TSA Textile Research Travel Grant Recipient Article: The Tribal Weavers of Nagaland and the Traditions They Continue to Sustain.

Author: Dr. Nisaphi Lyndem, 2025 TSA Textile Research Travel Grant Awardee

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Across India’s diverse cultural landscape, tribal communities have safeguarded some of the oldest living traditions. Among them, the indigenous groups of Nagaland, in North east India, stand out for their profound textile heritage; an inheritance shaped by memory, identity, and an unbroken dialogue between land and people. These communities, often residing in remote and hilly regions, have historically survived through close contact with nature. Yet despite their resilience, they remain among the most vulnerable populations in the country, balancing centuries-old practices with the pressures of modernity and cultural erosion.

Naga weaving holds a place of exceptional importance among the varied craft traditions of these communities. Distinguished by its geometric motifs, weaving precision, and deep cultural symbolism, Naga textile art is not merely decorative, it is a living language. For generations, weaving has been an integral part of Naga tribal life, carried forward almost entirely by women. Using the backstrap or loin loom–a compact and ancient loom–they create textiles that can be read like narratives, each thread carrying fragments of cultural memory. 

Yet today, the cultural significance of these textiles is increasingly fragile. Intricate shawls that once signified wealth, bravery, status, or rite of passage are gradually losing visibility among younger generations. Researchers and community leaders fear that without thoughtful revival and reinterpretation, a deep well of cultural knowledge may slip into obscurity. 

It is within this context that my research seeks to intervene. The study focuses on understanding the textiles of Nagaland through the eyes of their original custodians. At its core, the research asks: How do the people to whom these textiles belong feel about the contemporisation of these cloths? How do they view cultural reappropriation, reinterpretation, and the global interest that surrounds their woven traditions? By foregrounding their voices, the research aims to document the significance of motifs, tribal identity markers, and gendered symbolism woven into each textile. It further explores how these traditional textiles, when being adapted into contemporary products, carry intended consequences for cultural authenticity.

Existing literature has provided valuable insights into Naga textile motifs and associations. However, it has not fully addressed the evolving relationship between wearer and textile. Over time, the social status attached to many shawls has shifted, producing layers of socio-cultural reappropriation that are often overlooked. My research seeks to bridge this gap by tracing how meaning has changed, and continues to evolve through lived experiences of Naga communities. 

The significance of this research has been further recognized through the TSA Textile Research Travel Grant Award, supporting work that will culminate in a book dedicated to Naga textiles. The central aim is to document fragile, often undocumented knowledge while establishing frameworks for ethical collaborations and culturally sensitive product diversification. In a global climate increasingly conscious of cultural appropriation, such efforts are essential.

During field visits, I examined local museums, weaving clusters, and worked with individual master weavers. Many community museums, though proud repositories of heritage, lack extensive collections; countless textiles were lost to time, displacement, religious conversion movements, or transferred to foreign museums during the colonial period. What remains is precious and precarious.

The most profound insights, however, emerged from the weavers themselves. As master weaver Chilo Koza shares in an interview, speaking on behalf of the community, their words reveal the deep emotional significance that textiles hold within Naga culture.

“Our weaving is slow because it respects time, spirit, and nature.”
A single shawl may require weeks, not because the process is outdated, but because it is sacred. 

“We weave to preserve our land and culture, not just for income.”
Each textile functions as a cultural archive, a quiet resistance to forgetting.

“Every sale supports our village, not a factory.”
The craft sustains communities, especially women, offering dignity beyond economics.

“We weave stories that were never written down.”
In the absence of written histories, textiles become the carriers of ancestral narratives.

These voices reminded us why the research matters so deeply. Naga weaving is a vessel of collective memory, a marker of identity, and a bridge between generations. 

This research is a personal act of listening and unlearning, shaped by walking Naga landscapes, sharing time with weavers, and allowing textiles to speak for themselves; so documentation becomes dialogue, preservation becomes participation, and scholarship carries humility, care, and ethical responsibility forward.

Dr. Nisaphi Lyndem is a researcher, educator, and writer with a PhD in Design, specialising in Indigenous Textiles and Anthropology. Her doctoral research explores cultural representation in Angami and Sangtam textiles of Nagaland. She advocates ethical recognition of minority textiles, women’s empowerment through handloom weaving, and holistic, sustainable livelihoods via education and cultural advocacy.