Covering our body be due to style or as essential requirement We have a started thousands and thousands years back either with hides of animals or with barks of various trees. story of Adam and Eve who became naked when they consumed forbidden fruit offered by Satan and thereafter tried to cover their body first by hand then by leaves and finally with barks. Spinning the yarn from various natural fibres however started not for requirement of our fabrics but by fisherman who first spun yarn to knit fishing nets to catch fish. Therefore the two essential terms Roti and Kapda had linkage during ancient days.
North Eastern India, otherwise known as the land of Seven Sisters is a unique land which is home of various ethnic groups. It may be considered as mini world or a replica of our planet since almost all the world religions, culture, ethnicity and technology are existing here, obviously it is meant textile technology. Yet the land is facing unique problem of war and insurgency while the creativity and craft also flourish-ed. Historically the land was never in peace and always used to have turmoil as we see today. The same situation prevail-ed even during epic era as described in various legends. There-fore concept of insurgency is never new to India's North East.
In respect of textile technology the land has unique features. Starting from raw meterial angle it gives us cotton and rhamie the two unique vegetable fibres that gives us supirior fabrics. The land also produces cloth with varies counts. Though upto limited extent it also gives us woollen garments with highest degree of quality. It is the only land in entire world where all four varieties of silk viz, Mulberry, Muga, Endi and Tassar is available. There are also unique types of bark fibres found in this region which are not available elsewhere.
Technically too, the people of this land could develop the technology in their own way with varied degree and as on today we find various forms of textile technology are found in these seven tiny states. It is despite the fact that the land was neglected both by British rulers as well as Government of Independent India, no matter what has been claimed. In respect of cotton right from hand picking of seeds to traditional roller gin, upto modern gin have been found in various places of North Eastern India.
Similarly technology of spinning rights from drop spindle, spinning wheel, ambar charkha, six spindle charkha and modern spinning mills exists. In respect of rhamie they continue with retting method and decortification and finally spun into yarn in their own way. In respect of silk spinning, drop spindle, improvised chowdhury charkha, new model charkha and modern spinning mill co-exists. Though filature reeling yet to arrive. traditional reeling and modern basin reeling has been adopted and co-exists. Unique features of textile technology in this land is in respect of weaving. Traditional loins loom (Indonesian tension loom). pit loom and country loom co-exists with equal honour with improvised frame loom, Nepali loom and even semi automatic loom. In some cases it is observed, the people are intelligent enough to combine two diverse technologies to form new type of loom viz, Barua loom, Manipuri loom etc. to give a new concept. What is unique being none of these implements are declared obsolete and continues with equal enthusiasm.
If any scholar therefore wants to study range of various textile technology including its stages of development he can succeed only if he studies North Eastern Indian. Even in respect of dyeing and printing this region gives the ready answer. Even the concept of Vegetable dye which has been forgotten elsewhere this region still preserved it. When demand of global market is reversing back to tradition it is further necessary to develop textile of this region.
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