Four handmade textiles from Northeast India have found a mention in a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report. The list is titled 'Handmade for the 21st Century: Safeguarding Traditional Indian Textiles' and includes textiles like lasing phee, saphee lanphee, lepcha and risha.
The process of creating these fabrics can take months and in some cases, years–from ideation to execution–and cannot compete with industrial competitors. The report mentions that many crafts are endangered and a few have already been lost forever. In light of these discoveries, it emphasizes that it is of utmost importance that these handmade marvels are taken stock of and managed well to ensure preservation.
Image source: The Cultural Heritage of India
The lasing phee textile from Manipur is an extraordinarily warm quilt that is stuffed with cotton batting and is handwoven on the loom by weavers. The main reason for this textile being forgotten is that there is a lack of contact with the domestic markets in the country (beyond Manipur) and with international ones.
Image source: Twitter/N.Biren Singh
The saphee lanphee is a traditional shawl that is woven and embroidered by the women of the Meitei community of Manipur. This one is endangered because there are a very small number of weavers and embroiders who dedicate their time to this craft.
Image source: Asia InCH
The lepcha is woven in Sikkim and is characterised by intricate, colourful stripes and motifs. It is woven using wool and cotton. It is facing a decline as changing tastes of the people have led to them rejecting the traditional dresses where it is commonly used.
Image source: Wikipedia
The risha textile of Tripura is woven by the tribal women there and the patterns, colours and motifs are vary across different clans. A reason for the decline of this textile craft has been the slow but steady replacement of risha with ready-made, easy-to-wear blouses rather than unstitched draped cloth. Fewer women are opting to learn how to weave as education and lifestyle choices have affected traditional knowledge systems in the areas.