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1955.11.2

Thangnang ponsil, black hand spun cotton cloth with woven band of pink and red diamonds and triangles at either end.

1955.11.2

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Collection type
Object
Description
Thangnang ponsil, black hand spun cotton cloth with woven band of pink and red diamonds and triangles at either end.
Long description
Thangnang ponsil, black coloured hand spun cotton cloth woven on a back strap loom [loin loom]. The shawl [ponsil] is made in two pieces and is hand sewn together down the centre using black and red thread. There is a band of woven designs at either end in red, pink and white featuring supplementary weft designs of stripes, rectangles zig-zags, and diamonds. Each short end is finished with a thin band of yellow supplementary wefts, with the warp threads forming a small fringe.
Geographical reference
India
Asia > Southern Asia > India
Cultural groups
Thado
Person
Field collector Robert Niel Reid
PRM source Robert Niel Reid
Date / Period
Date made: Circa by 1937
Date collected
circa 1937
Acquisition information
Donated: 1955
Materials and processes
Material Textile, Process Stitched, Process Woven, Material Cotton Seed Fibre Textile Plant, Material Cotton Seed Fibre Yarn Plant, Material Pigment, Process Dyed, Process Spun, Process Supplementary Weft Woven
Dimensions
Length 2100 mm approx
Object numbers
Accession number: 1955.11.2
Research and responses

This textile was viewed by S. Seigoulien Haokip, a Kuki PhD researcher from the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at SOAS University of London on Friday 25 July 2025, organised as part of the Clothworkers’ Textile Project.

This textile has been confirmed as Kuki Thado and so "(uncertain)” has been removed from cultural group.

The local name is Thangnang ponsil.

“With regard to dyes and materials, in the past, the Kuki weavers used to make their own yarns and dyes from organic sources. Today, the yarns available in different colours are directly purchased from the market.” [EW 27/08/2025]

Search terms: Clothing Textile, Clothing, Textile, Body Cloth