The Pnar weavers of Jaintia Hills: matriliny and the economics of a craft
In the Jaintia Hills, where the youngest daughter inherits the family home and the khadduh (youngest)…
Archive
Category: Culture & Heritage
Languages, textiles, music, rituals and the living traditions of the Northeast.
Sikkim’s yak herders of Lachen: a high-altitude life in transition
The yak herders of Lachen and Lachung have grazed the high pastures of North Sikkim for…
The Tiwa kingdom of Assam: a 500-year-old monarchy finds a new generation
The Tiwa people of Assam’s plains and hills maintain one of India’s most unusual institutions: an…
The Ahom heritage of Sivasagar: tanks, temples and a history under the waterline
Sivasagar, the old Ahom capital, is defined by water: a great tank the size of a…
The Khasi archers of Raliang: a women’s tradition meets Olympic ambition
In the Jaintia Hills, the traditional archers are women — the sport descends through the matrilineal…
The Monpas of Tawang: border villagers between two worlds
For the Monpa people of Tawang, the India–China border is not an abstraction: it runs through…
The Bodo-language film wave: Kokrajhar’s new cinema tells its own stories
For decades, Bodo-language cinema meant documentaries funded by cultural bodies. A new generation is making features…
Meghalaya’s matriliny under the microscope: what the numbers really say
Meghalaya’s matrilineal system — in which property passes through the mother’s line and the youngest daughter…
The Dimasa villages of the Barail range: mapping a forest people’s future
The Dimasa people of the Barail range are undertaking an unusual exercise: mapping their ancestral lands…
The Naga shawl economy: how a wedding garment became a global fashion line
The shawls of the Naga tribes — each pattern a language of clan and achievement —…