Ao Naga Loin Loom Weaving of Nagaland

The Ao Naga people of Mokokchung district, Nagaland, weave distinctive warrior shawls and ceremonial cloth on the backstrap loin loom — a device held in tension by the weaver lying on their back. The Tsungkotepsu shawl (black with red-white stripe bands) marks a man who has performed a ceremonial feast of merit, while the Rongsu shawl identifies headhunting achievement. Women also weave the Longpensu and Ojing Tsungkotepsu for their own ceremonial use. Ao weaving uses handspun cotton dyed with natural indigo and local plant dyes. The loin loom produces narrow cloth strips that are sewn together into shawl width. The weaving encodes tribal law, social hierarchy, and personal achievement in ways visible to all community members. Nagaland government craft boards support the documentation and preservation of Ao weaving patterns at risk of being lost as younger weavers learn only simplified tourist patterns.