern boundary is coterminous with Kameng and it is believed that these designs originated in Bhutan initially. The Monpas and Sherdukpens use shoulder bags extensively and these bags are really masterpieces of the weaver’s art. Very elaborate geometrical patterns are skillfully blended and woven in shades of red, black, green, yellow, orange and white.
These examples are only illustrative of the variety and beauty of the many cloths, which emanate from the loin-looms of Arunachal Pradesh. Old designs, which are hereditary, are incorporated with newer patterns. The aeroplane, for instance, a novel sight in the Arunachal skies a few decades ago, was woven into a Mishmi shoulder bag as a stylized motif.
With deft fingers and an elementary appliance, a woman in North- East weaves magic into her hand-woven textiles.
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