- Collection type
- Object
- Description
- Girl's skirt of orange, white and dark blue lines, with embroidered triangles representing swallows, and small ties of orchid stem.
- Long description
- Girl's dancing skirt, Nggiangni, of orange, white and dark blue stripes. The skirt is constructed from four panels of woven cotton textile, stitched together with white yarn. The seams fall within the white stripes of the cloth. Each seam has been embroidered over with red yarn, with a series of pairs of opposing triangles in dark blue cotton yarn embroidered over the lines. These triangles represent swallows, with the individual motifs known as 'Ngaikie'. Together, the motifs represent a group of swallows in flight, known as 'Ngaine'. The lowest white stripe of the skirt includes elaborate motifs woven with red, dark blue, orange, and pink supplementary weft inlays. There are ten unique motifs, known as ‘Tewyine Pui’ (paddy bug insect). Between each motif are two embroidered red lines with tiny embroidered dark blue triangles. The lower edge of this stripe is decorated with small ties of yellow orchid stem, known locally as 'hekung' and tassels of red, orange and dark blue yarn. There is a narrow orange stripe along each selvedge, each with a central longitudinal dotted line, formed by dark blue supplementary warp threads. The warp ends have been sewn up with white yarn and red wool at each end in a stitch known locally as 'kaheliambe'. Each end also has five small tassels of dark blue cotton yarn, known as 'peri'.
- Cultural groups
- Zeme Naga
- Date / Period
- Date made: Before 1924
- Date collected
- By 1924
- Acquisition information
- Loaned: 11/1924 Donated: 1928
- Materials and processes
- Material Cotton Seed Fibre Textile Plant, Material Cotton Seed Fibre Yarn Plant, Material Wool Yarn Animal, Material Orchid Stem Plant, Process Woven, Process Dyed, Process Embroidered, Process Stitched, Process Supplementary Weft Woven
- Dimensions
- Length: max 1205 mm, Width: max 55 mm
- Object numbers
- Accession number: 1923.85.213
- Research and responses
A very similar skirt (1928.69.1164) was viewed virtually by members of the Zeme Naga community in Manipur during a virtual meeting on 16th September 2021, organised as part of the Talking Threads Project. For the full recording please see the project file. The group made the following comments:
The tassels on this cloth are called ‘Peri’, and these Peri can be wrapped with orchid stems. This is a loincloth, also dancing attire. Both the Upper and Lower Zeme use this as a dance skirt. The name of the cloth is ‘Nggiangni’. The motifs represent swallows.
When looking at cloth 1946.7.33.1, the group noted that the supplementary weft motif is called ‘Tewyine Pui’, which is the Zeme name for the insect known as the ‘Paddy bug'. They also noted that the triangular motifs in the centre of the cloth represent swallows, the totem animal of the Zeme tribe. Together they are supposed to look like a group of swallows flying, locally known as ‘Ngaine’. The individual motifs are known as ‘Ngaikie’. These motifs, and the lines along the seams, are embroidered.
When viewing breast cloth 1923.85.989 the group noted that orchid stem is known locally as ‘hekung’.
When viewing cloth 1946.7.32 the group noted that the stitch used to sew up warp ends of cloths is known locally as ‘kaheliambe’.
1923.85.213
Girl's skirt of orange, white and dark blue lines, with embroidered triangles representing swallows, and small ties of orchid stem.
1923.85.213
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