Indigenous and tribal wear

What it is and who wears it

India has many adivasi communities, each with its own cloth, and it would be wrong to describe one dress as tribal. In Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, Santhal, Oraon, Munda and Ho women wear a woven wrap or saree, often white with a bold red or coloured border, tied in a way that suits work in the field. The cloth is mostly cotton, sometimes tussar, and is woven by community weavers or bought from local markets. In many communities the wrap is worn daily, and a finer one is kept for festivals such as Sarhul, Karma and Sohrai.

Jharkhand and Bengal: the Santhal sari

The Santhal sari, often called the Santhali, is a cotton cloth, usually white or cream, with a bright, striped or checked border in red, blue, green or yellow, woven on local handlooms. It is tied around the body and over the shoulder, and is worn for daily work and for festivals and weddings. Tussar silk is also woven in Santhal and other tribal areas of Jharkhand, and tribal women's cooperatives have helped bring their cloth to wider markets. Designs and borders differ between villages and between communities, so a Santhal saree from Dumka and one from Bankura may look quite different.

Odisha: Kotpad and the Dongria Kondh

Kotpad, in Koraput district, is known for its handwoven cotton cloth dyed with the roots of the aal tree, which gives a deep brown, red or black, with simple motifs woven in the border. The cloth is worn by tribal communities of the region, including the Bhatra, and has a geographical indication. The Dongria Kondh of the Niyamgiri hills are famous for their embroidered shawls, called kapdaganda, stitched by women in bright triangles and lines, worn by both women and men on special occasions. Other Odisha communities, such as the Bonda and Gadaba, have their own woven wraps and sarees.

The north-east: mekhela chador and wraps

In Assam, tribal and non-tribal women wear the mekhela chador, a two-piece dress in which a long wrapped skirt is worn with a draped cloth, in Muga, Pat, Eri or cotton, and the Bodo, Mising, Karbi and Tiwa have their own versions, such as the Bodo dokhona and the Mising mekhela with ege and gasing. In Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya and Arunachal, women wear woven wraps, such as the Mizo puan, the Naga shawls and the Manipuri phanek, whose patterns tell the community and the clan of the maker. These are generally wraps rather than sarees, and are woven on a backstrap loom by women.

Buying and respecting the craft

Many adivasi textiles are woven by women, and a purchase can reach them directly if you buy from a cooperative or craft emporium. Ask the community and village of origin, and be wary of mill-printed copies that borrow motifs from tribal cloths. Some designs, such as the Dongria Kondh shawl, are linked to community identity and should be bought with respect. Wash natural-dyed cloth separately in cold water and dry in shade. If you are visiting a village, ask before taking photographs of women at work, and do not take or wear festival dress without permission.

Worth knowing

• Santhal sari: The cotton saree of the Santhal communities, with a bright border.
• Kotpad: Aal-dyed handloom cotton of southern Odisha.
• Kapdaganda: The embroidered shawl of the Dongria Kondh.
• Mekhela chador: The two-piece dress of Assam.
• Mizo puan: The woven wrap of Mizoram.
• Phanek: The woven wrap worn by Manipuri women.
• Tussar silk: A wild silk woven in the tribal belt of Jharkhand and Odisha.

Good to know

• Wash natural-dyed cloth separately in cold water and dry in shade.
• Buy from cooperatives or craft emporia so the maker is paid.
• Ask permission before photographing women or festival dress.

Sources and further reading

• Kotpad Handloom fabrics on Wikipedia
• Mekhela sador, Wikipedia
• Dongria Kondh, Wikipedia