Ngotekherh
 Mizo textiles on display at the Mizoram State Museum in Aizawl | |
| Year | Adopted in present form in the mid- to late nineteenth century |
|---|---|
| Type | Handwoven wrap-around textile |
| Material | Cotton (traditionally hand-spun); modern examples in acrylic and other yarns |
| On display at | Mizoram State Museum, Aizawl |
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The Ngotekherh (Ngotekherh; formerly Puanhruih) is a traditional handwoven textile of the Mizo people of Mizoram, India, identified by its plain white ground crossed by deep black transverse bands. The older name derives from the Mizo hruih (transverse stripes); the present form combines ngote, a pet name for a young boy or girl, with kherh, a near-synonym of hruih, and is generally understood to have replaced the older term as the design grew more refined.[1][2] On 6 August 2019 the Ngotekherh was registered as a Geographical Indication of Mizoram (G.I. No. 587), with the Mizoram Art & Culture Society as registered proprietor.[1]
On 6 August 2019 the Ngotekherh was registered as a Geographical Indication (GI) of Mizoram under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 as G.I. No. 587, with the Mizoram Art & Culture Society, Directorate of Art & Culture Department, as registered proprietor.[1]
In its earliest documented form the Ngotekherh was a plain white rectangular cloth crossed by only two black transverse stripes, each three to four inches wide and set roughly a third of the cloth's length from either edge.[1] The pattern subsequently developed thick black borders along the long edges of the cloth, framed by several thinner black stripes, with further inward stripes added according to the weaver's preference.[2] The textile is woven in a warp-faced plain weave on a traditional loin loom (puanbu), although fly-shuttle frame looms now account for most production; quality is judged chiefly by the absence of white streaks in the black bars and by the smoothness of the hruih itself. Modern examples are also produced in red-on-white and blue-on-white combinations, and a variant with stripes set closer to the centre is known as Tlangtial Ngotekherh.[1][2]
The Ngotekherh was particularly associated with the wealthier strata of Mizo society in the late nineteenth century, when it was worn by both sexes as a body wrap. Following the establishment of British administration over the Lushai Hills in the 1890s, Mizo men progressively adopted Western dress, while women retained the textile as a marker of traditional identity.[3][4] Today the Ngotekherh is among the most prestigious of the Mizo puan, second only to the puanchei in cultural standing, and is worn principally by women on church, wedding and festival occasions, including Chapchar Kut, Mim Kut and Pawl Kut.[2][5]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Ngotekherh: G.I. No. 587". Art and Culture Department, Government of Mizoram (in Mizo and English). Retrieved 2026-06-21.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Handloom Products of Mizoram". Handloom Export Promotion Council, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ Bagdi, Anita (2020). "Mizo Traditional Cloth (Puan) and Protection Through Geographical Indication" (PDF). Indian Journal of Law and Social Issues. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ Lalruatpuii, Esther; Miriami, H.; Ngurtinkhuma, R.K. (2022). "Library and Indigenous Knowledge of Mizo Traditional Weaving (with special reference to Puan having Geographical Identification tag)". Library Philosophy and Practice. 6842. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ "Art & Culture Department thawmhnaw hawh theih list leh a man" [List of Art & Culture Department rentable items and prices]. Art and Culture Department, Government of Mizoram (in Mizo). Retrieved 2026-06-21.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
External links
- Ngotekherh G.I. listing, Art and Culture Department, Government of Mizoram (in Mizo and English).
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