KHIAMUNGAN NAGA MAN'S BODY CLOTH/SHAWL

Description

Great for the northern climates as winter approaches, this newly made Khiamungan Naga man’s shawl will keep you warm as well as decorate a table, sofa, bed or wall space. Completely hand woven of acrylic fiber, now used by the Nagas instead of wool and in most cases cotton, this textile is a reproduction of an original, traditional Khiamungan tribe man’s body cloth. Among the Naga tribes, costume was one of the main ways in which the headhunting tribes of Nagaland distinguished themselves from each other, and the textile designs were the most distinctive part of the costume as far as tribal identification.
The stripes, border designs and overlaid red squares, indicative of original dog’s hair patches on older, traditional body cloths, are mostly singular to the Chang, Khiamungan and Sangtam tribes, although the visually strong black/white/red color scheme in this piece is particular to the Khiamungan. This design is absolutely original and traditional, unlike many of the textiles alleged to be Naga that are seen in the marketplace today. The cloth measures approximately 77” x 51”.