Bodo Textile Heritage
By The Ant​
Crafts
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Traditional Loom Weaving
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Eri Culture
Location
Artisans
200+
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Kokrajhar
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Chirang
BODOS
Bodo is an indigenous tribe that belongs to mongoloid stock of the Indo-Mongoloid or of Indo Tibetan origin, who inhabit the Brahmaputra river valley in Northern Assam, India. They are known to be the original son of soil of Assam with a distinct culture of their own.
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From time immemorial the Bodo women have been weaving their own traditional wear at home. The Bodo women are expert weavers with artistic sensibility and deft hand movements. The handloom uses the extra warp technique and includes cotton textiles of various colors and silk fabrics of the finest quality. So, it is natural that each and every household have their own handloom. The traditional garments woven by them with great enthusiasm and floral work are: Dokhona, Fali, Indisi, Aronai, Rege-regang, Janji Khanai Fali, Gamsa etc.
Incorporating elements of nature with rich traditions, tribal costumes have a unique charm that harmonizes the natural world and human culture. Throughout history, textiles were associated with social and ritualistic events. Indigenous weaving is practiced for by tribes in both hills and plains for thousands of years.
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The Bodos are very close to the nature and their food culture also reflects the same. They lead rural agrarian live and they have very close contact with nature. They show a certain fondness for bright coloured garments and are acquainted with the art of dying, the materials for preparing the dyes being supplied generally from the leaves or roots of trees.
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Cotton and Indi Silk are the most common textile used for weaving. Indi which is globally known as Eri Silk, comes from the term “Indi “ derived from the Bodo word “Endi” which is the name of the castor plant a food plant of silkworms.The use of Indi Silk is very closely associated with the culture and tradition of the Bodo Indigenous people in India.
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The legacy of Indi silk culture of the Bodo is an age old culture , inherited from their earlier generation.Bodo people produces both cotton and silk yarn by spinning with their traditional drop spindle called Thaokhri.
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ERI SILK- THE BODO LEGACY
Eri silk is considered the legacy of Bodos, It is well-documented that the art of Eri silkworm rearing, spinning and weaving was introduced by the Bodo indigenous people in India.The use of Eri silk is very closely associated with the culture and tradition of the Bodo society from times immemorial. It is believed, just as a mother is inseparable from her infant, so are Bodos inseparable from silks. It is the only domesticated silk produced in India, as the process doesn’t involve any killing of the silkworm, Eri silk is known to be an ‘Ahimsa (ahinsa) silk or fabric of peace. Besides Eri silk, Assam also enjoy producing other varieties of Silk viz. Muga, Mulberry.
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TEXTILE ART
Every indigenous textile has its own story and meaning that possesses a wealth of natural and cultural diversity. Bodo fabric design was not constituted of curved, rhythmic, or ornamental lines. They were composed of geometrical form. The Bodos lead rural agrarian live and they have very close contact with nature. Their living style and food habits are conditioned and influenced by nature, reflected upon textile. The names corresponded to the objects, plants, insects, animals and birds in nature in abstract style.
DOKHONA
Dokhona, the customary dress of the Bodo women, is a one-piece outfit that is wrapped around the body in a distinctive way to resemble two-piece clothing. Dokhona means "six corners" in Bodo (Do is for "six" and Khona is for "corner"). If you look closely, you'll see that the Dokhona has six corners when it is wrapped and worn.
It has been presented by some that the word 'Dokhona' may have its origin or think with 'Drubka' which is a dress worn by Hhutanese/ Tibetan women.
A dokhona measures three and half metres in length & one and half metres in length & one and half metres in width.Bodo women tie dokhona round the chest just above the breast flowing up to the ankle.A young Bodo Girl wraps the dokhona around her waist in the same style till she attains her puberty. It is known as 'Janjiao Gannai' (Wearing around the waist) .
When the girl attains her puberty, she welcomes her women's hood by wearing a new ornamental Dokhona from above the breast flowing down to ankle.This is known as 'Jerbao Gannai'
ARONAI
It is a traditional muffler of the Bodos, where commonly the 'Hajw Agor' and 'Bondhuram Agor' design is handwoven. The root of the term "Aronai" is "Arrnai," which means to embrace. This piece of cloth was once utilized as a talismanic emblem during the war, the loved ones would weave the entire thing in a single night and fasten it to the warrior's forehead as protection against all fatalities, dangers, and problems.
Today the colorful Aronai is a symbol of Bodo's way of showing love and hospitality to the world. Bodos traditionally felicitate their guest with Aronai. The arena is a muffler used by both men and women, especially during their performance in cultural or religious festivals.
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Bodo women use Jwmgra also called Fasra or Sador to cover upper portion of the body (length around 2.5 meter width around 1 meter). They wear various colors of Jwmgra with varieties of design beautify themselves. The Jwmgra is one of Bodo’s important ceremonial textiles known as bebali or sacred textile.
GAMCHA
A male traditional dress measuring 1.5 meters in length and 1.2 meters in breadth, is worn to cover the area from the waist to the knee by wrapping it around the waist. It can occasionally be used as a bath cloth. It is made up of a variety of hues, including green, a hint of red, and combinations of hues like white and green, white and blue, and other hues.
JWMGRA
