A Study of Factors Affecting Changes in Mizo Dressing

A STUDY ON FACTORS AFFECTING CHANGES IN MIZO DRESSING
BY
LALNUNMAWII KHIANGTE
SUBMITTED TO NIFT IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF DESIGN
DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN SPACE
FACULTY GUIDE: PROF.SHARMILA J. DUA
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY
MUMBAI
2011-13
A STUDY ON FACTORS AFFECTING CHANGES IN MIZO DRESSING
BY
LALNUNMAWII KHIANGTE
SUBMITTED TO NIFT IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF DESIGN
DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN SPACE
FACULTY GUIDE: PROF.SHARMILA J. DUA
MUMBAI
2011-13
DECLARATION
I, the undersigned , hereby declare that this dissertation entitled ’A study on factors affecting
changes in Mizo dressing’ is my own work and effort and that it has not been submitted
anywhere for any award or degree.
Name of the student: Lalnunmawii Khiangte
Signature of the student
Place: NIFT Mumbai
Date
MUMBAI 2013
A study on factors affecting changes in Mizo dressing
By Lalnunmawii Khiangte
M.Des 2011-13
Submitted by LALNUNMAWII KHIANGTE to NIFT in partial fulfilment of the requirement

for the degree of Master in Design of the National Institute of Fashion Technology at Mumbai
and hereby certify that in the judgment of the following members of jury it is worthy of
acceptance.
Name Institute/Organization Signature & Date
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Remarks regarding fulfilling further requirements, if any: - ________________
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Signature of CC – PG Design Space Date:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, I would like to thank the Almighty God for giving me good health and guiding me
throughout my project.
I would like to thank my dissertation mentor Prof. Sharmila J. Dua for guiding and helping me
out throughout my project. I would also like to thank Prof. Rebecca Philip for her dedication and
guidance over this project. I am grateful for the opportunity to have studied under their direction.
I am grateful to the people I had interacted from Art and Culture department especially to Mr
Hrangmuana from Art and Culture Department ,Govt. of Mizoram for giving permission to
scanned the old photographs required for my research.
Special thanks to Mr Engmawia Varte for taking good photographs of the textiles and RTS photo
flash for scanning all the pictures required for my research. Thanks to all the people whom I had
interviewed and collected pictures, without them my research would not be completed.
I would like to extend a special thanks to my family especially to my dad Mr K Rosiamliana for
inspiring me to do the best that I can personally. My parent’s fervent prayers make me strong. I
am very fortunate to have so many people who care about me.
ii
ABSTRACT
The Mizos are considered to be a part of a great Mongoloid wave which came from Shinlung
located on the banks of the river Yalung in China. They first settled in the Shan State and moved
on to Kabaw Valley to Khampat and then to the Chin Hills. In the 18th century they finally
entered the present state Mizoram which is located in the North-east part of India. The dressing
of the Mizos has undergone many changes over the years. These changes have been due to
several factors including the change in the social life of the people. The purpose of the research
was to find out factors which influence changes in Mizo dressing from the past to the present.
The research was qualitative and exploratory in nature using personal interviews & case studies.
In order to understand the changes in the dressing over the years, photographs of the past and the
present generations of different age groups were collected in order to generate ideas and examine
which factors had caused the transition in Mizo dressing. Traditional costumes of Mizoram and
its subsequent development was studied to understand the transition & evolution of the Mizo
style of dressing.
From the research conducted, it has been found that several factors had influenced the changes of
the Mizo dressing such as political, geographical, economical, climatic, cultural, custom,
development in Science and Technology, influence of the British and the Christian missionaries.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter no Title Page no
INTRODUCTION 1
1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Objectives 3
1.3 Significance of the project 3
1.4 Limitations 3
2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 4
2.1 Dress 4
2.2 Social change 4
2.3 Mizoram 5
2.4 History of Mizo dressing 5
2.5 Ornaments 7
2.6 Colour and dyes 8
2.7 Variations of the design 10
2.8 Tools for preparing cotton yarns for 11
weaving
2.9 The loin loom and the weaving technique 13
2.10 Factors affecting the lifestyle of the 16
Mizo
3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND 19

METHODOLOGY
3.1 Secondary Research 19

3.2 Primary Research 19
3.3 Methodology 20
4 RESEARCH ANALYSIS 21
4.1 Secondary Research 21

4.1.1 Historical research 21
4.2 Primary Research 23
4.2.2 General Study 23
4.2.3Models showing transition of Mizo 60
traditional costumes
4.2.4 Case Study on Zopari 63
4.2.5 Traditional Textiles 80
4.2.6 Accessories 97
5 CONCLUSION AND 105

RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Conclusion 105

5.2 Recommendations 107
GLOSSARY 108
REFERENCES 110
BIBLIOGRAPHY 111
ANNEXURES 112
LIST OF PLATES
SR NO PLATE PG SOURCE
NO
Plate 1 Herawt 11 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate 2 Lasai 11 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate 3 Hmui 12 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate 4 Ladinlek 12 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate 5 Suvel 12 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate 6 Loin loom instruments 13 Self clicked
Plate 7 Woman on loin loom 15 Self clicked
Plate 8(a) Early 1900’s Mizo Chiefs 24 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
8(b) Early 1900’s Mizo Chief’s Family
Plate 9 1900’s Lushai Sailo Chiefs 25 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate 10 Lushai chiefs with Capt TH Lewin 25 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
1900’s
Plate 11 Lushai Chiefs family 1912 26 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate 12 Young Mizo men 1926 27 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate 13 Mizo women in the early 1920’s 27 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate 14 Mizo dressing in the 1930’s (rural) 28 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate
15(a) Early 1940’s Minister of Chief’s 29
family Art and Culture department, Aizawl
15(b) A lady dressed up for special 29
occasion
Plate
16(a&b,) Draping style 1945 and 1946 30
16 c Late 1940’s dressing 31 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
16 d Women wearing fancier blouse in 31
late 1940’s
Plate 17 Early 1950’s Mizo joint family 32 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate 18 Mid 1950’s dressing 32 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate 19 Late 1950’s New look of puan with
black elastic belt 32 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
Plate
20(a) Men in loose trousers and women 34 Private collection
draped puan with black belt,1960’s
20(b) Permed bob cut short hair,early 34 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
1960’s
20(c) Early 1960’s dressing 34 Private collection
Plate
21(a) Holding umbrella and carrying 35 Private collection
camera a style of posing in mid 60’s
21(b) Puan draped straight and short 35 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
21(c) Three women in a bouffant hairstyle 35 Private collection
21(d) Posing with an umbrella and a puan 35 Art and Culture department, Aizawl
draped to look like a straight skirt
Plate
22(a) Late 1960’s,women wearing short 36 Private collection
floral puan
22(b) Two ladies wearing knee length puan 36
and one in a dress.
Plate
23(a) Peter pan collar blouse worn over 38
geometric design puan
23(b) Men with mop-top haircut, early 38 Private collection
1970’s
23(c) Hippie influence in ladies dressing. 38
Plate
24(a) Mid 1970’s men wearing bell-bottom 39
trousers Private collection
24(b) A medley of puan,skirt and bell- 39
bottom trousers
Plate
25(a) Mizo Choir in the US, 1978 40 Private collection
25(b) Girls in puan and men in bell-bottom 40
trousers
Plate
26(a) Dressed for formal occasion 42 Private collection
26(b) Two women in traditional and men 42
in western wear .
Plate
27(a) Mid 1980’s Suzi Quatro 43 www.fanpop.com
27(b) MK-I with a Suzi Quatro inspired 43 Private collection
hairstyle,mid 80’s
27(c) MK-I wearing slim fit pants with 44 Private collection
white shirt, mid 80’s
27(d) MK-I in a traditional costume, mid 44
80’s
27(e) MK-I in ‘Cheongsam’, mid 80’s 44 Private collection
Plate
28(a) Madonna, 1980’s 45 www.emergewithstyle.blogspot.in
28(b) MK-i with a Madonna inspired 45 Private collection
dressing, mid 80’s
28(c) Men Sunday wear 46
28(d) MK-I in a white dress with black belt 46 Private collection
28(e) Mizo family in Church wear 46
Plate
29(a) Late 1980’s hip-hop dressing 47
29(b) Style of dressing in late 1980’s 47 Private collection
Aizawl
Plate
30(a) Madonna,1980’s 48 www.maryloucinnamon.com
30(b) A Mizo girl with Madonna inspired 48 Private collection
hair bow, 1989
Plate
31(a) Lady Diana ,late 1980’s 48 www.royalmewigs.com
31(b)&(c) MKI with Lady Diana inspired hat 48 Private collection
and dressing, late 1980’s
Plate
32(a) Guns N’ Roses vocalist W.Axl Rose 49 www.twitteling.com
32(b) A young guy with a Guns N’ Roses 49 Private collection
inspired headband
32(c) Champion sweatshirt-a fad during 50 Private collection
the 90’s
32(d) High waisted jeans 50 Private collection
32(e) Grunge Fashion 50 www.90s411.com
32(f) Youth adopted Grunge Fashion 50 Private collection
Plate
33(a&b) Shoulder padded loose tops with 51 Private collection
floral design puan
33(c) Mid 1990’s Sunday wear, Aizawl 51
Plate
34(a) Snoop Dogg,1990’s 52 www.loveisinthehairtrends.blogspot.in/
34(b) Usher , 1990’s 52 www.janeenmichelle.com
34(c) Mizo girls adopted Snoop Dogg and 52 Private collection
Usher hairdo’s,late 90’s
Plate
35(a) Late 1990’s Mizoram street wear 53 Private collection
35(b) Mizo family in Sunday dresses 53
35(c) All ready to attend Church service 53
Plate
36(a) Early 2000’s, two ladies in a suit 54
36(b) Two older women in Sunday wear 54 Private collection
36(c) Ladies wearing mermaid skirt. 55
36(d) A lady in a twin-set blouse with puan 55
and a man in an unusual jacket
36(e) Modern Mizo family 55
Plate
37(a) A Mizo couple ready for Church; the 56
wife in silk blouse and puan.
37(b) Two sisters wearing Puanropui , or 56 Private collection
‘great cloth’ a elaborately design
puan worm on special occasions
37(c) A Mizo family dressed up for a 56
wedding
Plate
38(a) Rihanna power shoulder jacket, 2010 57 www.pagnecraze.wordpress.com
38(b) Lady Gaga Power shoulder 57 www.independent.co.uk
dress,2010
38(c) A Mizo girl with a power shoulder 57 Private collection
jacket inspired from Rihanna and
Lady Gaga
38(d) Pallazo pants and maxi skirt, vouge 57 Private collection
in late 2011 to 2012
38(e) Mizo girls in casual wear. 57 Private collection
38(f) Bruno Mars,2012 58 www.haircoverings.com
38(g) Young Mizo men with Bruno Mars 58 Private collection
inspired hat called ‘Federo’,2012
38(h) Semi-formal wear,current trend in 59 Private collection
Aizawl, 2013
Plate 39 Models in traditional costumes 60 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 45 Dec, 1945 Zopari with her friends 63 Private collection
Plate 46 Aizawl, 1952 with her friend Zami 64 Private collection
Plate 47 Thakthing Aizawl, 1953 Zopari with 64 Private collection
her friends
Plate 48 Aizawl, 1954 Zopari after 65 Private collection
performing Gypsy dance
Plate 49 Aizawl, 1955 on a Sunday Afternoon 65 Private collection
Plate 50 Aizawl, 1956 Zopari with a group of 66 Private collection
friends
Plate
51(a) Audrey Hepburn,1960’s 66 www.popscreen.com
51(b) Zopari inspired by Audrey Hepburn 66 Private collection
dressing Aizawl, 1957
Plate 52 Aizawl, 1958 Zopari with her friends 67 Private collection
Plate 53 Aizawl, 1958 Zopari with cultural 67 Private collection
club
Plate 54 Zopari wearing ‘Cheongsam’ 68 Private collection
inspired blouse in Aizawl, 1959
Plate 55 Zopari with her friends in Shillong, 68 Private collection
1960
Plate 56 Shillong, 1961 Zopari with her 69 Private collection
friends
Plate 57 Aizawl, 1961 Zopari with her sisters 69 Private collection
Plate 58 Aizawl, 1962 with her friends 70 Private collection
Plate
59 (a) Zopari in a dress with a pearl 70 Private collection
necklace in Aizawl, 1962
59(b) Zopari with her friends in 70
Aizawl,1962
Plate
60(a)& Zopari on her Wedding Day, 71 Private collection
(b) October, 1963
Plate
61(a) Zopari posing for Burmese calendar, 72 Private collection
1964
61(b) Zopari with her husband in Aizawl 72
Plate
62(a) Sharmila Tagore 1960’s 72 www.mubi.com
62(b) Sharmila Tagore inspired hairstyle 72 Private collection
Plate 63 Aizawl,1975 with her husband 73 Private collection
Rev.Lalrinmawia
Plate 64 Kolkata, 1978 Zopari with her family 74 Private collection
Plate 65 Nagpur, 1984 Zopari with her 74 Private collection
daughter Kimtei
Plate 66 Zopari in Kolkata, 1991 75 Private collection
Plate 67 Bangkok, 1992 Zopari with her 75 Private collection
husband
Plate 68 London, 1993 with her husband 76 Private collection
Plate 69 Aizawl, 1999 with her husband and a 76 Private collection
friend
Plate
70(a) Zopari in Honolulu, Hawaii 2010 77
70(b) Zopari with other representatives Private collection
from different places. 77
Plate 71 Christian women conference, 2007 77 Private collection
Plate 72 Zopari son’s wedding, 2008 78 Private collection
Plate 73 Church Women Centenary, 2010 78
with friends Private collection
Plate 74 Christmas Aizawl, 2012 with her 79
husband and their grandchildren Private collection
Plate 75 Siapsuap 80 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 76 Hnawkhal 80 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate Tualtahpuan/Puanngo 81 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
77(a,b,c)
Plate Tualtahkawr 82 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
78(a&b)
Plate 79 Puanrin 83 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 80 Ngotekherh 83 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 81 Hmaram 84 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 82 Kawkpuizikzial 84 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 83 Lenbuangthuam 84 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 84 Tawlhlohpuan 85 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 85 Thangchhuahpuan 86 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 86 Zawlpuan/Pawndum 86 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate
87(a&b) Puanlaisen 87 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate Puanchei old design 88 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
88(a&(b)
Plate Puanchei new design 88 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
89(a&(b)
Plate Puanropui 89 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
90(a&(b)
Plate Siniar puan 89 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
91(a&(b)
Plate Siniar bit 91 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
92(a&(b)
Plate Arsi par 91 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
93(a&(b)
Plate Sakeizangzia 92 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
94(a&(b)
Plate Tawtawrawt par 92 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
95(a&(b)
Plate 96 Lenbuangthuam&Sakeizangzia 93 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
(a&(b)
Plate 97 Dawlrem kawr 94 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 98 Thangchhuah kawr 95 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 99 Kawrchei 96 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 100 Thangchhuah diar tial 96 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 101 Thival 97 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 102 Thihna 97 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 103 Modern necklaces 98 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 104 Saiha bengbeh 98 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 105 Vakiria 99 Self-clicked
Plate 106 Porcupine quills 99 Self-clicked
Plate 107 Pingpih 99 Self-clicked
Plate 108 Cane headgear 100 Self-clicked
Plate 109 Arkeziak 100 Courtesy:Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 110 Latui with Arkezial 100 Courtesy:Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 111 Dartawnsuk 100 Courtesy:Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 112 Vakulchang 101 http://ellishpachuau.blogspot.in
Plate 113 Khumbeu 101 http://m.funtraveldeals.com
Plate
114(a&b) Iptechei/khiangkawi ipte 102 www.mizoramyellowpage.com
Plate 115 Puanchei bag 102 www.mizoramyellowpage.com
Plate 102- www.mizoramyellowpage.com
116(a,b,c) Modern bags 103
Plate 117 Silai(gun) 103 http://ellishpachuau.blogspot.in
Plate 118 Fungki 104 Courtesy: Mr Engmawia Varte
Plate 119 Tuibur 104 http://ellishpachuau.blogspot.in
CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
Mizoram is located in the northeastern part of India and the people are called Mizo. ‘Mi‟
means people and ‘Zo’ means high hill and gives them a racial and distinctive ethnic
identity. The main garment of the Mizo is called the ‘puan’, which simply means „cloth‟.
The puan has always played a central role in the social fabric of the Mizos. In earlier
times, every girl was expected to know the art of weaving, which met the practical needs
of not only herself, but those of her family as well. Cotton was one of the crops grown in
their jhum lands, was collected carefully, ginned and spun out with the help of
indigenously made tools to produce yarn for weaving puans to meet their needs. This was
done on simple loin looms (puanbu) which enabled them to weave cloth usually not
broader than thirty inches. For one puan two such pieces had to be sewn together. A puan
is normally about 55” – 60” in length and 48” in breadth. In the beginning, the Mizos did
not use colored yarn, and so the cloth produced was a simple, coarse white piece called
„Puanngo’ for both men and women. In course of time, they discovered that certain
barks, roots, herbs and leaves could yield colours and started making puan of different
colours and designs. The Mizos have a wealth of motifs and traditional designs.
Puans have always been an intrinsic part of the Mizo wardrobe. Other types of puans
were also woven and used as bedding and shawls. By the 20th century, men wore puans
very rarely, since trousers had become fashionable and popular as a result of the
increasing interaction with Indians from the mainland, as also the British officers and
missionaries who came into Mizoram. However, women retained the use of puan, though
it was now worn sarong-style, wrapped around the waist, with a blouse on top, a practice
which is retained till today, although variations do occur. The puan also plays a major
role in marriages; a collection of puan is a crucial part of the bride‟s dowry, and she is
required to bring a number of puans with her to her husband‟s house, and these puans,
after being handed over to her mother-in-law, are subsequently distributed as gifts among
1
the female relatives of the husband. The puan is also a significant part of the rituals
associated with death in the Mizo community. Earlier puan was woven only on a loin
loom in two parts and later stitched together, but now they are woven on frame
handlooms as single width fabrics; still hand-woven puans are high in demand.
Various factors influence the changes in the dressing from the past to the present day
dressing of the Mizos. The Britishers and the Christian missionaries played an important
role in shaping the lifestyle and dressing of the Mizos. The church is still the main driver
of the Mizo society. Every church going people have a particular dress called „Chawlhni
Kawr’. ‘Chawlhni’ in Mizo means Sunday and ‘kawr’ means dress which is worn only on
Sunday. Due to the development in the media and communication, fashion trends from
around the world have a strong influence on the dressing of the people. Even though
modern ladies are wearing western wear or Indian casual wear, the ‘puan’ continues to be
the most significant dress for Mizo women.
2
1.2 Objectives
 To study the changes in the dressing style of the Mizos by analyzing the factors
that have affected the changes from past to present.
 To document the Mizo traditional textiles and costumes.
1.3 Significance of the project
 There are quite a number of researches done on how the Mizo socio-cultural life
had undergone tremendous changes but there is little or no research done on the
changes in the dressing of the Mizo society. The lack of documentation provides
an opportunity to conduct a research on this topic.
 This study will serve as a reference material for students of fashion designing,
costume designers, sociologist and other professionals.
 Documentation of the textiles will also serve as a good reference material to
anyone who is interested to know about it.
1.4 Limitations
 The study was confined only to the people living in Aizawl, the capital of
Mizoram
 Only the Lushai clan was studied among other clans in Mizoram due to time
constraint.
.
3
CHAPTER-2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1 DRESS
Every human being belonging to different tribes, groups have their own way of dressing
according to their geographical and climatic conditions. In the earlier periods, human
beings used clothing to cover their body and to protect themselves from heat and cold.
Dress or cloth has been an important accessory for both men and women since the
making of human beings. As we have seen in the Bible, as soon as the first man Adam
and his wife Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, they realized that they were naked, so they
sewed fig leaves together and covered themselves. After that God made coats of animal
skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (4)
Dress has been defined as the total arrangement of all outwardly detectable modifications
of the body itself and all material objects added to it. In other words, dress includes not
only clothing, but all accessories, hairstyles and any other alterations made to the body. (5)
It is an important feature of all human societies. Status or identification with one's social
group is clearly a very important purpose of dress. Through our dress we all signal our
affiliation with a social group. (2) Changes regarding dressing occur time to time. Fashion
authorities recognize that social changes and fashion changes are related. From fig leaves
to animal skins, the clothes or dresses of human beings have been changing from time to
time according to the changes in social life of the people, which occurs due to several
factors like political and economic changes, and introduction of science and technology.
2.2 SOCIAL CHANGE
Social change, a consequence of human action is conditioned by the challenges faced by

a society from time to time. It happens all of the time, sometimes intentional but is often
unplanned, it is controversial, and some changes matter more than others. Since society
and culture are interdependent, 'socio-cultural change' is a more accepted term. The study
4
of socio-cultural change is the systematic study of variation in social and cultural
'systems'. All societies are involved in a process of social change; however, this change
may be so incremental that the members of the society are hardly aware of it. People
living in very traditional societies would be in this category. Societies are characterized
by change: the rate of change, the processes of change, and the directions of change. (1)
Change in clothing style happens all of the time, sometimes intentional and sometimes an
accident. In order to study the costumes of Mizos, it is important to have an idea about the
state and its people.
2.3 MIZORAM
Mizoram (previously called Lushai Hills) is a hilly region bounded on the north by the
Cachar and Manipur state and on the East and South by the Chin Hills of Burma and on
the West by the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and Tripura state. Mizoram stands
for “The Land of the Mizos”. The people are called Mizos which stands for all the tribes
of Mizoram. The Mizos are believed to be a part of the great wave of the Mongolian Race
spilling over into the eastern and southern India centuries ago. The Mizos essentially
were people who were sovereign, living under the rule of their respective Chiefs, before
the British occupation.(2) Mizoram comprises of different major tribes like the Lushais,
Lakher(Mara) and Pawis (Lai), all these tribes appear to be single tribe called „Mizo‟ to
an outsider. Lushais constitute more than 3/4th of the population of all the tribes of
Mizoram; throughout the history of the Mizos there have been the most dominant tribe
and their culture has exercised great influence on the other tribes of Mizoram. (6) Puan
(cloth) is the traditional costumes for all the tribes. The only differences in the costumes
among these tribes are in the designs, colors and the use of different ornaments. (Refer to
Annexure 2 Map of Mizoram p.111)
2.4 HISTORY OF MIZO DRESSING

According to the history of Mizo, it is believed that the Mizos were a nomadic tribe
(living in the northwest of China in the province of Kansu which was situated on the
Banks of the river Tao) who migrated southwards and entered Myanmar in the year 800
AD, moving gradually down the banks of the river Chindwin. They settled down in the
5
Kabaw valley between the years 800 to 1300 AD where they had developed a civilized
culture with a highly developed dress which is not known exactly what type and kind of
garment they worn but it is believed that they must have dressed like the Burmese who
were living in the Kabaw Valley. When the Chinese invaded Burma in 1283 AD , they
raided and attacked the Mizo living in the Kabaw valley which drove them to flee to the
Chin Hills and settled in the region between the Than hill range and the Run river
between the years 1300-1400 AD..(13)
In this valley they started a difficult life with empty hands, losing all their tools and
handmade machineries for making clothes and garment. The land where they were forced
to settle was very difficult to do cultivation as the land was barren, rocky and steep. In
this region between the Than range and Run river, the rainfall was so less that it did not
permit them to do plantation of cotton which was the raw main material for clothing.
They had worn off their clothes which they had brought down from the Kabaw valley and
they could not fetch new clothes, materials or tools from the valley as the Shans people
who had driven them out had occupied the Kabaw valley. As plantation of cotton which
was the main source could not be done, so they were forced to find a new way to make
some garments for covering their body by any means. The only thing available for
making cloth was a particular tree called „Vaiza’ from where the skin of the tree was
peeled off and took out the fiber for making the first and foremost garment „Siapsuap‟
(grass skirt) .It was a lower garment and worn by women. The top of „Siapsuap‟ was tied
around the waist and was just long enough to cover their private parts. Men were also
covered themselves with kilts like the „Siapsuap’.
Later on, when they were still living in the Than hills, the apparel of the Mizo women
improved a bit. Besides the „Siapsuap’, they tied another short one round the body just
under the armpits to cover their breasts. Men also started wearing „Hnawhkhal‟ made of
twisted stripes of „Vaiza’ fiber and tied it round the waist.8 That was how the Mizo
ancestors were attired for first four or five decades when they were living between the
Run river and the Than hills.
Between the years 1400-1750 AD, the Mizo started living in the Lentlang mountain range
near the Tiau River. It was a monsoon region and received heavy rainfall throughout the
6
year .The land was fertile and cultivation could be done which makes it easier for them to
obtain food for living. They were able to grow cotton, also made handmade tools and
machines for themselves and learnt how to weave which gradually improved their attire.
However, the product of such weaving in those days was enjoyed only by a few
privileged families. (9)
In the earlier periods, both men and women had just one piece of white thick plain puan
called ‘Puanngo or Tualtahpuan’, which was draped over either their left or right
shoulder and worn with ‘Tualtahkawr’( plain white shirt ) which was hand woven on the
loin loom, cut with sharp bamboo and stitched with a locally made bamboo needle . At
the next stage, they started to use two pieces, a small piece was enough for male person
while engaged in physical labour and the big piece was often used by him to cover the
whole body when needed. Then later, cloth for the lower garment became much boarder
which necessitated sewing up of two pieces into one. It was also from this time that the
way in which the puan were worn by men and women began to differ. The women‟s
lower garment became much wider thereby giving a full coverage to their lower part from
the waist gradually below the knee up to half of the leg, while men start wearing puan
which covered their lower part from the waist up to the knee. Another piece of a bigger
size was often used by men as wrapper for their upper body just to protect them from
cold as also to enable them to make use of the same for various other purposes such as
sheet to sleep on or to cover their body. In their simple primitive society such a pair of
cloth for a man was considered enough to meet all his needs to face the climatic
conditions prevailing in this area. (1)
Later they discovered dyes from certain barks, roots, herbs and leaves and started making
puan of different colours and designs. The Mizo ancestors reached Mizoram in the year
1750 AD and after entering Mizoram there is a huge development in their dressing.
2.5 ORNAMENTS
The Lushai women had necklaces like „thival‟ and „thihna‟(amber necklace), „tangka
thi‟(necklace consist of 25 paise and 50 paise) and „thifen‟( multicolored beads necklace).
These necklaces serve as dowry for girls. „Thimkual‟( brass hairpins) and „Dawhkilh’
7
(bamboo hair stick), (Saingho/saiha bengbeh) ivory earrings were the ornaments used by
both gender.
The Lushai clans had head dresses like „Vakiria‟, ‘Arkeziak’, ‘Thangchhuah diar tial’ and
„Vakulchang‟.
„Vakiria‟ is a woman head gear made of bamboo ring in which parrot long feather tails
and porcupine quills are inserted. „Arkeziak’ is a tassel of different colour yarns. Tuirual’
consists of three small woolen yarn rolled as a spinning top called „Latui‟ (spindle yarn)
which are tied on a thin slice of bamboo and worn by Mizo ladies with ‘Arkeziak’ in
honor of the prowess of men in wars. ‘Thangchhuah diar tial’ is a turban worn by the
chiefs and ‘Thangchhuahpa’ (honored men) only .The Mizo chiefs worn this turban with
a plume made of „Vakulchang’ meaning long tail feathers of Greater Racket-tailed
Drongo bird.(11)
2.6 COLOURS AND DYES
Dyeing and painting became popular after cloth was commonly used by the Mizos. They
discovered that certain barks, roots, herbs and leaves could yield different colours like
black, red, yellow and blue. White, black and red colours are the earliest colours
discovered by them. All the threads used in the weaving are first dyed according to the
need of the colour combination to be used. The Mizos in their earlier days, used to
prepare dyes from various roots and herbs.
White: Mizo get white colour from the cotton grown in their jhums. White is considered
as natural colour.
Black: Black is the first colour discovered by the Mizo. It was extracted from the ‘ting’
plant. „Ting’ is the Assam indigo plant- botanical name is „strobilanthes flaccidifolius‟.
The method of dyeing is that after collecting the leaves of ting plant, they pound it in a
wooden trough. The leaves are boiled in water along with the threads to be dyed. Ashes
are added. The threads are then taken out of the dye and left it under the sun to soak.
After this, it is wrung out and hung up in the sun to dry. The process is repeated three
times unless the cloth is dipped three times the dye will not be fast and lasting. For black
8
colour, other plants like „Meithui’ plant (Japan-varnish tree) and „Khei‟ plant are also
used by taking out its juice.
Red: For getting red colour, the outer layer of certain plants like keifang pil, thil pil,
sentezel, hruipil etc are used. Methods and procedures are the same as the former one.
Blue: They get blue colour after boiling „Zawngbin’ plant and ashes together for some
time.
Brown: Brown colour is the natural colour of one type of cotton and that need not be
dyed.
Yellow: To dye the yarn yellow, the roots of the turmeric plant „Aieng’ is crushed and the
yarn is boiled in a mixture of this. (10)
After discovering black colour, naturally came the use of black borders on their tunics
and puan (cloth) while some of them are made entirely of black surface with thin white
stripes producing desirable variations in their earlier simple white cloth. Puan like
„Hmaram’, ‘Ngotekherh’, ‘Puan rin’ were the earliest puan made of two colour yarns-
black and white. Then after discovering red colour, the first decorated mens wear
„Dawlrem kawr’ named after a little chirping insect called ‘dawlrem’ was developed .It
had red, white and black coloured stripes. Puan like „Pawndum’,
‘Puanlaisen’,’Tawlhohpuan’ were developed after discovering black and red colours. In
course of time, they discovered other colours and thus, came the use of yellow, green and
blue colours on their cloths.
In the First World War, more than 2100 men went to France to help the British
Government in their war against the Germany. This became an important event in the
history of Mizoram. On their way back from the war, they brought home different colours
of powdered dyes. The powdered dyes they brought home became very useful for the
people of Mizoram that they could have various types of colours for their dresses. Soon,
in the year 1939, the Second World War began and more than 2000 Mizo youths were
taken for the war. When they came back from the war, they brought home a number of
dyeing soaps. These soaps replaced the use of powdered colour dyeing. The required
9
colour soaps were mixed along with the yarns in cold water. After that, they boiled it and
the dyed yarns were then taken out and put to dry under the sun. (13)
After the year 1950, they came to know the art of dyeing with the help of synthetic
chemicals. In this way they could dye their yarns in their desired colour. Thus, the use of
powder and dyeing soaps are gradually abandoned.
Now, the Mizos like any people in other state of the country rarely use the old dyeing
materials like herbs, plant juice, dyeing powder and soaps for they can get different
coloured or dyed readymade cloth and various other fabrics of their choice. With the
availability of excellent synthetic dyes, the use of natural products has been completely
stopped. At present they purchased coloured yarn to meet their needs. Dyeing as an art or
profession among them is therefore now almost obsolete. (13)
2.7 VARIATION OF THE DESIGNS
Earlier the puans were plain, but later, taking inspiration from nature botanical design
began to incorporate in the weaving of the puan. Thus, made the cloth pretty and was also
a way of using the artistic talents of the Mizos. The earliest design they made was named
“Kawkpuizikzial” produced in a design of a fern called ‘Chakawk’. The next design came
to be known as “Disul” (a long grass). These two designs were soon followed by more
intricate ones like „Lenbuangthuam’(branch of a Lenbuang tree), „Naya sawmpar „(10
paise), ‘Arsi par’ (star),‟Semit’(Mithun‟s eye), „Siniar’ (Diamond shaped) , ‘Fanghma
mu’(Cucumber seed), ‘Sawhthingpar’( Ginger flower), ‘Herhsawp’ (X-like design),
‘Parzam’(Floral motif) ‘Lace par’(lace design), „Phengphehlep’ (Butterfly) , „Siki
par’(25 paise) and ‘Sakeizangzia’ (Back of a tiger print)which coupled with various
colour combinations led ultimately to the production of extremely beautiful puans came
into prominence. Almost every year, new designs are coming under the name of the
„Siniar’ puan in modern series. The technique involved in embroidered work but the
speciality rests in the fact that all these embroidered work is done simultaneously with the
weaving. In this respect the process differs from the designs produced on mill-made cloth
or fly shuttle cloth. This also enables the weaver to produce combinations according to
10
their artistic talents thereby bringing varieties which seldom be made possible in any
mechanical process of weaving. (1)
As years rolled by the handlooms improved and they were able to weave the beautiful tri-
coloured „Kawrchhei’ (decorated blouse) and „Puanchei’ (decorated cloth) which was
worn only by the chiefs wife in the earlier times but later anyone who had a skill to
weave „Puanchhei’ could wear it. Now they are regarded and the most accepted as
cultural dress of the Mizo.
2.8 TOOLS FOR PREPARING COTTON YARNS FOR WEAVING
The Mizo grew cotton in their jhum land which was collected, ginned and spun out with
the help of the following handmade tools to produce yarns for weaving puans.
‘Herawt’ is a homemade ginning machine

consisting of a wooden frame holding two wooden
rollers. The whole process requires time and
patience. the cotton is seeded by means of this
small , locally made ,ginning machine , crude
wood moving parts operating reversely which with
the help of pig‟s fat grease, slowly split out the
seeds .
Plate 1: Herawt
„Lasai’ is a scutching bow made of bamboo with a cane

string used for teasing cotton. The cotton is teased by this
bow about five times to become clean.
Plate 2: Lasai
11
„Hmui’ is a spinning wheel made of wood and cane. The
stand of the wheel is made of wood but the actual
spindle is made of iron.
Plate 3: Hmui
„Ladinlek’ is a contrivance used as an instrument made of small

pieces of bamboo and wood for winding cotton yarn into skein.
Plate 4: Ladinlek
‘Suvel’ a cotton yarn winding machine made of bamboo and

wood is a revolving contrivance for holding a skein of cotton
yarn while being wound into a ball.
Plate 5: Suvel
Lazar: „Lazar’ is a bamboo pole supported by two upright posts which is made for drying
the hank of the thread. A large stick is placed between the hanks of the thread.
12
Lakhuih: „Lakhuih’ is a comb for combing cotton yarn; the threads are well brushed
while it was still wet.
2.9 THE LOIN LOOM AND THE WEAVING TECHNIQUE

The beautiful designs with wonderful colour combination are produced by the Mizo
women on loin loom. This loom is simple equipment and has the great advantage of easy
portability and does not require much space
The following are the instruments used in the operation of weaving:
Plate 6: (Puanbu) Loin loom instruments
1. Themkhawl: The bar in a loom which is right in front of the weaver with which she
keeps the warp taut and kawngvawn (leather strap) is attached.
2. Thembupui : The large bamboo bar which raises those threads of the warp which are
not raised by Hnahchawi and Themtang.
3. Sahthlau: The end of the sharp pointed bamboo cut off at an angle used in weaving. It
is also called sahzum (cut sharp).
13
4. Themthleng: The flat polished bar in a loin loom for ramming home the threads of the
woof after each passage of the shuttle
5. Themtlang: The name of the bar or bars at the upper end of a loom is attached to the
wall.
6. Themtang: small piece of bar in a loom in which the Hnahchawi thread passes and by
which certain threads of the warp are raised when necessary. Other small bars (no 7 & 8)
are also called by this name. The number of bars varies according to the designs of the
cloth.
9. Tuirek: The comb-like bar in a loom to keep the threads of the warp spread out.
10. Kawngvawn: The leather strap which is attached at the end of the Themkhawl, passes
round the weaver‟s waist so that by leaning back on it she may keep the warp taut.
Themtuihnawih bur: A small gourd or bowl used to hold the water for damping the
interlaced yarn while weaving.
Dawhkilh: A porcupine quill (sakuh) is generally used for readjusting the whole line and
when some parts of the weft become uneven; it can be loosened or placed in position with
the aid of a porcupine quill.
Puanphei/ Laphei: A piece of thin bamboo stick about two inches long upon which the
cotton to form the weft thread has been wound. The shuttle is refilled from the ball by
spinning it upwards and downwards against the hip with the palm of the hand.16
14
WEAVING TECHNIQUE
The Lushai loom appears easy to handle but considerable practice is necessary to ensure
equality in dimensions and regularity of design. The warp is bound over a fixed beam of
wood or bamboo and the other end is tautened by the weaver wearing round the hollow of
her back, a leather strap to which is attached the other end of the loom. The weaver sits
between this leather strap and the loom, adjusting her position to suit the warp length.
The woof is passed through by means of prepared spindles, and is battened firmly down
by the use of a smooth and comparatively weighty, blade of polished wood usually of
sago palm. (6)
Plate 7: A Mizo woman weaving on lion loom
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2.10 FACTORS AFFECTING THE LIFESTYLE OF THE MIZOS
There are several factors which influenced the changes among the Mizos. The British
administration was responsible for the abolition of some of the notorious Mizo customs
like abolition of chieftainship, war between villages and head-hunting. The spread of
Christianity was rapid among the Mizos and within a short spell of time the many native
inhabitants embraced the new faith which in its wake brought about changes in the Mizo
society. The First World War and the Second World War can be said to be the beginning
of the intervention of the Mizos in the international affairs and gained a broader outlook.
Besides these, education which was first introduced by the missionaries, as a means of
spreading Christianity was no less significant in the process of the social transformation
of the Mizo dressing to a large extend. (18)
Missionaries not only spread education and
Christianity but also the value of peace, tolerance and they paved way for modernity for
Mizoram All these factors brought about a remarkable change in the Mizo society.
INTRODUCTION OF THE BRITISH: With the advent of the British colonial rule,
the Mizos had adopted several elements of westernization, including modern forms of
government and legal system that challenged customary law. In the post independence
phase, the programs of planned development and externally induced cultural change have
affected the ways of life. The British not only changes the social and political life of the
Mizo people but they also introduced western clothing to them.
COMING OF THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES: The British Expedition had paved

way for the coming of the Christian missionaries to Mizoram in 1894.The missionaries
started education by opening schools and the literacy rate had been increased within a
short period of time which in turn paved the way for the improvement in the fashion
trend. Because of the missionaries, the indigenous costumes and fineries which consisted
of homemade cloth, white cotton blouse, brass pronged pin, amber necklaces etc were
gradually replaced by the European and Semi European clothing..Both rural and urban
men and women started wearing shoes. Men cut their hair short and wear tailor made
clothes .However, due to economic backwardness, sudden change could not take place
especially during the British raj.
16
INTRODUCTION OF EDUCATION: There was no formal system of education
among the Mizos before the advent of the British. The only system was oral education or
the information passing orally from father to son. The Zawlbuk in which all the
unmarried young men of the village slept was the main centre of such education. Here all
boys of certain age were imparted education by their elders or leaders of the village.
The formal education found place among the Mizos only some years after the British had
occupied the land. In the beginning, the government paid little attention to education of
the Mizos. In giving education there were two organizations-one was the Government
and the other was the Missionary. The main objective of the former was to maintain law
and order in the territory, while that of the latter was to work to convert the local people
to the Christian faith through education. The administration therefore did not pay much
heed attention to educate the Mizos and left it to the Christian missionaries.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: In Mizoram the spur in the economic development

came along with the coming of the British. Before the British came, the only system
which prevailed was the barter economy by which people exchanged their properties. But
with the coming of the British and the introduction of money, people began to use money
as well as earning it through selling their goods especially to the English and traders who
were mostly Bengalis. This was undoubtedly reflected in the change of their dress. There
was development with great improvement in their dressing style and the attire which they
already had. (8)
RELIGIOUS/ CHURCH INFLUENCE: The main religion in Mizoram is Christianity.

Christianity plays an important role in shaping the socio-cultural life of the people of the
state. The continuing influence of the church as a primary agent of change in Mizo
society is a central thread that cannot be omitted. The church had started to become
primary driver in every aspect of Mizo society. It influenced the social norms in Mizo
society both implicitly and explicitly and became the guardian morality and ethics. (14)
After the Mizos had converted into Christians, they had one more „kawr‟(clothes) in
addition to the existing one which is commonly known as „chawlhni kawr‟ meaning shirt
worn only on Sunday. In the early period it was possessed only by young men and
17
women, not everybody could afford it. Gradually, they discarded the homespun clothes
and began to wear shirts, trousers, pants etc made of imported yarn. Dress was perhaps an
area where fast change was witnessed among the people. (1)
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION: Among the factors that played a significant role for
the social changes of the Mizo society are the development of roads and introduction of
the post and telegraphs in Mizoram. When Mizoram attained the Union Territory in 1972
development was much faster in transportation, media – both print media and electronic
media. Transport and communication by river routes are not suitable for most of the
rivers in Mizoram are fed by rain water and due to their precipitous nature they are not
navigable. (12)
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CHAPTER-3
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
The study of the transition of Mizo dressing for this research work is quite interesting and
exciting on one hand but difficult and troublesome on the other hand as there are no
relevant books, literature or research works available to rely and to base on the study.
The costumes of the Mizo is not well documented so in spite of visiting various libraries
like the State library, State Archives, State Museum, college libraries, much information
was not available . It was then decided to collect photographs of the past and the present
generations of different age groups in order to generate ideas and examine which factors
had caused the transition in Mizo dressing.
3.1 SECONDARY RESEARCH
The research started with the secondary research to find out information of the following:
• History of the Mizoram

• History of Mizo costumes
• Weaving techniques
• Factors affecting the Mizo society
The time period allotted for secondary research was extensively used for collecting
maximum information possible through library research and online research. Secondary
research culminated with a Review of Literature on the subject studied. Soon after the
secondary research work, primary research commenced.
3.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH
The research was qualitative and exploratory in nature. In order to understand the
changes in the Mizo dressing over the years and the factors affecting the changes, data
were collected through observations and personal interview using photograph as a tool.
Traditional costumes of Mizoram and its subsequent development was also studied to
understand the transition & evolution of the Mizo style of dressing.
19
3.3 METHODOLOGY
Data Collected
Secondary Research Primary research
• Books • Visual research

• Booklets using
• Catalogues photographs
• E-books • Interview
• Internet • Case study
• Observation
• History of Mizoram • Transition of Mizo

• Traditional costumes dressing
• Weaving techniques • Fashion trend of a
• Factors affecting particular period
lifestyle of Mizo • Influential factors of a
particular trend.
Conclusion
20
CHAPTER-4
RESEARCH ANALYSIS
4.1 SECONDARY RESEARCH
Secondary research was collected from books, booklets; catalogues and online resources.
Various libraries in Aizawl - the State library, State museum, State archives and College
libraries were visited. The Art and Culture department, Govt. of Mizoram was also
visited to get information and collected materials for the research topic.
4.1.1 HISTORICAL RESEARCH ON THE TRANSITION OF MIZO

DRESSING
It is learnt from the history that several factors had influenced the changes or the
transition of the Mizo dresses which can be categorized as political, geographical,
economical, climatic, cultural- custom, technological and the influences of the British and
the Christian missionaries who settled in Mizoram
Political Factor: When the Chinese invaded Burma in 1283 AD, they raided and
attacked the Mizo living in the Kabaw valley, capturing some of them as slaves to build
the Great Wall of China .The fear of the Chinese invasion drove them to flee to the Chin
Hills where they settled in the region-Than and Run valley between the years 1300-1400
AD. In this valley they faced and started a difficult life with empty hands, losing all their
tools and handmade machineries for making clothes and garment.
Geographical Factor: The land where they were forced to settle was very difficult to do
cultivation as the land was barren, rocky and steep. In this region between the Than range
and Run river, the rainfall was little that it did not permit them to do plantation of cotton
which was the raw main material for clothing. They had worn off their clothes which they
had brought down from the Kabaw valley and they could not fetch new clothes, materials
or tools from the valley as the Shans people who had driven them out had occupied the
Kabaw valley. As plantation of cotton which was the main source could not be done, so
they were forced to find a new way to make some garments for covering their body by
21
any means. The only thing available for making cloth was a particular tree called „Vaiza’
from where the skin of the tree was peeled off and took out the fiber for making cloth or
garment.
Climatic Factor: Between the years 1400-1750 AD, the Mizo started living in the
Lentlang mountain range near the Tiau River. It was a monsoon region and received a
heavy rainfall throughout the year .The land was fertile and cultivation could be done
which made it easier for them to obtain food for living. They were able to grow cotton,
also made handmade tools and machines for themselves which gradually improved their
attire.
Economical Factor: The next factor is the economical factor. The great famine which
took place in the early 1930‟s (Tingtam),1960‟s(Mautam) and 1966 insurgency
(Rambuai) had a great impact on the condition of the Mizoram which is in turn reflect the
lifestyle and fashion of Mizo as the people were not in a position to be aware of clothing
but only on food and shelter.
Cultural and custom influence: Mizos are accustomed to wear traditional dresses on
„Kut’ festivals, weddings, funerals and some other occasions. Women including young
ladies who wear jeans, pants or skirt on ordinary days are expected to wear puan when
going to a dead man‟s house. Also, people carry plain and simple puans when going to
funeral, and these are used symbolically as shrouds, and parting gifts for the dead. Once
the funeral rites are over, the dead person‟s family usually distributes a number of these
puans as keepsakes to the dead person‟s near and dear ones.
Science, Technology and Developmental factor: Improvement in Science and

Technology and development in the state are other factors which takes place in the
changing of the Mizo dressing. Invention and introduction of television, cinemas,
computer, internet, magazines etc; migrating to other places of the country and abroad for
education or occupation and from tourists who visited the state widened the views and
outlook of the people from where new style or latest fashion around the world have been
imitated and copied.
22
Western/British influence: The British had ruled Mizoram over a period of 60 years
since 1890. The Mizos had a high esteem and respect for the English (Sap) people that
they easily imitated and copied not only their lifestyle but also their style of dressing or
fashion. We can say that the British had played a role of model in opening a new way of
dressing for the Mizo, like the wearing of shirt, blazer, waistcoat, necktie, trouser and
shoes etc.
Christian missionaries influence: The British Expedition had paved the way for the
coming of the Christian missionaries to Mizoram in 1894.The missionaries started
education by opening schools and the literacy rate had been increased within a short
period of time which in turn paved the way for the improvement in the fashion trend.
Church going people have their own style of dressing till today that they have Sunday
dress – the dress which should be wore only on Sunday for attending the church meeting.
Women are expected to wear simple and smart blouse with the Mizo puan and the church
leaders are also expected to wear suit and necktie.
4.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH
After completing the secondary research, primary research was carried out. In order to
conduct the study, historians and older people, local designers and tailors in Aizawl were
interviewed. Photographs from 1900 AD to the present were collected from Art and
Culture office and also from personal albums of different age groups who reside in
Aizawl and are known to the researcher personally. They were interviewed to understand
and document the changes in dressing.
4.2.1 GENERAL STUDY
A general study was done by the researcher in order to understand the transition of the
Mizo dressing from the past to the present day. Photographs were collected for this
purpose from different sources. Old photographs of the early 1900‟s to 1940‟s were
collected from the Art and Culture Department,Govt of Mizoram and the other pictures
were collected from 10 different people of different age groups .The researcher
23
personally interviewed them using their photographs which were analysed to understand
the transition of the Mizo dressing.
The following pictures shows how the transition of the Mizo dressing had taken place
since the year 1900 AD to the present year 2013.
Plate 8 (a) Early 1900’s Mizo Chief Plate 8 (b) Early 1900’s Mizo Chief’s Family
The earliest pictures available were photographs of the Mizo chiefs which were taken in
the early 1900‟s. It is seen from the pictures that during that time the Mizos both men and
women including children were wearing indigenous cloth called „puan’ made and
obtained from cotton plant which was grown in their jhums , spun and woven using their
handmade wooden tools – „Lasai’(scutching bow) , ‘Suvel’ (cotton yarn winding
machine), ‘Hmui’(spinning wheel), ‘Ladinlek’ ( an instrument for winding cotton yarn
into skein),’Herawt’(ginning machine) ,’Thembu’(loin loom) etc .
The plain white cloth called ‘Puanngo’ or „Tualtahpuan’ was draped over either their
right or left shoulder and some of them wore local made blouse called ‘Tualtahkawr’
which were stitched by themselves with the help of locally made bamboo needle . There
are two types of „Puanngo’- plain white cloth and white cloth with black coloured border
which were used as a casual wear. Footwear was worn by only few people especially
from the chief‟s family who could afford to buy it from the Britishers. Both men and
women smoked the tobacco pot called ‘Vaibel’ for men and ‘Tuibur’ for women. Men
24
were carrying guns to show their pride as it was difficult to have guns during this time
and it was one of the treasures they possessed. Women were wearing „Thihna’ and
„Thival’ (amber necklace) and „Saingho/saiha bengbeh’ an ivory earrings which were
their valued ornaments for both gender.
Plate 9 Plate 10
1900’s Lushai Sailo Chiefs Lushai chiefs with Captain T.H. Lewin (Thangliana)
The above pictures are the photographs of the Lushai chiefs during the 1900‟s. Plate 9
shows the Lushai Sailo (one of the Lushai tribe) Chiefs with their chief‟s dresses. In Plate
10, the Lushai chiefs with British Captain T.H Lewin are seen. He was one of the first
Englishmen to come to Mizoram and was so popular with the local tribesmen that as a
mark of respect, he was called ‘Thangliana’ which meant 'greatly famous'. He lived with
the Mizos for nine years and authored the first Lushai book.
The Lushai (particular Mizo clan) chiefs were wearing „Thangchhuah kawr ’- a shirt
worn only by „Thangchhuah Pa’ – a man who had already performed various special
ritual ceremonies. Some of the chiefs also wore ‘Tualtahkawr’ (plain white shirt) which
was used as a casual wear under the puan for both the chiefs and the common people.
The chiefs had a special puan called ‘Lal puan(chiefs cloth) which could be worn by the
chiefs only. They had their own special turban called „Diartial’(striped turban) in which
they insert „Vakulchang’ a plume made of a long tail feathers of Greater Racket-tailed
Drongo which was one of the signatures of the chiefs.
25
The pictures indicate that in the early 1900‟s, the Mizos had developed their own
traditional dresses which were not imitated or copied from other communities.
The introduction of the British rule in Mizoram in the late 1800‟s and the British
expedition which paved way for the coming of the Christian missionaries to Mizoram had
changed the lifestyle and dressing of the Mizo society. The rapid spread of Christianity
within a short spell of time among them, embracing new faith and lifestyle which brought
about changes in their dressing.
Plate 11: Lushai Chiefs family 1912
The picture of the Lushai chief‟s family revealed that dressing of men and children had
undergone change as compared to the previous pictures. Men from the chief clans started
wearing blazers, shirts and ties with loose shorts and also started wearing shoes with long
socks which were never worn by the Mizos before the coming of the Britishers and the
Christian missionaries. But at the same time, there were men who still continue wearing
puan with western wear on top. Children also started wearing European frocks, shirt and
shorts. So, the influence of the British and the Christian missionaries can be seen from
their dressing in Plate 11. It should be kept in mind that the above photograph was taken
among the chiefs family- the family above average who managed to have western
clothing. The average and common people would be dressing on the same Mizo
26
„Tualtahpuan‟ and „Tualtah kawr‟ (casual wear made of white thick cloth) during this
time.
The 1920’s
Plate 12: Young Mizo men 1926
Plate13: Mizo women in the 1920’s
In 1920‟s, more changes can be seen especially in men‟s wear. The indigenous dresses
were gradually replaced by the European and western dress because the clothes worn by
the Christian missionaries were being copied by the Mizo. Young men started wearing
European suits with formal shoes while some people wore the puan with blazers, shirts
and ties. But most of the common men living especially in the villages continued wearing
27
the traditional „Tualtah kawr’ and „Tualtahpuan/Puanngo’. Mizo men who became
Christian started to cut their hair short, unlike their forefathers who grew their hair long.
The missionaries setup schools for formal education in which they also taught how to
stitch their clothes. Conversion to Christianity made a lot of change in the culture and
lifestyle which in turn changed the mode of dressing. The Mizo women still continue
draping their puan over their left shoulder but instead of wearing indigenous blouse they
started to wear European blouses.
The 1930’s
Plate 14: Mizo dressing in the 1930’s (rural area)
In the 1930‟s, the Mizo women had changed their draping style. They still continued
draping puan over their shoulder but unlike the earlier times, they also wrapped around
the other side on their waist. From the above picture, it seems that their draping style was
taken from the mainland Indian women who wear sari but the Indian women influence
would not be the factor for changing the style of draping because the puan was too short
in comparison with the sari in length. They had started wearing short sleeve European
blouse which were made from „Vai puan’ means Indian cloth.
28
The 1940’s
Plate 15(b)A lady dressed up for

Plate15(a) Minister of Chief’s family
special occasion
Early 1940’s
Plate 15(a) shows the „Lal upa‟( minister of the chief‟s ) family, the children changed
their style of dressing as their dresses were like the European children of that time.
Women still draped their puan as usual with long sleeve „Vaipuan’ blouse. The „Lal
upa’who is sitting on the extreme left is wearing ‘Sipai’ soldiers uniform shirt with a
knee length Mizo puan. He is barefoot as other older Mizo people. His ‘Sap lukhum’
English hat which he bought from Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram is seen on his grandson
who is sitting on the first row.
According to historians, the years between 1935-1955AD was the golden period for
Mizoram. Almost all the Mizos had converted into Christians and the fear of the evil
spirits/ ghosts had gone. People were self-retained and self-sufficient in agricultural
production and everyone was happy as peace prevailed in the country. There were no
raiding, attacking villages which prevailed before the British rule.
During this period, improvement in Mizo puan was highly developed .Decorations or
invention of new designs and patterns of puan has been introduced not only in using
traditional Mizo yarns but using new and fine Indian cotton yarns. The economical
growth was the factor which affected the change in the patterns of the Mizo puan which
can be seen from Plate 15(b) a Mizo lady wearing a decorative puan.
29
Plate 16(a) Draping style 1945 Plate 16(b) Draping style 1946
As mentioned earlier, the new economic condition led to an improvement in the lifestyle
and fashion of the Mizos. Many young people went to other cities like Shillong in
Meghalaya, the capital of Assam during that time for further studies where they caught
up a new style of living as well as new fashion especially from the Khasi, Assamese and
the Western people living in the city.
As we see from Plate16 (a) and (b), the way of draping their puan was similar to that of
the Khasi ladies who used to drape their „Jainsem’ (Khasi traditional dress) in the same
way. The famous and colourful Mizo „Puanchhei‟ (decorative Mizo traditional puan)
which is highly esteemed and valued not only by the Mizos but also people who are fond
of textiles has been increasingly improved during this period.
30
.
Plate 16(c) Late 1940’s dressing Plate 16(d) Women with fancier blouse
During the late 1940‟s, due to the introduction and easily availability of Indian cloth,
women had started wearing blouse which was stitched by themselves instead of wearing
thick indigenous cotton cloth. They had changed the way of wearing puan by wrapping
around their waist. The reason for not covering their upper body with puan was because
they wore modern and stylish blouse which gave them the confident to drop the
traditional way of draping for daily wear. Men replaced the traditional puan with shirts
and trousers; the puan is now reserved for festivals, functions and traditional dances.
31
The 1950’s
Plate 17: Early 1950’s Mizo joint family
Plate 19: Late 1950’s New look of puan with

Plate 18: Mid 1950’s dressing
black elastic belt
The Second World War had forced the Mizo young men to enroll themselves as soldiers
who fought in the world within the country and abroad. This led to widen the views and
outlook of the Mizo‟s especially in dressing. The soldiers who came home from leave or
32
holidays brought home new style and designs of clothes and shoes for their dear ones
from modern markets which greatly changed the dressing or fashion in Mizoram.
Mizo men wear suits, shirts with ties, shoes just like the other gentlemen in the other
parts of the world. Women continue wearing puan, with western blouse on top which is
still continued. In the late 1950‟s, women draped puan on their waist with elastic belt
which gave a new look. Skirt of mid-calf length or full skirt with belt was the trend in the
Western countries during 50‟s; they were influenced by that fashion trend.
The 1960’s
The great famine called ‘Mautam’ which occurred in the year 1960 was one of the most
remarkable disasters that happened in the history of Mizoram. ‘Mautam’ meaning extinct
of bamboo caused increased in the population of the rodents which destroyed all the
crops throughout the state which in turn brought famine. This famine was the beginning
of the insurgency which took place in the year 1966. Mizos rebelled against the Indian
government and fought for Independence which lasted for 20 years. This famine and the
insurgency during this decade had a bad affect not only on the economic condition but
also lifestyle and fashion trend of the Mizos. The Indian soldiers burnt down their houses
including their loin looms, beautiful puans which they called ‘Puan Thulkhung’ meaning
valued cloths kept in a bamboo box as well as their photographs taken in the earlier
times. As a result, the traditional loin-loom gradually disappeared so; the people are
compelled to use more and more mill cloths. As Mizoram was no more self-sufficient in
handloom cloths, it greatly depends on the handloom cloths imported from Manipur.
33
Early 1960’s
Plate 20(a) Men in loose trousers and women draped puan with black belt
Plate 20(b) Permed bob cut short hair Plate 20(c) Early 1960’s dressing
It can be seen from the above pictures Plate 20 a, b & c, that in the early 1960‟s both men
and women clothing still resembled the late 1950‟s.
34
Mid 1960’s
Plate 21(a) Holding umbrella and carrying camera Plate 21(b)Puan draped straight
a style of posing in Mid 60’s and short.
Plate 21(c) Three women in a bouffant hairstyle Plate 21 (d) Posing with an
umbrella in a puan draped to look like a
short straight skirt
35
During the mid 1960‟s, there was a big change in both men and women fashion. The
„mod‟ fashion like tailored suits, desert boots, tight fitting shirts etc and „mod‟ hairstyle
were very popular in the European countries during that time and this style became the
fashion even in Mizoram .Men shirts were slim accompanied by slim fitted pants and
pointed shoes called rock shoes or Beatle shoes was also very popular. There was a huge
influence of the Beatles among the Mizo youth, not only their music but also their
dressing was copied by most young men in Aizawl. Carrying hollow guitar and click III-
camera especially for photo shoot was a style during this time for men.
The way of draping puan had changed –which can seen from Plate 21(b,c and d).The
puan is draped much shorter and straighter unlike the earlier times. Bouffant or beehive
hairstyle was very popular around the world in the 60‟s so, this style was copied by the
Mizo ladies. During this time, holding umbrella for photo shoot was a common style of
posing for young ladies as seen in Plate 21 d.
Late 1960’s
Plate 22(a) Women wearing short floral puan Plate 22(b) Two ladies wearing knee length
puan and one in a dress.
36
As mentioned earlier, almost all the Mizo ladies during the 1960‟s had „Beehive or
bouffant‟ hairstyle which was a very popular hairstyle around the world that time –some
kept their hair long while others kept it short.
In the late 1960‟s, puan was draped in knee length which gave a look of a pencil skirt
which was in the trend during that time. ‘Puan par’ (cloth having a border of flowers
woven into it) was very popular especially among the young women. Sandals, pointed
pumps-2/3 inches patent leather kitten heel shoes were popular that time. There was not
much change in men‟s fashion. Few advance men and women had started wearing bell-
bottom trousers in the late 60‟s.
The 1970’s
In the 1972, Mizoram became one of the Union Territories of India, funds and financial
assistance flew in from the Central Government of India for the developmental work
which made the economic and the social life better off. People were getting new jobs in
the government offices and their earnings had increased that paved way for entering into
business world and even started doing business in the field of fashion. Goods were
brought in from the southeastern countries through Burma side which made the
readymade garments, fabrics and shoes available at a cheaper rate. When Mizoram
became a Union Territory, Indian Fly Shuttle Loom (IFSL) began to be imported and
with this new loom weaving became popular again.
37
Early 1970’s
Plate 23(a) Peter Pan collar and full Plate 23(b) Men with mop-top haircut
sleeve blouse worn over a geometric
design puan.
Plate 23 (c) Hippie influence in ladies dressing
38
In the early 70‟s, men‟s fashion did not change; the late 1960‟s fashion was still
continued. The bell-bottom trouser was still in the trend for both men and women. From
the above pictures Plate 23 a & b, it can be seen that there is a change in the style of
draping puan; it reaches the ankle. Women hair was just kept straight and long, like the
hippies. Mop-top or Beatle haircut popularized by the Beatles was a very popular
hairstyle among young men especially youth studying in other city like Shillong.
Some young fashionable men and women started wearing platform shoes which often had
soles two to four inches high.
Mid 1970’s
Plate 24(a) Men wearing bell-bottom trousers Plate 24(b) A medley of puan ,skirt and bell
bottom trousers
In Plate 24(a) it is seen that two young men are wearing wide collar fitted shirts which
are tucked in their high waisted flared trousers. Rexine or leather patches were stitched
on the back pocket of the flared jeans and trousers as a decoration. Women upper
garments were usually tight fitted and tucked inside the puan or skirt. Puans were draped
around the waists straighter and the length covered the feet.
39
Late 1970’s
Plate 25(a) Mizo Choir in the US,1978
Plate 25(b) Late 1970’s- girls in puan and men in bell bottom trousers
Wide collar tight fitted shirts and platform shoes which appeared on the fashion scene in
the mid 1970‟s were still continued to be in the trend. A „mod‟ fashion or Beatles fashion
was replaced by high waisted wide-legged, flared jeans and trousers which was another
fashion for both sexes throughout the decade.
40
Some men continued wearing parallel tailored trousers even though flared trousers was in
the trend during that time. Cowboy hat was popular influenced by cowboy films, comics
and novels can be seen from Plate 25(b) that a man standing in the last row centre is seen
wearing a cowboy hat.
Platform shoes were brought into Aizawl from Kolkata and Shillong but mainly Shillong.
People bought those shoes from the Chinese cobblers residing in Shillong. These
platform shoes were popularized by the Mizos studying in Shillong. In those days, the
Mizo youth studying outside the state were the trendsetter of Mizoram. The clothes,
shoes, accessories which they bought home became a new trend in the state.
The1980’s
After 20 years of long disturbances that prevailed in the state, the Indian government and
the Mizo rebels had made and signed peace accord in 1986. Mizoram attained statehood
in the year 1987 and became the 23rd state of India. Peace prevailed in the new state and
developmental works had been started at higher speed. During this time Burma loom was
also taken in and later, the Mizo carpenters began to make looms of their own called „Zo
loom‟. The living standard of the people became high with higher income .Television
was also introduced in Mizoram in the year 1981 which started becoming one of the most
influential factor in the development of Mizo people especially in fashion.
41
Early 1980’s
Plate 26(a) Dreesed for a formal occasion Plate 26(b) Women in traditional puan and
men in western wear
Many styles from the late 1970s remain fashionable in Mizoram till 1982 like high
waisted wide-legged jeans and trousers with close fitting top and platform shoes, can be
seen it from Plate 26(a).
Then new trend came in the early 1980‟s itself. Both men and women began to wear
loose-fitting shirts and tight, close-fitting trousers. Mizo women usually tucked-in their
upper garment inside their puan which was a style most women followed during this time
can be seen from Plate 26(b).
42
Mid 1980’s
During the mid-1980, celebrities like Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Suzi Quatro, the Rolling
stones etc greatly influenced the dressing of the people who listened to their music all
over the world. Suzi Quatro hairstyle was popular even among the young Mizo ladies
who were a big fan of her.
One of those interviewed was Mrs Lalmuankimi (MKi) a disco dancer in Mizoram during
mid and late 1980‟s.In spite of her not having travelled abroad she adopted many western
trends which can be seen from the pictures below.
Plate 27 (a) Suzi Quatro Plate 27(b )MK-i with a Suzi Quatro
inspired hairstyle
43
Plate27(c) MK-I wearing Plate 27(d) MK-i in a Plate 27(e) MK-i in ‘Cheongsam’.
slim fit pants with white traditional costume
shirt.
Muankimi ( MK-i) is seen from Plate 27(b, c and d) adopting the hairstyle of Suzi
Quatro[plate 27(a)], a famous rockstar during the 1970‟s and 80‟s .
In Plate 27 (e) she is seen wearing Chinese traditional dress called „Cheongsam‟ while
performing a disco dance in a contest held in Aizawl,Mizoram.
44
Plate 28(a) Madonna Plate 28(b) MK-i with a Madonna
inspired dressing
In 1980‟s, Madonna (plate 28-a) was a major fashion influence on young girls and
women around the world. Every girl wanted to look like her. Whatever clothes and
accessories she had worn soon became a trend, like huge crucifix jewelry, lace gloves,
untidy hair with hair ribbon bows and headbands, miniskirts, and boy toy belts etc.
MK- is seen in Plate 28(b) with acid wash jean jacket and denim skirt with black fishnet
stockings which she adopted from Madonna , Queen of Pop music during 1980‟s .
Like all the other parts of the world, the Mizo youth dressings were also greatly
influenced by these celebrities, especially Madonna and the Rolling stones. Magazines
like the Rolling Stone; Sun magazines etc were also one factor which influences their
dressings. But these magazines were not available in Aizawl market so people got them
from the Mizos studying outside the state and also from businessmen who owned
cassettes and video shops.
45
Plate 28(c) Men Sundaywear Plate 28(d) MK-I in a white dress
Big checks for shirts and pleated trousers with narrow-ties was a new trend for Sunday
wear among the young men as seen from plate 28 (c).Wearing loose-fitting dresses with
black belt was also a trend for young ladies in Aizawl as seen in Plate 28(d)
Plate 28(e) Mizo family in Church wear
46
Lace and satin were the popular fabrics found in Mizoram during that time so the women
and children had blouses and dresses made of these, especially for the Sunday wear.
Late 1980’s
Plate 29(a) Hiphop looks Plate 29(b) Style of dressing in late 1980’s
In the 1980‟s globally, Hiphop music was introduced by the Hiphop artists which
popularized baggy jeans, Nike and Adidas sneakers and thick chains. These fashion
trends were also very popular among the young men. Leaving shirts untucked was
considered ito be a fashion.Fanny pack worn around the waist was one of the fashion
accessory during that time as seen from Plate 29(a).
Mizo ladies still continued to tuck their upper garment into the lower garment whether
it‟s a puan or skirt or trousers. Tucking-in the upper garment was a style in the 1980‟s as
seen from Plate 29(b) and Plate 26 (b&c) early 1980‟s.
47
Plate 30 (a) Madonna Plate 30 (b) A girl with a
Madonna inspired hair bow, 1989
Hair ribbon bow was popularized by Madonna (Plate 30 a) during 1980‟s. A girl is seen
wearing hair ribbon bow for accessorizing her hair which she adopted from Madonna in
Plate 30(b).
Plate 31(a) Lady Diana Plate 31(b) and Plate 31 (c) MKI with Lady Diana inspired
hat and dressing
Madonna was not the only fashion icon. Lady Diana‟s dressing and hairstyle was a big
influence among women across the world in the late 1980‟s. Plate 31 (b) and (c) shows
MK-I wearing hats similar to that worn by Lady Diana. Besides Madonna and Suzi
Quatro, Lady Diana was also a source of inspiration.
48
The 1990’s
In 1992, cable TV started in Mizoram. Among different TV channels, MTV became the
most influential channel for youth at that time, and brought great changes not only in
fashion but also in music. Many people started business in readymade garments which
were sourced not only from within India but also abroad like Bangkok, Hong Kong and
other Southeastern countries. Fashion products were brought across the border from
Burma side which brought about much change in the dressing.
Plate 32 (a) Guns N’ Roses vocalist W.Axl Rose Plate 32(b) A youngman with a Guns N’ Roses
inspired headband
Plate 32 (a) shows Gun N‟ Roses , an American hard rock band vocalist, W. Axl Rose. A
young man in Plate 32(b) is wearing a bandana on his head and holding an electric guitar
which shows that he is a big fan of W. Axl Rose ,Gun N‟ Roses lead vocalist which
made him adopted the head band
49
Plate 32(c) Champion sweatshirt-a
fad during the 90’s Plate 32 (d) High waisted jeans another fad
High waisted straight cut denim jeans, champion sweatshirts , and Nike, Reebok and
Adidas sneakers became popular among the youth for casual wear. Some people started
wearing baggy clothes which was adopted from the Hip-hop artists.
Plate 32(e) Grunge Fashion Plate 32(f) Youth adopted Grunge Fashion
In the early 1990‟s, grunge fashion gained popularity among the youths around the world.
50
In Plate 32(f) a boy and girl are seen wearing loose-fitting check shirts with straight cut
jeans which they adopted from the grunge fashion.
Mid 1990’s
Plate 33(a) Plate 33(b)
Shoulder padded loose tops worn with floral design puan
Plate 33(c) Mid 1990’s Sunday wear, Aizawl
51
In the mid 1990‟s, there was a change in the Mizo ladies Church wear or Sunday wear
as seen from Plate 33(a,b,c) . Church going ladies are seen wearing loose-fitting, long
sleeve oversized blouses/jackets with shoulder pads .Puan ‘par’ meaning cloth having
flower woven into it was in vogue. Men‟s Sunday wear did not change much.
Late 1990’s
Plate 34(a) Snoop Dogg Plate34 (b) Usher
Plate 34(c) Mizo girls adopted Snoop Dogg and Usher hairdo’s
In the late 1990‟s, Hip-hop artist like Snoop Dogg and R&B singer Usher gained
popularity among the youth around the world. The influence of these artists can be seen
from Plate 34(c). The picture shows a girl (sitting on the left hand side) with braided hair,
52
adopted from Snoop Dogg hairstyle (Plate 34(a)) and the girl next to her is seen with a
white head band which was popularized by Usher (Plate 34-b).
Plate 35 (a) Street wear Plate 35(b) Mizo family in their Sunday best
Plate 35(c) All ready to attend church service on Sunday
In the late 1990‟s, ladies Sunday wear had changed from over-size jacket or blouse to
slim-fitted jacket which were much shorter in length as seen in Plate 35(c).
53
The Year 2000-2013
The turn of the century brought about a lot of changes ; there was development in every
field like economy , Science and Technology ,communication and education . Internet
broadband and mobile phones were introduced. Travelling abroad on business to places
such as Bangkok , Hongkong , China, Malaysia and Dubai was common among both
men. They mostly went abroad to source garments in the latest fashion which sold fast in
the domestic market.
Due to the television , fashion magazines and internet , Mizos followed the latest trends
of the world fashion. Pop artists like Britney Spears , Spice Girls,5ive, Westlife ,Christina
Aquilera etc were the fashion icon in the early 2000‟s for the youth. The baggy jeans and
T-shirts, chunky chains with big locket popularised by hiphop rappers was replaced with
slimfit low rise jeans for both men and women .Nike Air Force1 shoes, Timberland and
Converse also became very popular.
Early and Mid 2000
Plate 36(a)Two ladies in a suit Plate 36(b) Two older women in Sunday wear
54
In the early 2000 , tailored suits – blouse with skirt(usually full length or mid-calf length)
was a very popular Sunday wear for young ladies, can be seen from Plate 36(a). Older
women continued to wear the tradional ‘Puanchei’ but with a with a modified traditional
blouse.Thus , woven puans were no longer confined to the traditional sarong-style usage,
but made their appearance in jackets, trousers, skirts, tops, and even bags. This fusion is
seen as a healthy instance of a tradition that is evolving and keeping pace with the
changing times.The local Mizo designer, Lucy Sailo had introduced this traditional touch
designs during the 1990‟s.
Plate 36(c) The ladies are Plate 36(d) The lady in a Plate 36(e) A modern
wearing mermaid skirts twin-set blouse with puan family in western wear.
and the man in a unusual
jacket.
In the mid 2000‟s mermaid skirt and long pointed shoes were in vouge. A number of
designer boutiques began to open in the capital Aizawl- it can be stated that the local
designers are the trensetter of ladies Sunday wear in Mizoram especially in the state
capital Aizawl.
9e
55
Late 2000-2013
Plate 37(a) A Mizo couple Plate 37(b) Two sisters wearing Plate 37(c) A Mizo family
ready for Church;the wife in Puanropui, or ‘great cloth’ a dressed for a wedding.
silk blouse and puan elaborately design puan worm on
special occasions
In contemporary times, enterprising and innovative young designers have brought the
puan to an entire new level, by interspersing the traditional motifs into a number of
modern designs. Like mentioned earlier , most of the Mizo women and kids Sundaywear
are designed and stiched by the local designers. Silk ,lace and Georgeete fabrics are the
most commonly used materials for stiching Sunday wear by the local designers and
tailors in the present.
56
Plate 38(a) Rihanna power Plate 38(b) Lady Gaga Power Plate 38(c) A Mizo girl
shoulder jacket shoulder dress with a power shoulder
jacket inspired from
Rihanna and Lady Gaga
In 2010 and 2011 , power shoulder dresses and jackets were very popular worldwide and
were popularized by the Pop artists like Rihanna (Plate 38-a) and Lady Gaga(Plate 38-
b).A Mizo girl is wearing a power shoulder jacket with a pencil skirt which was adopted
from these celebrities.
Plate 38(d) Pallazo pants and maxi skirt-a fad Plate 38(e) Mizo girls in casual wear.
in late 2011 to 2012
From Plate 38(d) it can be seen that some girls are wearing pallazo pants and maxi skirt
which was the trend during the late 2011 to 2012. In37(e)
Plate PlateMizo
38(e),girls are seen
girls in casual wearing
wear
57
Plate 37(e) Mizo girls in casual wear
Plate 37(e) Mizo girls in casual wear

slim-fit jeans with T-shirt,jumper, denim jacket , Converse ,Canvas and loafers;which are
the common casual wear in Mizoram.
Plate 38(f) Bruno Mars Plate 38(g) Young Mizo men with Bruno Mars
inspired hat called ‘Federo’.
Bruno Mars(Plate 38-f) is an American singer and one of the fashion icon among youth
across the world at present .From Plate 38(g), it is seen that the Mizo young men have
adopted Bruno Mars dressing by wearing hats „Federo‟ similar to that worn by him.
Plate 38(h) Current trend in Aizawl
Plate 38(h) shows the young Mizos wearing the current fashion trend in Mizoram. Peter
Pan collar shirt or dress, layer dress are in vouge . Louise Vuitton popularized Peter Pan
collar in 2012.
58
The common articles of clothing for male and female in Mizoram in the present day
are print sweater , jean jacket, leather jacket, slim fit trousers , Floaters and „Toms‟ shoes.
For females, 3/4 length sleeved striped or polka dot cotton shirts, pencil skirts, jean skirts,
floral skirts with opaque tights. Dresses and tops worn with belts, skinny jeans, palazzo
pants, platform shoes, wedge heels and blouses or jackets with a Peter Pan collar are
popular. Black and white clothing with thick necklaces became fashionable in 2013.Male
tended to favor plaid Western shirts, bow ties, narrow neck ties, v-neck t-shirts, skinny
jeans, paisley or geometric print shirts, Cargo pants, Vans shoes etc.
Mizos watch Hollywood and Korean movies more than Bollywood movies. Western
music is also more popular than Bollywood songs. So, the Hollywood influence is huge
among the Mizo people. The youth of Mizoram always follow the western celebrities‟
sense of dressing.
59
4.2.2 MODELS SHOWING TRANSITION OF MIZO TRADITIONAL
COSTUMES
To get a quick look at the transition, models are dressed up in different traditional
costumes.
'
Plate 39
Plate 40
60
Plate 41
Plate 42
61
Plate 43
Plate 44
62
4.2.3 CASE STUDY ON ZOPARI
A case study was conducted on Mrs. Zopari in order to understand the change in costume
of the Mizos. An analysis of photographs which show the clothes worn by Zopari and her
friends and family over a period of approximately 70 years (from the age of 6 years to the
present) was done. Through this study one is able to see the influences of British
administration, Christian missionaries, church, cinema, travel and magazines.
Plate 45: Dec, 1945 Zopari with her friends
The earliest photograph available was when Zopari (second front from left) was 6 years
old. Here she is seen wearing a regular dress as would have been worn by children in
Europe or other parts of India, This is in contrast to what Mizo children used to wear
earlier – which is a puan that was draped over either the right or left shoulder.
It was informed by Zopari that the dress was stitched by her mother.
63
Plate 46: Aizawl, 1952 with her friend Zami
The second picture shows Ms Zopari (standing on the extreme right) aged 13 dressed for
a dance performance that was inspired by Bollywood. In spite of the distance from
Mumbai, and the absence of television, the Mizo children picked up the steps and
dressing from the children of the army officers who had exposure to Bollywood.
Plate 47: Thakthing Aizawl, 1953 with her friends
The third picture shows Zopari (the one who is seated with a guitar in her hands) aged 14,
sitting with her friends outside her house on a Sunday afternoon. Here she is seen
wearing a European blouse with a simple striped Mizo puan and wear Indian sandal
which she purchased from the traders coming from Kolkata to Aizawl during that time.
She is also carrying a guitar which is not a traditional musical instrument of the Mizos
which would have been introduced by the British missionaries. A mixed culture is seen in
this picture – Traditional and westernized.
64
Plate 48: Aizawl, 1954 after performing Gypsy dance
This picture shows Zopari dressed up for Gypsy dance at school. She is wearing
European shirt-dress with Indian sandals which she got from Kolkata. The design of her
dress was inspired from a Film fare Magazines which some ex-army officer bought home
from Kolkata and stitched it herself. Her love for music is shown in the picture as she is
holding a guitar.
Plate 49: Aizawl, 1955 on a Sunday Afternoon
This photo was taken after attending a church service on a Sunday afternoon. Zopari
(standing on the extreme right) is seen wearing a simple western blouse with Mizo puan
which is wrapped around the waist with the end lying at an angle. She is holding a Mizo
bag „Iptechei’ decorative haversack and scarf on her hand. Braiding hair was a popular
hairstyle during that time which was the influence of Bengali nurses coming from
Guwahati and Kolkata, working in the hospital of Mizoram.
65
Plate 50: Aizawl, 1956 Zopari with a group of friends
In this picture, Zopari (standing on the extreme left) is seen with a group of friends.
Although she is wearing the puan, it is looking different because she has worn a black
elastic belt which was very popular at that time. The upper garment is a simple blouse.
During 1950‟s, skirt of mid-calf length or full skirt with belt was the trend in the Western
countries; she was influenced by that trend which made her use belt with a puan.
Plate 51(a) Audrey Hepburn Plate 51(b) Zopari inspired by Audrey Hepburn dressing
Aizawl, 1957
This picture shows Zopari (extreme right) sitting with her friends and she is seen wearing
short- sleeve shirt with a scarf which was the influenced of Audrey Hepburn plate 50(a),
a famous Hollywood actress during 1950‟s.
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Plate 52: Aizawl, 1958 with her friends
In this picture, Zopari is standing (extreme left) with her friends Nguri and Rami .She is
wearing printed collar shirt and Mizo „Puanchei’ which she draped with black elastic
belt. Sandals as seen in the picture were the only kind of footwear which was popular and
available during that the 1950‟s in Aizawl.
Plate 53: Aizawl, 1958 Zopari with cultural club
This photo was taken after performing the Mizo dance ‘Cheraw’ on Republic day. All the
participants are wearing the traditional costume comprising of the „Kawrchei‟ which is a
decorative blouse like garment and ‘Puanchei’ which is a special decorative puan. This is
the accepted dress code for the „Cheraw’ dance.
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Plate 54: Zopari wearing ‘Cheongsam’ inspired blouse in Aizawl, 1959
Not only was Zopari influenced by western clothes- the above picture shows her in fitted
blouse with a Chinese collar that was worn with a different puan known as „Puanpar’ . In
Mizo, „par‟ means flower, so this puan is called par because it has a border of flowers
woven into it. It is interesting to note that Zopari means Mizo flower.
Zopari designed and stitched most of her tops for which she took inspiration from the
Cinema and magazines.
Plate 55: Zopari with her friends in Shillong, 1960
It was the year 1960 that Zopari (standing on the extreme right) moved from Aizawl to
Shillong for her college studies. This is amongst the first photographs of Zopari after
settling in Shillong. In this picture, we see a big transformation – she is no longer wearing
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the puan, but has adapted to a totally western one- piece dress. However we see that on
her feet she is wearing sandals similar to the ones seen in earlier pictures.
Plate 56: Shillong, 1961 Zopari with her friends
This photo was also taken in Shillong .Here she is seen standing in the centre with her
friends and is seen wearing a mid-calf length shirt dress with a belt; over the dress she is
wearing a cardigan and a scarf. In Shillong they watched a lot of Hollywood movies and
read fashion magazines which influenced her dressing.
Plate 57: Aizawl, 1961 Zopari with her sisters
Zopari is seen in the centre with her sisters Zothangi and Zomuani. This picture was
taken in Aizawl when she was back from Shillong for a short vacation. Her dressing
became more westernized after coming back from Shillong as seen in the picture;
wearing a Peter Pan collar sleeveless top which is tucked inside a buttoned pencil skirt
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with a belt. We can also see a change in her footwear – she is no longer wearing sandals
but has adopted western pumps.
Plate 58: Aizawl, 1962 with her friends
In this picture we see Zopari (standing third from the left) with her friends after attending
a Mizo festival called ‘Chapchar kut’ .It is an annual harvest festival celebrated in the
month of March. For the festival, she was dressed in the traditional Mizo costume
‘Puanchei’ and ‘Kawrchei’ with white pumps. We can see that everyone is holding an
umbrella. Posing for photos with an umbrella was a style statement during that time.
Plate 59(a) Zopari in a dress with pearl Plate 59(b) Zopari with her friends in Aizawl,
necklace ,Aizawl, 1962 1962
These photos were taken in Aizawl outside her house. In plate 59(a), Zopari is seen
wearing a v-neck dress with a pearl necklace which is fully westernized. She was fond of
reading fashion magazines which makes her follow the latest fashion trend.
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Plate 59(b) was taken on a Sunday afternoon after a church service. Zopari (standing
second from the left) dressed up in her Sunday wear- blazer with a puan. Ordinary days,
she might be wearing dresses or skirt but on Sunday she wore only Mizo puan with
European blouse like every Mizo lady.
Plate 60(a) Plate 60(b)
Zopari on her Wedding Day, October, 1963
The picture on the left was taken on her wedding day, standing outside the church after
the ceremony .Her bridal dress is a combination of Mizo and western clothes. The
traditional „Puanchei” which is always a special puan is worn with a lace blouse, giving
it a very western look. Like European brides she too is wearing a net veil to cover her
head and carrying a bridal bouquet.
In the picture on the right, she is seen wearing a white European bridal dress, holding a
bouquet. This picture too was taken on her wedding day. For the ceremony she wanted to
have as traditional a look as possible, but with the western influence. Hence she mixed
the costumes of two different cultures. She was fascinated by the typical European bridal
dress, so she changed into one after the ceremony as seen on the right hand side picture.
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Plate 61(a) Posing for Burmese calendar Plate 61(b) Zopari with her husband, Aizawl, 1964
Plate 61(a) was taken during a photo shoot for a Burmese calendar. The top she is
wearing with the puan is a short modified version of a „Cheongsam’ Chinese traditional
dress.
Plate 61(b) which was taken in Aizawl on a Sunday morning after the church service, we
see her standing with her husband. She is seen wearing a cardigan over a blouse with a
reversible collar, and a simple puan is wrapped around her waist.
Plate 62 (a) Sharmila Tagore Plate 62 (b) Sharmila Tagore inspired hairstyle
In plate 62(b), we see Zopari standing on a hill in Mizoram, called „Thakthing tlang‟. It
is interesting to note that there is a big change in her dressing. The way of draping the
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puan has undergone a change -we can see that it is draped much shorter and straighter
than the ones seen in earlier pictures.
During the 1960‟s, „Beehive/Bouffant‟ hairstyle was very popular and Bollywood
heroines like Sharmila Tagore [plate 62(a)] was often seen sporting this hairstyle. This
style became the fashion even n Mizoram and almost all the Mizo ladies copied this
hairstyle .Thus we see that Bollywood although far from Mizoram had its influence on
the dress and hairstyles during this period.
Plate 63: Aizawl , 1975 with her husband Rev.Lalrinmawia
Zopari‟s husband, Rev Lalrinmawia was posted in Jabalpur, where he was the pastor of
Presbyterian church. Staying outside Mizoram had its influence. Unlike earlier pictures ,
here we see that she has discarded the puan and is wearing a maxi skirt with a blouse top-
a fashion statement in the 1970‟s.
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Plate 64: Kolkata, 1978 with family
Zopari (standing on the right in the second row) is seen with her family on a visit to
Kolkata. She is wearing puan with a reversible collar blouse. We can see the style of
draping of the puan is different compared to the earlier photos; it is much longer in length
and wrapped around her waist in such a way that the end is straight and is not at an angle
as seen in earlier pictures. It may be note that the blouse is tucked-in in this picture
.There is no hard and fast rule, sometimes it is tucked-in and sometimes it is not.
Plate 65: Nagpur, 1984 with her daughter Kimtei
In this picture Zopari is seen with her daughter Kimtei in Nagpur before attending a
Church service. Here she is wearing a floral print sari with a sleeveless blouse an
ensemble which she did not usually wear in Mizoram. Migrating to Nagpur had required
her to dress up like the mainland people of that place. In Nagpur, women were expected
to wear sari inside the church.
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Plate 66: Kolkata, 1991
In this picture Zopari is seen wearing a simple European mid-calf dress outside her
apartment in Kolkata. She must be wearing a summer dress in order to beat the heat of
Kolkata.
Plate 67: Bangkok, 1992 with her husband
Zopari is seen standing with her husband when they visit Bangkok. Here she is wearing a
white silk Asian printed blouse with a full length black skirt like how most Asian
(Japanese, Korean, Thai) women usually dressed.
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Plate 68: London, 1993 with her husband
She is seen standing with her husband inside a hotel room in London in the year 1993.
She is wearing a trench coat over a salwar suit. She probably wore salwar suit because it
is more convenient to wear while travelling than the puan. We see that on her feet she is
wearing black sandals and holding a black leather bag on her hand.
Plate 69: Aizawl, 1999 with her husband and a friend
Back home in Aizawl. Zopari is seen in the company of her husband and a friend before
going to Church. She is wearing a simple blouse with silk puan which Mizo women
normally wear to church on Sundays.
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Plate 70(a) Zopari in Salwar suit Plate 70(b) Zopari with other representatives
Honolulu, Hawaii, 2000
These pictures were taken in Honolulu, Hawaii in the year 2000.

Zopari was one of the representatives from India in the International Christian Council
Conference. As a representative of the country, she had worn a salwar suit which is an
Indian costume.
Plate 70(b) shows Zopari (standing extreme left) with her friends who came for the
conference. It is seen that some of the women have worn their traditional costumes such
as the Khasi ‘Jainsem’ (4th from left and extreme right). Zopari is wearing Mizo
traditional blouse called ‘Kawrchei’ (decorative blouse) and traditional puan called
‘Puanchei’ (decorative cloth).
Plate 71: Christian women conference, 2007
This is a picture taken in Mizoram. Zopari (centre) is standing with her friends after
attending women conference. She is seen wearing a Sunday dress; blue blazer with a blue
printed scarf and wearing puan ‘zeh’ which has got decorated zigzag design.
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Plate 72: Zopari son’s wedding, 2008
This photograph was taken on her son‟s wedding day. Zopari (standing on the extreme
right) is with her husband, son, daughter-in law and their friends. Here she is wearing a
blue lace blouse with a pearl necklace and a „Puanchei‟ which is a puan used by Mizo
ladies only for festivals, important functions and weddings.
We can see a complete transformation in the bridal dress as compare to the time of her
wedding. Back then, white blouse and ‘Puanchei’ was the only marriage outfit but now it
has change completely to a western bridal outfit.
Plate 73: Church Women Centenary, 2010 with friends
This picture was taken inside the Church compound with her friends after a church
service. Zopari (standing extreme right) is seen wearing a knitted sweater with a shawl
and a matching modern puan.
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Plate 73 shows how modern Mizo elderly women dressed up for church. Mizo women
are expected to wear smart and simple blouse with the Mizo puan inside the Church.
Plate 74: Christmas Aizawl, 2012 with her husband and their grandchildren
On Christmas day after the church service, Zopari is proudly sitting with her husband and
their seven grandchildren. Here we see that she is the only one wearing a traditional puan
while others are all wearing western dress. The traditional puan which she is wearing is
called ‘Puanropui’ (Great cloth) with high heel peep toe shoes.
Every church going people in Mizoram have special Sunday dress to wear on special
occasions like Christmas, Good Friday and Easter Sunday which they do not wear on
ordinary Sundays.
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4.2.4 TEXTILES
Siapsuap
Plate 75: Siapsuap
The earliest women‟s wear ‘Siapsuap’ was made from the bark or fiber of a flowering
tree locally called Vaiza (Hibiscus maerophyllus).This was later substitutes by a fringe of
twisted strands of cotton.
Hnawkhal
Plate 76: Hnawhkhal
The earliest men‟s wear ‘Hnawkhal’ made from the bark or fibers of a flowering tree
locally called „Vaiza‟ (Hibiscus maerophyllus)
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Tualtahpuan/Puanngo
Plate 77 (a) Tualtahpuan/Puanngo
Tualtahpuan is a simple thick plain white cotton cloth used as casual wear by both men
and women. Common people usually used this puan but chiefs also worn for their casual
wear. This puan is the oldest cloth of the Mizo. It might have been developed in the early
17th century while they were living in the land between the rivers Run and Tiau. It is a
product of loin loom.
Plate 77(b): Tualtahpuan Plate 77(c): Tualtahpuan
After discovering natural dyes like black, red, yellow, blue from various herbs, roots and
bark of a tree, they started using colours to decorate the border of the plain cloth.
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Tualtahkawr (Plain white shirt)
Plate 78(a): Tualtahkawr
White thick plain cotton full sleeve worn open or loosely tied in front, meant for men and
women. It was woven in a loin loom and sewing was done with local made bamboo
needle. It did not have elaborate designs. This was also called „Hnathawh kawr’ meaning,
white coarse cloth worn on working days.
Plate 78(b): Tualtahkawr
After discovering black dye from ‘Ting’ plant (Assam indigo plant) they started
decorating the borders of their shirt with black colour.
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Puanrin( Stripe cloth)
Plate 79: Puanrin
Puanrin is a white striped cloth with a black background woven by the Mizo women. The
white stripes are all ‘hruih’ meaning transverse stripes on cloth Before it was worn but
men only and the length of the puan was made long about 80‟‟ length . Then later it was
made it narrower and worn by the girls of well-to-do families on special days such as
‘Kut’ which means festivals.
Ngotekherh
Plate 80: Ngotekherh
‘Ngotekherh’ is a traditional puan highly prized by the Mizos. In the beginning, this puan
used to be more popularly known as ‘Puanhruih’ meaning transverse stripes on cloth. for
both men and women. It is woven with white background and black stripes on it. Two
deep borders about four or five inches broad run along two edges length wise. This puan
is also one of the earliest puan of the Mizo.it came in greater in vogue after „Vailen’
meaning British occupation in the year 1969 when the Britishers invaded Lushais and
occupied their land.
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Hmaram
Plate 81: Hmaram
‘Hmaram’ is a petty coat of a girl, short and unstitched. It is a small hand woven cloth of
handspun cotton and indigo dyed. It is the earliest dress of the Mizo after knowing the art
of dyeing.
There are two types of „Hmaram’ depending on their embroidery design viz.
Kawkpuizikzial and Lenbuangthuam .
Plate 82: Kawkpuizikzial Plate 83: Lenbuangthuam
Plate 82: Kawkpui is the name of a fern. Zik means „tender part of the leaf‟ and zial
means „twist or twirling‟. It is a pattern that evolves from the twirling of the tender part of
a fern at the tip.
Plate83: Lenbuang is the name of a tree and thuam means „the junction of two or more
boughs or branches‟. This is a very common pattern in a Mizo puan and is woven into
different shapes.
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Tawlhlohpuan
Plate 84: Tawlhlohpuan
The attribute of courage or bravery is associated with this puan. The design of this puan
consists of a black background with vertical stripes of red, yellow and white. „Tawlhloh
Puan‟ can be defined as Tawlhloh in Mizo means „to stand firm‟, „not to change
position‟, or „not to move backward‟.
It is said that this puan design evolved during the time when the Mizos lived between the
river Run (now in Myanmar) and the river Tiau. Warriors put on this cloth when they
were fighting the enemy as a token of their steadfastness and courage in the face of
danger. Even during colonial times, these warriors put on the puan when facing the
British soldiers as a token of their resistance and to maintain their traditional dignity.
However, in course of time, this puan began to be used by ladies and rich people in times
of festive occasions like marriages and the original significance attached to this cloth
started to diminish, giving place to a new significance and status value of it.
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Thangchhuah puan
Plate 85: Thangchhuah puan
This puan had a very high social significance as it could be worn only by those who had
earned the highly coveted distinction of performing ‘Thangchhuah’ ceremony which may
be extremely expensive involving a large number of religious rites to be performed
including sacrifice of mithun and other domestic animals and providing communal feast
to the whole village. This particular puan could also be worn by the chief and his wife.
Zawlpuan/Pawndum (black cloth)
-
Plate 86: Zawlpuan/Pawndum
Zawlpuan /Pawndum when literally translated, this is „black cloth‟, and assumes different
names according to its different functions. The background is black and both the
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horizontal edges are red. The multicoloured bands are arranged horizontally between
these edges. Traditionally though, it consists of black and red colours only.
Pawndum is very significant in Mizo culture. It is compulsory item of dowry for every
Mizo girl. Young men usually used this puan as a night cover during their stay in the
men‟s dormitory (Zawlbuk). In earlier times, a young woman was required to weave a
Pawndum and carry it with to her new home when she got married. This was to be used
as a shroud to cover her dead husband‟s body in the eventuality that her husband died
during her lifetime. It could also be used to cover the bodies of any close relative on her
husband‟s side. In present times, it is still used as a mark of mourning at funerals. Thus, it
is not usually worn as a garment on ordinary occasions except those involving deaths.
Puanlaisen (cloth with middle red)
Plate 87 (a) Puanlaisen Plate 86(b)
This puan is called ‘Puanlaisen‟ which means cloth with a red middle. In ‘Puanlaisen’
the red colour runs through the middle horizontally. It was and is still used for special
festivals, weddings and performing dances.
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Puanchei (decorative cloth)
Plate 88(a) Puanchei old design Plate 88(b)
Plate 89(a) Puanchei new design Plate 89(b)
‘Puanchei’ is the most beautiful and colourful costume of Mizo and is the most valued
ladies cloth of Mizo, woven by themselves in which various designs like Disul(sungrass),
Sakeizangzia (the striped pattern of a tiger‟s skin),Lenbuangthuam (specific name of a
tree) and Fanghma mu (cucumber seeds), Kikiau (zigzag) , Semit (mithun‟s eye)were
woven in beautiful colours of red, green , yellow, pink and white. It is also invariably a
marriage outfit.
‘Puanchei’ with its beautiful colours and designs is still prized as the best because
making of this puan is difficult and involves very patient application of highly skilled
expertise so the Mizo girls are now depending on a few skilful expert weavers for their
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personal requirements. Till today, ladies wear ‘Puanchei’ on festive occasions, marriages
and while performing ‟Cheraw‟.
Puanropui (Great cloth)
Plate 90(a) Puanropui Plate 90(b)
This senior puan has been given a special name of ‘Puanropui’ which means great cloth
because of its overall gorgeous effect of the total design. The background consists of
deep red and black board running horizontally.
It is decorated with a zigzag pattern running the whole length. It was not known until the
1970‟s so it might have been developed in the early 1970‟s. It is a modern innovation
product of the artistic creativity of modern Mizo women.
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Siniar zeh/ par puan
Plate 91(a) Siniar zeh puan Plate 91(b)
This puan is known as „siniar zeh/par puan’. By the very term „siniar‟ meaning senior, it
can be assumed that the pattern is a later improvisation. The word zeh means pattern and
par means „to bloom‟ and, here, it also means „flower‟.
Traditional ‘siniar puan’ have butterflies, ’Kikiau’ in Mizo means zigzag and diamond
shaped designs. This puan design is still popular at present among the Mizo ladies. The
„Siniar puan’ traditionally has a diamond pattern, though variations may occur. Although
there is no definite explanation as to why the term „siniar‟ is used, according to some
scholars, it denotes the fact that when this design was first introduced, it was worn mostly
by the more senior women in the community, whereas young girls rarely wore them. But
today, even the young girls wear all types of „siniar‟ pattern.
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Siniar bit
Plate 92(a) Siniar bit Plate 92(b)
This puan is locally known as „Siniar bit’. The butterflies, ‘Kikiau’ zigzag patterns of the
traditional siniar puans are excluded and only the diamond shaped designs are used in
modified forms for the embroidery.
Arsi par (Star flower)
Plate 93(a) Arsi par Plate 93(b)
„Arsi’ means „star‟ and par means „flower‟. This pattern is an imitation of the stars in the
sky. So, ‘Arsi par’ means flower like stars. The star motifs are woven onto the puan
(cloth) .This puan was developed during the 1950‟s.
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Sakeizangzia( the striped pattern of a tiger skin)
Plate 94(a) Sakeizangzia Plate 94(b)
This puan is called „Sakeizangzia or Keipui zangzia’ The word „sakei or keipui ‟means
tiger, „zang’ means the back of the animal and „zia’ is pattern. This pattern emulates the
striped pattern of a tiger.
Tawtawrawtpar (trumpet flower)
Plate 95(a) Tawtawrawt par Plate 95 (b)
This is puan is called „Tawtawrawt par’ meaning trumpet which the patterns are woven
in to the puan. This puan was developed after 1960‟s.
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Sakeizangzia and Lenbuangthuam Puan:
Plate 96(a) Lenbuangthuam& Sakeizangzia Plate 96 (b)
This puan is a combination of two designs „Lenbuangthuam’ and „Sakeizangzia’.

„Lenbuangthuam’ is a name of a specific tree called ‘Lenbuang‟ and ‘Thuam’ means
branches of that tree. ‘Sakeizangzia’ means back print of a tiger. It was developed in the
1970‟s.
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UPPER GARMENTS
Dawlrem kawr
Plate 97: Dawlrem kawr
Earliest decorated wear of Mizo men called „Dawlrem Kawr’ It was named after a little
chirping insect called dawlrem after the Mizo discovered red and black dye. It is a black
,white and red striped cotton sleeveless loosely tied in front. It is woven in loin loom and
sewing is done with local made bamboo needle.
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Thangchhuahkawr
Plate 98: Thangchhuah kawr
‘Thangchhuah kawr’ had a very high social significance as it could be worn only by
those who had earned the highly coveted distinction of performing ‘Thangchhuah’
ceremony which may be extremely expensive involving a large number of religious rites
to be performed including sacrifice of Mithun and other domestic animals and providing
communal feast to the whole village.
Today , Mizo men wear Thangchhuah kawr on festivals and special occasions and it is
the only traditional shirt use by modern Mizo men
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Kawrchei (Decorated blouse)
Plate 99: Kawchei
It is an embroidered full sleeves cotton blouse of women. They are worn in festival
occasion along with „Puanchei‟ and other ornaments especially performing one of the
most popular Mizo dance „Cheraw‟. In earlier times, „Kawrchei‟ was made of thick
cotton which they wove in their loin loom. Now, it is made of thin cotton and silk.
Thangchhuah Diartial (Striped turban)
Plate 100: Thangchhuah diar tial
It is a decorated turban of a man who was entitled to wearing it. The man had to perform
different ceremonies by killing some prescribed number of animals and by making a
number of feasts for the village to make himself „Thangchhuah Pa’ .After completing all
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the required ceremonies he was entitled to wore this coveted turban called ‘Thangchhuah
Diar’. It has the design of Thangchhuah puan. It was also worn by the Mizo chiefs.
4.2.5 ACCESSORIES
Thival
Plate 101: Thival
Thival is an amber bead necklace worn by young girls. It is also used as dowry by girls.
Thihna
Plate 102: Thihna
Amber beads necklace. It is the most valuable, biggest and costliest necklace of Mizo
girls. There could be different sizes and colours.
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Modern necklaces
Plate 103: Modern necklaces
These modern necklaces do not have particular names but the colours are inspired from
traditional puans like Puanchei, Tawlhohpuan,Ngotekherh, Pawndum etc .They are made
of small beads of different colours and for the centre amber beads are used.
Saiha bengbeh(Ivory earrings)
Plate 104: Saiha Bengbeh
„Saiha Bengbeh’ (ivory earrings). The rich people used to wear ivory earrings in their
ears. Up till now there are some old folks with long hanging ears. The poor people who
cannot afford ivory earrings used to wear earthen or wooden earrings of the same size.
When a girl and a boy wear ivory earrings on both their ears, they feel very proud. Now
these ornaments are no longer used.
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Vakiria
Plate 105: Vakiria
Head gear of women made of cane, porcupine quills with the long feather tails of parrot
in which wing of beetles are also hung horizontally with a small thin cane and worn on
festive and important occasions. It was sometimes used as a dowry for the girls who
belonged to a rich family.
Plate 106
Porcupine quills with long feather tails of parrot.
Plate 107
Pingpih (wild Job‟s tears seeds) with wing of beetles are hung by thin cane.
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Plate 108
Decorated plaited cane headgear. The porcupine quills with parrot long feather tails are
inserted into this cane headgear.
Arkeziak, Tuirual and Dartawnsuk
Plate 109: Arkeziak Plate 110: Latui with Arkeziak Plate 111: Dartawnsuk
Plate 108: „Arkeziak’ is a tassel or plume of red, blue and white yarn made in honor of the
prowess of men in wars. Tuirual consists of three small woolen yarn rolled as a spinning
top called „Latui’ (spindle yarn) which tied on a thin slice of bamboo.It was worn by
Mizo ladies in honor of the prowess of men in wars.
Plate 110: „Dartawnsuk‟ means brass which can bend was used with „Diar var’ meaning
white turban and it was worn by common men.
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Vakulchang
Plate 112: Vakulchang
„Vakul’ is a name of one Mizo bird and its english name is Greater Racket-tailed
Drongo. The plume is made of long tail feathers of this bird. It was worn only by the
Mizo chiefs with striped turban called „Thangchhuah diar tial’.
Khumbeu
Plate 113: Khumbeu
‘Khumbeu’ is the Lushai hat which is worn only by men. It is generally made of
Melocalamus Compactiflorus (Sairil) cane lined with Phrynim Capitatum (Hnahthial)
leaves so this hat is waterproof.
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Mizo Bags
Plate 114 (a) Iptechei/Khiangkawi ipte Plate 114(b)
Iptechei /khiangkawi ipte in Mizo means decorative bag. It is a colourful

bag made from cloth woven with many different colours and motifs.
Modern bags
Plate 115: Puanchei bag Plate 116(a): Modern bag
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Plate 116 (b) Modern bags Plate116 (c)
Plates 115(b) are bags made of leather and Mizo puan designs for decoration. Plates
115(c) are bags made of plaited stripes of cane with Mizo textile for decoration.
Silai (Gun)
Plate 117: Silai
Gun was one of the most important weapons of Mizo men for hunting and also a part of
their accessory. In the past, only the Mizo chiefs and few brave men could afford to buy
guns. It was difficult to own a gun so, who so ever owned one, carried it as a way of
showing pride. Gun was a one of the treasure that Mizo men possessed.
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Fungki
Plate 118: Fungki
‘Fungki’ is a flask of mithun‟s horn meant for carrying gun powder. It was one of the
accessories for Mizo men.
It is beautifully coloured, ornamented and well-polished with oil. The flask is tied round
with plaited cane and from there a string is tied for carrying .The open end of the flask is
covered with a cut piece of bamboo knot and the opening is made on the taper end which
is closed by the lid. Gunpowder is kept inside the flask.
Tuibur
Plate 119: Tuibur
It is a lady smoking pipe made of bamboo and metal. In the earlier times Mizo women
smoked this pipe day and night and it was a part of their accessory.
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CHAPTER-5
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 CONCLUSION
The earliest clothes worn by Mizo men and women were made from grass; men‟s
garment was called ‘Hnawkhal’ and women garment was called ‘Siapsuap’ (1300AD -
1400AD).Later, they made their clothes from the cotton grown in their jhum lands with
their handmade tools and grass garments were no longer in use. The coming of the British
and the Christian Missionaries brought a radical change in the lifestyle and dressing of
the Mizos.
After Mizoram attained Statehood, funds and financial assistance flew in from the
Central Government of India for the developmental work which made the economic and
the social life better. Mizos no longer engaged in agriculture alone and were getting new
jobs in the government offices. Their earnings increased substantially which made them
spend more on clothes. Many people started business in the field of fashion where they
source materials not only from within India but also abroad.
The study covered a period from 1900 AD to the present date. It is seen that various
factors have affected changes in the dressing of Mizo. The following points may be noted
in regard to the transition of Mizo dressing:
 During the British rule in India, Mizoram was placed in the hands of Christian
missionaries from London who introduced Christianity and popularized the
Western way of life. Over a period of time, almost the whole population adopted
Christianity, and to some extent, it changed the traditional Mizo society to a more
western outlook. The traditional dress of the Mizo women has not changed much.
Men on the other hand had adopted western dress much sooner than the women
and their indigenous clothes were completely replaced by trousers, shirts, blazers
etc. The Hollywood influence is considerable and the youth of Mizoram follow
the western celebrities‟ sense of dress. Hollywood celebrities like Madonna, Suzi
105
Quatro, Lady Diana, Snoop Dogg, Usher, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars etc
greatly influenced the dressing and hairstyles of the Mizo youth.
 Mizoram is a part of India however; the Mizo people do not dress like the
mainland Indians. After studying the photographs which were collected, it can be
clearly stated that Indian dressing has had little or no influenced in the dressing of
Mizo over the years except for few hairstyles like Sharmila Tagore Bouffant
hairstyle in the 1960‟s.Other than that, no great impact is seen in the Mizo fashion
trend till today. This may be because of the differences in the physical
appearance, cultures, language, religion and lifestyle. The wearing of „Indian‟
wear is absent in the state till today; however few women, wear the salwar
kameez. Saris are not worn by Mizo women in Mizoram, not so much for any
underlying resentment, but more out of sheer force of habit.
 Even though modern Mizo ladies have adopted western wear, the puan shows no
sign of disappearing from their wardrobe. Women are reluctant to attend church
services without donning their favorite traditional garment, termed "respectable"
and encouraged by the church for women.
Men‟s dressing on the other hand has completely changed into western wear. The
puan is only used by men on special occasions like „Kut‟ festivals.
The earliest puan was a thick white plain cotton cloth and after discovering
natural dyes, colours were added on the borders. Gradually more colours and
intricate designs were added which led ultimately to the production of extremely
beautiful puans. The puans were always woven on the loin looms but about two
decades back, local carpenters developed a basic hand loom called the „Zo loom‟
which was influenced by the handlooms of Myanmar. Sales of puans have
increased within the state and are also exported to other northeastern states. It is
found out from the study that the production of puan on handlooms become an
important trade for the Mizo women to solve the unemployment problem. The
scope and prospect of the market is very bright if improvement in the quality and
design is made.
106
5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS
 Similar study on costumes of other Mizo clans could be undertaken.

 Normally the puan is now worn only by the Mizo women .The traditional puan
motifs and designs could be converted into engineer fabrics for making garments
such as salwar kameez , kurta ,saris etc and furnishing items like cushion covers,
table cloths, curtains etc
 Upgrading the Mizo loom „Zo loom‟ into power loom for making the production
of puan faster for export.
107
GLOSSARY
Arsi: Star
Dawlrem kawr: Mizo men‟s wear
Disul: Di means „sungrass‟ and sul mean, “the long grass or weeds on or by the side of a
path which brush against passers-by and thus point in the direction in which they have
gone.”
Fanghma mu: Cucumber seed
Herhsawp: Bamboo stool
Hmaram: Mizo puan
Hnawhkhal: The first men‟s wear made of grass
Kawkpuizikzial: Kawkpui is the name of a fern. Zik means „tender part of the leaf‟ and
zial means „twist or twirling‟. It is a pattern that evolves from the twirling of the tender
part of a fern at the tip.
Kawrchei: Decorative blouse
Keifangpil: Name of a plant from which red colour was extracted.
Lal: Chief
Lal upa: Minister of the chief
Lenbuangthuam: Lenbuang is the name of a tree and thuam means „the junction of two or
more boughs or branches‟.
Naya sawm: 10 paise
Ngotekherh: Mizo black and white stripe puan
Par: Floral/flower
Puan : Mizo cloth
108
Puan bu: Loin loom
Puanchei: Decorative cloth
Puanrin: Stripe cloth
Ramhrui: Forest string; name of a plant
Sap: English
Sap lukhum: English hat
Sakeizangzia or Keipui zia: The word sakei or keipui means „tiger‟, zang means „the back
of the animal‟and zia is „pattern‟. This pattern emulates the striped pattern of a tiger.
Semit: Mithun‟s eye
Siapsuap: A grass skirt made from a fibre called Hruikhau from a bark of a tree called
Vaiza
Siki: 25 paise
Tawlhlohpuan: Tawlhoh means to stand firm and puan means cloth
Thangchhuah pa - A person who performed various rituals ceremonies
Thangchhuah puan- Cloth of a person who performed various rituals ceremonies
Thangchhuah kawr- Shirt of a person who performed various rituals ceremonies
Ting: Assam indigo plant
Tualtah puan- Plain white thick cotton cloth
Tualtah kawr- Plain white thick cotton shirt
Vai puan: Indian cloth
Zawlbuk: Bachelor‟s dormitory
109
REFERENCES
1. Chatterji, N(1979)"Puan-The Pride of Mizoram", Firma KLM, Calcutta

2. Chatterji, Suhas, Dr(1989) “Mizoram Encyclopedia” Vol 2,Jaico Publishing
House, Mumbai
3. Coates, Joseph ''From My Perspective: The Future of Clothing from

Technological Forecasting & Social Change'' (vol. 72, no. 1 • Jan. 2005)
http://www.josephcoates.com/pdf_files/279_Future_of_Clothing.pdf
4. Genesis 3:7; 21,''Goodnews Bible‟s Paul Edition
5. Jirousek, Charlotte “Dress, Fashion, and Social Change”

http://char.txa.cornell.edu/art/dress/dress.htm
6. Joshi, H.G (2005) “Arts crafts and cultural forms Mizoram past and present”.
7. Jugde, S,Paramjit and Sharma, K,Satish(1997 ) “Dimensions of Social Change”
,Rawat Publications ,Jaipur and New Delhi
8. Lalchungnunga (2004) “A Modern History Of Mizoram-Progress and
development of the education in Mizoram (1947-82) Spectrum Publications
9. Lalthangliana,B (1992) “Hmasang Zonun”Aizawl
10. Lianhmingthanga (1998)''Material Culture of the Mizo'' Tribal Research Institute
Department of Art and culture Govt of Mizoram, Firma KLM,Calcutta
11. Mizo Incheina (1991)Tribal Research Institute, Directorate of Art and Culture
,Government of Mizoram,
12. Pachuau , Rintluanga (2009) “Mizoram: A Study in Comprehensive Geography”
Northern Book Center, New Delhi
13. Sangkima, Dr (1992)"Mizo society and social change(1890-1947)",Spectrum
Publications, Lushai (Asian people)
14. Vanlalthanga, Samuel “Church: the primary agent of change in Mizo society,
Socio Economic and Political history of the Mizo” EBH Publishers, Guwahati
110
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Boihchhingpuii “Mizo hnam incheina – Zotuithiang Thu leh hla”

2010)http://zotuithiang-thulehhla.webnode.com/news/mizo-hnam-incheina/
Courtesy : The Aizawl Post - June 05, 2008
2. Chhangte,L,Cherri,Dr “Mizo Textiles–Puan” Posted by DayDreamBelievers
Sunday,August 30th,2009
http://mizdaydreambeliever.blogspot.in/2009/08/textiles-of-mizoram-puan.html
3. Lalneihzovi (2009) “Changing status of women in Northeast states”,A Mittal

Publication,New Delhi
4. Lalthangliana, B." Culture folklore of Mizoram", Publications Division Ministry
of Information & Broadcasting Government of India
5. “Mizoram State Museum Catalogue‟‟, Department of Art and Culture, Govt. of
Mizoram Aizawl.
6. “Mizo traditional textile”, seminar jointly organized by Art and Culture
Department & Mizo Writer‟s Association
111
ANNEXURE1
LIST OF PEOPLE INTERVIEWED
1. Charlee Lalthanliana - Textile Designer

2. F. Hrangmuana - Staff of Art and Culture Department Drama Wing
3. K. Rosiamliana
4. Laitanga - Senior Research Officer Ret. Tribal Research Institute, Govt. of
Mizoram
5. Prof. Lallungmuana –Pachhunga University,Aizawl,Mizoram
6. Lalmuankimi (MK-i)
7. Lucy Sailo -Fashion Designer
8. Rebecca Saimawii
9. Rev Lalrinmawia
10. Ruby
11. Rualkhumi
12. Samuel Lalfana
13. Saizikpuii Sailo
14. Sekapthanga
15. V.L Pari
16. Zaliana - Senior Research Officer ,Tribal Research Institute, Govt. of Mizoram
17. Zonuntluangi
18. Zopari
112
ANNEXURE 2
Fig 1: Map of Mizoram
113

A Study of Factors Affecting Changes in Mizo Dressing

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A study on factors affecting changes in Mizo dressing

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Chapter no Title Page no

3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND 19

3.1 Secondary Research 19

4.1 Secondary Research 21

5 CONCLUSION AND 105

5.1 Conclusion 105

1.3 Significance of the project

2.2 SOCIAL CHANGE

Social change, a consequence of human action is conditioned by the challenges faced by

2.4 HISTORY OF MIZO DRESSING

2.6 COLOURS AND DYES

2.7 VARIATION OF THE DESIGNS

2.8 TOOLS FOR PREPARING COTTON YARNS FOR WEAVING

‘Herawt’ is a homemade ginning machine

„Lasai’ is a scutching bow made of bamboo with a cane

„Ladinlek’ is a contrivance used as an instrument made of small

‘Suvel’ a cotton yarn winding machine made of bamboo and

2.9 THE LOIN LOOM AND THE WEAVING TECHNIQUE

The following are the instruments used in the operation of weaving:

Plate 6: (Puanbu) Loin loom instruments

Plate 7: A Mizo woman weaving on lion loom

COMING OF THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES: The British Expedition had paved

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: In Mizoram the spur in the economic development

RELIGIOUS/ CHURCH INFLUENCE: The main religion in Mizoram is Christianity.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 SECONDARY RESEARCH

• History of the Mizoram

3.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH

Secondary Research Primary research

• Books • Visual research

• History of Mizoram • Transition of Mizo

4.1 SECONDARY RESEARCH

4.1.1 HISTORICAL RESEARCH ON THE TRANSITION OF MIZO

Science, Technology and Developmental factor: Improvement in Science and

4.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH

4.2.1 GENERAL STUDY

Plate 11: Lushai Chiefs family 1912

Plate 12: Young Mizo men 1926

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