Tangkhul Naga Shawl Ukhrul Manipur Heritage Weaving

The Tangkhul Naga of Ukhrul district in Manipur weave distinctive handloom textiles that function as social identity markers in Tangkhul society — specific shawl patterns encode the wearer clan, age group, and social achievements in the same way as Ao Naga textiles. The Tangkhul traditional dress for men is the kharuiphee shawl in white cotton with maroon-red supplementary weft bands and the nrai loincloth. Women wear the phee skirt in dark blue-black with red and yellow pattern bands. Tangkhul textiles are woven on the loin loom by women using pre-dyed cotton and silk thread in the supplementary weft technique that creates the patterned bands across the plain fabric base. The diamond and geometric motifs in Tangkhul shawls are connected to the traditional animist cosmology of the Tangkhul before Christianity. Contemporary Ukhrul handloom cooperatives produce Tangkhul shawls in both heritage ceremonial weights and lighter fashion versions for urban markets. The craft revival has been supported by the Manipur government handloom department and national craft fairs. Tangkhul shawls have been featured at Indian diaspora cultural events in USA and UK.