Traditional Dress of Nyishi Tribe

The Nyishi tribe, the largest indigenous community of Arunachal Pradesh, is known for their rich tradition of distinctive attire and ornamentation, which serves as a strong expression of cultural identity. Their traditional garments and ornamental accessories act as a visual language within Nyishi society, communicating aspects such as age, social status, and gender roles.

Traditional Dress of Nyishi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh is simple, ethnic and colourful. Members of the Nyishi tribe, both men, and women, are recognized for their elaborate outfits. The traditional dress of the tribe is now-a-days worn only during festivals and social gathering. Costumes and additional decorative ornaments completes the whole dress.

Nyishi men wear cotton sleeveless shirts with the mantle of cotton locked around the throat and shoulders. They normally tie their hair with a Tibetan thread just at the forehead with a brass skewer permeating through the tied hair in a horizontal fashion. Men wear cane rings around the waist, arms and legs. Additional decorations vary depending upon the social hierarchy of the person within the tribal society. The entire dress of Nyishi men symbolizes valor and power of a tribal man.

Sharp pointed bamboo stick attached to a helmet made of animal skin or cane forms the traditional headgear of Nyishi men. The headgear is decorated with the feather of the Great Indian Hornbill. The ivory and beak of the Hornbill bird is often attached to the top most part of the head gear as a form of decoration and also as an identification of the tribe. The usage of actual hornbill beaks is discouraged these days due to tough wildlife protection laws since the great Indian hornbill is a protected species. Due to growing awareness among the people about wildlife conversation, replicas of hornbill’s beak and feathers are used to decorate the headgear. A small knife in a bamboo sheath is an essential feature of Nyishi men’s traditional attire. Their traditional attire also includes a spear with an iron head, a large sword, and a bow with arrows; tipped with poison on it.

During the Nyokum festival, Nyishi men dress in traditional attire, including airy robes decorated with jewellery. Men also wear a traditional hat called Bopia. This intricately crafted headwear forms an important part of Nyishi cultural attire and is typically worn during ceremonial events and celebrations. It stands as a graceful representation of their rich cultural heritage. As part of the customary practice, they also apply a paste of rice powder on their faces, reflecting the cultural significance of the celebration.

In the Nyishi tribe, the priest carries a small knife known as Lyechi and a ceremonial stick adorned with eagle feathers called Viyen, which is used for imparting blessings. Priests also wear distinct necklaces made of blue, yellow, and white beads, known as Tassag, Chugri, and Tadu.

The traditional attire of Nyishi women consists of a full or half-sleeved red blouse paired with a cream-coloured plain cloth worn as an upper garment. This cloth is tightly wrapped over the blouse, covering the body from the armpits down to the mid-calf. A red cloth is tied around the waist like a ribbon, over which a girdle made of cane and round metal pieces is worn. Sometimes, Nyishi women also drape a white and red cotton mantle around the body and tie one portion of the mantle on the right shoulder and keep the left shoulder open. They tie a red ribbon around the waist and wear waistband with metal disks and cane garters.

The color of women’s dresses also play an important role denoting the situation or purpose for which they are worn. For instance, women wear dresses made of black coloured fabric when they work in fields. Red fabric is worn during weddings and during cultural festivals, a combination of red and white color is worn. Most of the Nyishi women carry a basket on their back to pick firewood or grains from the fields. Their traditional dress has been designed to facilitate their daily activities in the hills.

Ornaments play an essential role in completing the traditional attire. These include multicoloured beads known as tashang, which symbolize an individual’s status and superiority within society. Women also wear ornaments made of silver or bronze coins decorated with red beads. Many ornaments are crafted from various metals, reflecting the richness of Nyishi cultural heritage. Women mostly wear accessories such as bracelets made of brass and silver (kota), silver earrings (Rubin), beads necklace, mainly choker and head bands made of honey wax.

There’s a huge change in the dressing style of the young Nyishi women and men. Most of them have embraced the modern or urban dressing style while preserving their culture and tradition during their festivals and social gatherings.