The document summarizes the traditional apparel, textiles, prints, accessories, and crafts of several tribes in Arunachal Pradesh, India. It describes the distinctive clothing styles of tribes like the Monpa, Sherdukpen, Apatani, and Mishmi. It notes that while the tribes are ethnically similar, geographical separation has led to different dressing customs. It also provides details on traditional textiles, patterns, accessories like nose plugs and belts, and crafts like bamboo handicrafts, carpet weaving, and Tangkha painting.

1. Identification Of Apparel, Textile,
Print, Embroidery, Fabric,
Accessory & Craft
Arunachal Pradesh

2. Introduction
The state of Arunachal Pradesh is an exotic collection of socio-cultural
life that blends many types of cultures, and traditions.
Arunachal consists of different tribes, each have their own way of
presenting their garments.
Tribes such as:
• Apatani
• Adi
• Nyishi
• Galo
• Monpa
• Sherdukpen
While most tribes are ethnically similar, having derived from the same
ancestors, their geographical separation has brought in the different
customs in dressing styles.

3. Apparel
The Monpas are famous for
their skullcap, which is
decorated with laces and
fringes.
The women wear long jacket
in combination with full
sleeve chemise. A long and
narrow strip of cloth keeps
chemise tied to their waist
and in place.

4. Caps decorated with beautiful
peacock feathers are another
common part of dressing of this
region.
The dressing style is
specifically known as
“Crinoline of Cane Rings”,
which covers the upper part of
their body and is a replacement
for blouse.
Also, one cannot fail to notice
how the females there tie their
hair in knot just above the
forehead.

5. • The common traditional attire
of Sherdukpen males is
sleeveless silk material,
having its two edges pinned at
the shoulder region. This
costume is normally knee
length. The important part of
their dressing is a gurdam
skullcap which is decorated
with yak’s hair.

6. The females of this sect, adorn themselves with knee length
garments which are collarless and sleeveless. They also wear
waist cloth and embroidered full-sleeves jacket commonly
known as Mushaiks.

7. Textile
The traditional garments of Arunachal doesn’t
require much fabric as there is almost no external
influence on the textile of Arunachal. Nevertheless,
Arunachal is still rich in Wool, cotton, silk, cane
and warp. Usage of these fabrics

8. Print
• The textile patterns and prints found among the tribes of
Arunachal Pradesh such as Adi, Mishmi and Apatani are
invariably of geometric pattern. Most popular motives are
Zig-Zag lines and angular designs.
• Contrasts and combination of colours are quite different.
The highly disciplined Adi and Apatani concentrate on
simple straight line, while the strongly individualistic
Mishmis go in for great celebration of pattern.

9. • The Apatani concentrate
on simple designs and
simple straight lines. The
ordinary Apatani cloth gets
in effect from a use of
broad bands alternating
with narrow lines, nearly
always horizontal.

10. In the Mishmi tribe, the most
characteristic shawls generally
have an essential deign of
stripes and bands of contrasting
blacks, reds and blues.
Diamond designs have been
brought to the highest degree of
elaboration. It has been
arranged in every possible
combination.

11. Some designs are interpreted
as a frog, the human figure
with head, the head of a Dao,
an eye, scales of fish, clouds
trailed across the sky, a river
and the rainbow.
In Mishmi bags and skirts, a
grid pattern is so coloured to
form crosses composed of
five squares.

12. Accessory
Body modification is nothing
new in among the tribals of
Arunachal.
The women of the Apatani
tribe have been using
massive nose plugs since
ancient times. In the middle of
the 20th century, this tradition
began to die. In fact, no
Apatani woman born after
1970 practices the nose plug
custom.

13. Belts are an important part of costumes for Adi women, as
it is a symbolic representation of the social and marital
status of girl.
Unmarried and married Adi women wear different types of
belts around their waist.
married unmarried

14. Craft
Traditional ornamental products like
grass beads necklace are also
crafted and worn by the people.
Arunachal Pradesh has a rich
tradition of Bamboo and Cane
Handicrafts and also wood
Carving and Carpet Weaving.

15. The carpet making are one of the
most important occupation in the
districts of Tawang.
Tangkha painting is one of the
most artistic craft, it is prevalent
mainly in Buddhist dominated
The utility of the painting is mostly
religious subject along with
traditional value.