"Huge,huge thanks for an absolutely fantastic trip. It was beyond our wildest dreams due to your excellent professional and personal skills. I think you know we loved it all and appreciate everything you did to make it a truly wonderful experience."...Susan Mace
A tour across Assam and Meghalay was designed to bring textile experience of the North East India to Susan Mace and Archana Shah. This tour introduced them to Eri silk cultivation, hand spinning, natural dyeing, bamboo loom, floor room, supplementary weft design techniques and tribal designs and weaving patterns of various communities.
Highlights of a textile tour can include....
Eri silk cultivation of the matrilineal Khasi tribe in Meghalaya.
Try your hand at spinning Eri silk or cotton yarn.
Natural dyeing workshops.
Weaving workshops on the floor loom, frame loom or backstrap loom.
Explore the complex designs of the Mishing weavers of Majuli.
Witness a tribal festival with textiles, dance, song and traditional food.
Meet with textile experts to understand the academic perspective and heritage preservation.
Explore the vibrant Naga designs and their tribal significance.
Visit ethnic communities on the Indian side of Myanmar border, sharing common design and weaving techniques with their Southeast Asian cousins.
Our Textile tours
Art and craft communicate the ethnic identity of a region and the artisanal practices represent it's indigenous knowledge. Northeast India has a vibrant textile culture, closely related to the natural environment, the people and the festivals. A textile tour of Northeast India will bring you first hand knowledge of the indigenous silk rearing processes, natural dying methods, looms, weaving techniques and many more. We will stay in the villages and arrange workshops with the master artisans of the craft. Through close interaction with the artisans our guests are able to experience life in the rural communities, and understand the ancient skills of the craftspeople. We draw on our wide network in the Northeast to bring in discussions with textile researchers, experts and practitioners working with artisans to preserve the textile heritage. In a craft and textile tour you will also explore the dramatic landscapes of the region, taste the local cuisine and see cultural performances along the way. Where possible we will time our itinerary with local festivals, the best place to see ethnic textiles being used.
You can try your hands on a loom, learn natural dyeing techniques, visit a silk rearing workshop and more....
Tribal festivals are the best opportunity to witness the traditional use of textiles. Ask us about the festival calendar when planning your visit....
"I highly recommend arranging a special textile tour with Native North East Tours, North East India, managed by Champak Deka. You will have a unique, tailored, hassle-free and utterly memorable experience, only possible because it is organised by Champak, a highly professional local tour manager and guide, in association with Anna-Louise Meynell, traditional Northeast India textile expert. They make a truly superb team able to organise and give you the exclusive tour of your dreams!"
Susan Mace, UK