Mizo Handloom & Bamboo Craft
The puan on the loin loom, and split bamboo woven into everything from baskets to the pole dance.
Mizo handloom weaving produces the puan — a rectangular wrap-cloth worn as a lower garment or shawl — in named varieties defined by their patterned bands: the bright puanchei worn by women at festivals and weddings, the black-and-red puandum used at funerals and in bride-price, the ngotekherh with its white and black stripes, and the tawlhloh puan of valour. Bamboo and cane, abundant across Mizoram, are woven into carrying baskets (em), winnowing trays, hats (khumbeu), fish traps, mats and the bamboos used in the cheraw (bamboo) dance.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Aizawl, Mizoram
Also Known As
Mizo puan weaving, Lushai weaving, Mizoram bamboo craft
Craft Type
Backstrap-loom weaving and bamboo and cane craft
Practising Community
Mizo women weavers, for whom loin-loom weaving is a widespread household and cottage skill; men do most bamboo work
Materials
Cotton, acrylic and blended yarn; acid dyes, with red and black central to the ritual puans; and several bamboo and cane species, split with a dao, for the basketry.
Known For
Puan wrap-cloths with named patterned bands (puanchei, puandum, ngotekherh), and bamboo baskets, hats and mats
Where It's Made
Aizawl and the districts of Mizoram — Thenzawl is the main weaving town; bamboo craft across the state
Time to Create
Days to weeks for a patterned puan; one to three days for a basket
GI Status
Mizo Puanchei and Pawndum (and other puan types) are registered GIs of Mizoram
Process Steps
Dyeing and winding the yarn
Cotton or acrylic yarn is dyed in the colours the puan needs — bright for a puanchei, red and black for a puandum.
Warping the loom
The warp is prepared with the stripe sequence built in, for a loin loom or a fly-shuttle frame loom.
Weaving the body
The plain ground of the puan is woven, the weft thrown by hand or fly shuttle.
Weaving the named bands
The patterned bands — diamonds, zigzags, floral motifs — are worked in supplementary weft and inlay, counted by hand.
Finishing the puan
The cloth is cut from the loom, its ends secured or fringed, and two widths may be joined for a full puan.
Splitting the bamboo
Bamboo and cane are cut and split with a dao into flat strips and fine slivers for basketry.
Plaiting the basketry
Strips are woven in hexagonal, twill or check plait into baskets, hats, trays and mats over a frame or by eye.
Technique Glossary
Puan
The Mizo rectangular wrap-cloth, worn as a lower garment or shawl, made in many named types.
Puanchei
The bright, richly patterned puan worn by Mizo women at festivals and weddings; GI-tagged.
Puandum (pawndum)
The red-and-black puan used at funerals and in bride-price; GI-tagged.
Loin (backstrap) loom
A portable loom tensioned by a strap around the weaver's body, standard for Mizo weaving.
Supplementary weft / inlay
Extra patterning threads worked into the ground weave by hand to build the named bands.
Cheraw
The Mizo bamboo dance, in which dancers step between clapping bamboo poles.
Dao
The all-purpose hill knife used to fell, split and shave bamboo and cane.
A Craft Through Time
Pre-modern
Every girl a weaver
Loin-loom weaving is a universal skill, and specific puans belong to specific occasions, ranks and rituals.
Pre-modern
Bamboo life
Bamboo and cane are the everyday materials of Mizo houses, tools and containers.
20th century
Towns and cash
Settled towns and cash cropping change the economy, and a market for puans grows.
Late 20th century
Thenzawl weaving hub
Thenzawl develops as the main weaving town, with fly-shuttle looms and cottage units producing puans for sale.
2010s
Geographical Indications
Mizo Puanchei, Pawndum and other puan types are registered as GIs of Mizoram.
Present
Cottage industry and identity
Weaving is a widespread cottage livelihood, and puans remain markers of Mizo identity at every ceremony.
Did You Know?
The puandum is woven in red and black specifically for life's serious moments — it is used at funerals and forms part of the bride-price a Mizo groom's family gives.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.