A participant tries her hand at weaving during the workshop at Weavers Place, Diezephe Village on July 21. (Morung Photo)

Morung Express News Diezephe | July 21

At the Weavers Place in Diezephe village, one of the first things that stood out was the lively chatter of young girls.

Under a bamboo shed, women gathered with a group of young girls to trace ancestral knowledge and memories — and they do this using cotton.

Some of the organic tree cotton that helps them reconnect has been carefully ginned, cleaned and the combed into a soft material that will be easier to spin and work with, while some are still in its raw form.

While the practice of spinning and weaving has dwindled in the Naga society, as other work took precedence, most of the women gathered here have some knowledge of the activity. They have learned by observing their own mothers, grandmothers, and other women in their communities.

The gathering was initiated by an organisation called the Exotic Echo Society in the form of a three-day workshop for young people. The inaugural session for the workshop was held on Thursday.

A total of 21 girls, between the ages of 9 to 15, registered for the workshop which was conceptualised with the primary goal of reviving and helping strengthen ancestral knowledge about the ancient craft of loinloom weaving and Indigenous methods of processing cotton.

Sharing intergenerational knowledge According to Vitono Gugu Haralu who represents the Exotic Echo Society, the project attempts to foster acts of knowledge sharing across generations, as elderly hands guide young ones through the creation process.

Along these lines, the young weavers were divided into groups and each group will be mentored by five master weavers from the Society. A team from the Yoruba Self-Help Group Federation led by Vesholu Nyekha will also be guiding the budding weavers through the process of ginning, spinning and dyeing using indigenous plants and methods.

“It is a privilege to pass on traditional knowledge to the younger generation,” Nyekha said, while addressing the formal inaugural programme for the workshop.

A weaver and President of the cotton growers association in Yoruba, Nyekha spoke briefly about the importance of preserving cultural heritage and how the practice of using home-grown cotton to weave clothes for the entire family has died out with the introduction of western-style clothing. 

While some changes are inevitable, “We must remember that our culture will vanish if we do not practice it. And right now, we need to retrace our steps and relearn our way of life and one way of doing that is to start growing and processing our own cotton,” she asserted.

Nyekha and her team also showcased various indigenous plants that are used traditionally used by the Chakhesang community to dye the cotton yarn and shared concerns on how the plants are now becoming scarce as people are no longer preserving them.

In this regard, she shared that various organisations have been conducting workshops on natural plant based dyes, however, most of the plants that are introduced during those programmes are not found in ‘our forests.’ “We must find a way to not only use but also preserve our natural dye resources, without which our weaving will perish,” she underscored.

Reclaiming ownership of cultural heritage On the occasion, special guest Kekhrievor Kevichusa, Commissioner & Secretary for Industries and Commerce, lauded the Yoruba community for reviving cotton growing and said he was encouraged to see community members taking up the initiative to teach others.

While noting that not everyone who participates in the workshop would go on to become weavers, he underscored that such programmes can serve as a foundation for the youth to participate in propagating culture.

Underscoring the need for the Naga people to reclaim their cultural heritage and the narratives around it, Kevichusa said that it was important for artisans and weavers to maintain originality and embrace indigenous methods that are distinctive to the culture. 

The Commissioner also informed that the Nagaland Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd has initiated a process for documentation of Naga textiles as a way of preserving cultural heritage.

He stated that his presence at the workshop was to ‘see for myself and understand what it is like at the grassroots,’ and encouraged the young weavers to take pride in their culture and put the knowledge gained from the workshop to good use. The Exotic Echo Society is ensuring that the ownership remains with the Naga people by being a conduit for weavers to continue practicing their craft, he added.

Similarly, former journalist and conservationist Bano Haralu viewed that weaving is a very crucial part of the very existence and identity of the Nagas as a people. The weaving culture has been dying out, but there is still hope because young people like the ones gathered here today are going back to the roots and showing interest in sustaining traditional arts and crafts, she added.

Earlier, members of CHILDLINE Dimapur also conducted a session with the participants, creating awareness on the 1098 toll-free helpline, how and when to make use of the help line, and ways for them to seek help when they face difficult situations.

Dear readers, give suggestion on what practical and concrete initiatives the communities in Nagaland should take for revitalization and development of Naga indigenous languages.

The Morung Express is a people-oriented alternative newspaper based in Nagaland that was conceived from the Naga people’s historical realities and is guided by their voices and experiences. It emerged from the well-recognized concept that the core of a free press is based on “qualitative and investigative” journalism. Ensuring this is essential for contributing to an informed Naga public that makes sound decisions on issues that affect all spheres of life.