Perched on the far-flung North-Eastern hills of India, Nagaland is a small state Among the costumes of the Naga people, shawls are the most used and significant item. For instance, the ornate warrior-celebrating shawl, called Tsungkotepsu is a hallmark of the Aos clan.

Only the commander in war or the one who has performed the ritual of the Mithun sacrifice is entitled to wear this shawl as a symbol of honor. Against the dark base color of this particular shawl, exists a central white band with two horizontal black, red and white bands, brightening the outlook. On the median band are painted black with a pattern in black mithun figures, signifying affluence of the owner, and the depictions of elephant and tiger speaks of the courage of the concerned man, while the human head attests accomplishment in head-hunting and other tasks like wielding spear and dao .

Aomelep su made from dog`s hair, dyed red in colour , is the shawl flaunted by the rich men or the sons and daughters of opulent fathers. This shawl contains alternate red, yellow and black stripes to bring the striking effect of contrast.

Rongsu shawl is wearable only by those who have a glorious heritage of Mithun sacrifice, committed by the forefathers and also by the individual himself.

The costume of the Ao women is a skirt, which is one and a quarter metre long and about two thirds of the metre, is draped round the waist and the surface outer edge is implanted for the grip.

The skirts come up in an inexplicable variety. They differ from village to village and also from clan to clan. The popular types of the Ao skirts involve Azu jangnup su , endowed with red and yellow-black stripes , the Ngami su or fish tail skirt, and finally the Yongzujangau or cucumber seed skirt , woven in red on a black base.

The Angamis, a major Naga tribe, demonstrate themselves in clothes with white, red and black bands called Loramhoushu and black background with red and yellow bands, and at present with green, called lohe.

The western Angami villages have their unique style of costume-design. Shawls of Lothas are graded by the number of gennas or festivals arranged by the wearer. Thus a man who has given the first genna wears the phangrhup. With the performance of the second genna, the strips broadens accordingly. The third genna allows a man to put in the Ethasu. With the fulfillment of the mission, i.e. the performance of the chain of feasts , the successful man resorts to stone-dragging which permits him to wear Lungpensu. This latter one is a dark blue cloth with five stripes of light blue and with thin marginal stripes on either side.

There is only one cloth in the wardrobe of the Angamis , which is indicative of social prestige. The phichu-pfe is the priest`s costume.

A daily costume , meant for wear and tear, is the black shawl called ratapfe. Men wear black kilt, decorated with embroidered cowries in three or four lines. The cowries are bestowed with distinct importance. In previous times, three lines of cowries pointed out that the wearer was a warrior, and four lines of cowries, refers to the fame of the wearer.

Women in general are clad in plain blue cloth and a white cloth with black marginal bands of changing breadth . Women often wear men`s garment. . The casual costume of a dress of Angami women includes a petticoat called neikhro, a sleeveless top called vatchi, a white skirt called pfemhou.

The Ze-liangs-rong, a mixed group of Zemis, Liangmais and Rongmei exhibit themselves in coastumes, considerably same with that of the Angamis. The commonest costume is a white cloth, contrasted with six black bands of varying measurements at both ends . The costume of the Zemei women is restricted to white-colored clothes and skirts with very narrow black and red border.

The women of the remaining two groups go for diversity. The cotton cultivated by them, is the source for the material of the white or beige shawls and the skirts that they use. Black bands of different sizes on the border, alienated by red and pink borders also decorate the body of the shawl. This is a daily-purpose shawl.

Multifarious patterns, lines and hues, of skirts and belts, and men`s girdles, required during dances characterize the occasion-costume of the Rongmei . The favorite dancing skirt is black with a broad , intricately embroidered red border and three white central bands , beautified with a narrow red line in the middle .

There is a wide spectrum of shawls woven by the Yimchunger Nagas . Rongkhim is a fantastic shawl, wearable by a venerated warrior only. The crimson shade of the shawl conveys the blood of the hostile adversary.

Kechinger Ronfkhim is too a warrior-respecting shawl, though Rongkhim ranks first , with respect to mettle. The soldier who annexes the right hand of the killed enemy is acknowledged to win the right to wear this particular shawl. It is a black cloth , possessing narrow grey bands at two margins .

The exotic shawl tsungrem khim is an asset for the Yimchunger Naga women. The hallmark of the Konyaks is nye-myon the shawl worn by the senior villagers in important conferences and meetings .

Nikola is a white shawl which functions as a woman`s attire. In the central portion of this shawl, there lies two narrow black lines, only 4 cms apart from each other. In between these lines, is a red lozenge design, effecting the attraction of the costume.

Resplendently coloured shawl, known as Shatni is a luxury item, affordable by the wealthy Konyak woman . It is the custom, that an affluent man`s daughter during wedding is gifted with a Shatni shawl by her parents. This particular shawl, is maintained with care, as there is the peculiar law among the Konyaks, that at the time of her death, her corpse would be enveloped in this specific shawl.

A shawl, dedicated to the blue-blooded Konyak chiefs or Ang and the elderly women of the village is called meyni. It is an awesome fusion of wide black and red bands, woven alternately.

Well-off Konyaks decorate themselves in a splendid cloth called nyauni . It appears as red bands and red lines.

The plethora of designs, motifs, patterns and vibrant shades make the world of Naga costumes a rainbow world.