Textiles of Meghalaya

The picturesque land of Meghalaya has a rich tradition of weaving. The textiles woven and worn by the people of these tribes reflect a variety in terms of materials and weaving processes. The traditional lower garment for both men and women of Meghalaya is a wrapper draped in different styles. The upper garments include shirts, jackets, shawls and others. Meghalaya is also well-known for its traditional Eri silk weaving practices. 

This state is home to three major tribes - Khasi, Jaintia and Garo. The Khasi people mostly live in the Khasi Hills division of Meghalaya. Ryndia, a shawl woven with Eri silk, is a popular textile here. Jainpien is a rectangular piece of thick cotton fabric with stripes. It is a lower garment of Khasi women. They also wear a long sleeved blouse called Sopti Mukmor. The colours of the blouse mostly include red, violet, green and black. The Khasi women also use a yellow or saffron coloured silk cloth called Dhara. It is worn on the right shoulder and fastened over the left shoulder with pins. 

Jainboh is a lower garment worn by the men of this community. It reflects a border work with golden threads. The Khasi men also wear a black sleeveless jacket called Jymphong. This jacket has eye-catching art of embroidery with colourful motifs of flowers, leaves and animals. Jainspong khor is a head-dress of the Khasi men. The designs on the Jainspong khor include geometric figures and different animal motifs. 

The textiles of the Jaintias and the Khasis have several similarities. The Jaintia women also wear a lower garment called Jainpien and a long sleeved blouse known as Sopti Mukmor like the Khasis. However, they wear a distinct wrapper called Thoh Saru, which is made of Eri silk. 

Like the Khasi men, the Jaintia men also wear the Jainboh as a lower garment. Besides this, they wear a white shirt called Soptipohlieh and a waistcoat called Putoi. The use of head-dress seems to have a great significance among the Jaintia men. They mostly use Tupia Jain and Jainspenglieh as their head-dress. Tupia Jain is a black cap, while Jainspenglieh is a white turban made of Eri silk.

The Garo people of Meghalaya have a rich variety of textiles. They mostly live in the Garo Hills division of the state. The Garo women wear different types of lower wrappers including Dakmanda and Daksai. These garments are usually designed with elaborate borders and different flower motifs. Re’king and Kore Kinga are two types of underskirts worn by the Garo women. Kotip is a traditional turban used by both men and women here. 

Gantap is a lower garment of the Garo men. They also use a black T-shirt called Genji Gisim. The use of head-dress is very prominent across the state of Meghalaya. The Garo men also use a popular headgear called Kadesil. The headman of a Garo village wears a silk turban called Kotip Nokma.